Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Chapters 1–6

by J.K. Rowling
In his sixth year at Hogwarts, Harry learns more about Voldemort's past and discovers a mysterious Potions textbook.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–12, Chapters 13–18, Chapters 19–24, Chapters 25–30

Here are links to our lists for works in the Harry Potter universe: The Sorcerer's Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Goblet of Fire, The Order of the Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince, The Deathly Hallows, The Cursed Child, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. predecessor
    one who goes before you in time
    I’ll only bother you if there’s something really serious going on our end, something that’s likely to affect the Muggles — the non-magical population, I should say. Otherwise, it’s live and let live. And I must say, you’re taking it a lot better than your predecessor.
  2. aggrieve
    infringe on the rights of
    Fudge subsided into what was clearly an aggrieved silence, but it was broken almost immediately by the portrait, which suddenly spoke in its crisp, official voice.
  3. disgorge
    cause or allow to flow or run out or over
    “Yes, yes, fine,” said the Prime Minister distractedly, and he barely flinched as the flames in the grate turned emerald green again, rose up, and revealed a second spinning wizard in their heart, disgorging him moments later onto the antique rug.
  4. rangy
    tall and thin and having long slender limbs
    There were streaks of gray in his mane of tawny hair and his bushy eyebrows; he had keen yellowish eyes behind a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles and a certain rangy, loping grace even though he walked with a slight limp.
  5. incredulous
    not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
    Scrimgeour turned slowly on the spot and exchanged an incredulous look with Fudge, who really did manage a smile this time as he said kindly, “The trouble is, the other side can do magic too, Prime Minister.”
  6. bearing
    the direction or path along which something moves or lies
    The figure seemed to take its bearings for a few moments, then set off with light, quick strides, its long cloak rustling over the grass.
  7. dismissive
    showing indifference or disregard
    “Just a fox,” said a woman’s voice dismissively from under the hood.
  8. discomfit
    cause to lose one's composure
    Bellatrix said nothing, but looked, for the first time, a little discomfited.
  9. forestall
    keep from happening or arising; make impossible
    She nodded almost imperceptibly and then opened her mouth, but Snape forestalled her.
  10. stint
    an unbroken period of time during which you do something
    I had a comfortable job that I preferred to a stint in Azkaban.
  11. implicitly
    without doubting or questioning
    “And through all this we are supposed to believe Dumbledore has never suspected you?” asked Bellatrix. “He has no idea of your true allegiance, he trusts you implicitly still?”
  12. smattering
    a small number or amount
    The room was strewn with various possessions and a good smattering of rubbish.
  13. rife
    excessively abundant
    The nature of that prophecy is unknown, although speculation is rife that it concerns Harry Potter, the only person ever known to have survived the Killing Curse, and who is also known to have been at the Ministry on the night in question.
  14. stringent
    demanding strict attention to rules and procedures
    “For obvious reasons, the Ministry will not be going into detail about its stringent new security plans,” said the Minister, although an insider confirmed that measures include defensive spells and charms, a complex array of countercurses, and a small task force of Aurors dedicated solely to the protection of Hogwarts School.
  15. imperiously
    in a manner showing arrogant superiority
    Inside it was a magnificent snowy owl. Her amber eyes surveyed the room imperiously, her head swiveling occasionally to gaze at her snoring master.
  16. missive
    a written message addressed to a person or organization
    Though he already knew it by heart, Harry had been stealing glances at this missive every few minutes since seven o’clock that evening, when he had first taken up his position beside his bedroom window, which had a reasonable view of both ends of Privet Drive.
  17. billowing
    characterized by great swelling waves or surges
    A tall figure in a long, billowing cloak was walking up the garden path.
  18. grudgingly
    in a reluctant manner
    However miserable he has been here, however unwelcome, however badly treated, you have at least, grudgingly, allowed him houseroom.
  19. proffer
    present for acceptance or rejection
    Harry gripped Dumbledore’s proffered forearm.
  20. solicitous
    full of anxiety and concern
    “Are you all right?” asked Dumbledore, looking down at him solicitously.
  21. reprimand
    censure severely or angrily
    “I didn’t…” Harry began, not entirely sure whether he was being reprimanded or not.
  22. disgruntled
    in a state of sulky dissatisfaction
    He gave a drink to Dumbledore, who had sat down without invitation, thrust the tray at Harry, and then sank into the cushions of the repaired sofa and a disgruntled silence.
  23. coercion
    using force to cause something to occur
    “I imagine that they would want you to turn your considerable talents to coercion, torture, and murder,” said Dumbledore.
  24. pestilential
    likely to spread and cause an epidemic disease
    If you’re going to tell me my life would be more peaceful at that pestilential school, you can save your breath, Albus!
  25. prudent
    marked by sound judgment
    Still...the prudent wizard keeps his head down in such times.
  26. tantamount
    being essentially equal to something
    All very well for Dumbledore to talk, but taking up a post at Hogwarts just now would be tantamount to declaring my public allegiance to the Order of the Phoenix!
  27. cosset
    treat with excessive indulgence
    It was hard to sympathize with Slughorn’s cosseted existence when he remembered Sirius, crouching in a cave and living on rats.
  28. uncanny
    surpassing the ordinary or normal
    He used to handpick favorites at Hogwarts, sometimes for their ambition or their brains, sometimes for their charm or their talent, and he had an uncanny knack for choosing those who would go on to become outstanding in their various fields.
  29. liaison
    a means of communication between groups
    Horace formed a kind of club of his favorites with himself at the center, making introductions, forging useful contacts between members, and always reaping some kind of benefit in return, whether a free box of his favorite crystalized pineapple or the chance to recommend the next junior member of the Goblin Liaison Office.
  30. noncommittal
    refusing to bind oneself to a particular course of action
    His mouth now full of bread, Harry shrugged and gave a noncommittal jerk of the head.
  31. reproachful
    expressing disapproval, blame, or disappointment
    “Ron, don’t hit him!” said a girl’s voice reproachfully.
  32. manifest
    reveal its presence or make an appearance
    She was watching him as though expecting strange symptoms to manifest themselves at any moment.
  33. bracing
    refreshing or invigorating
    He knew that Ron and Hermione were more shocked than they were letting on, but the mere fact that they were still there on either side of him, speaking bracing words of comfort, not shrinking from him as though he were contaminated or dangerous, was worth more than he could ever tell them.
  34. antidote
    a remedy that stops or controls the effects of a poison
    “But it’s got to come off!” squeaked Hermione. “I can’t go around looking like this forever!”
    “You won’t, dear, we’ll find an antidote, don’t worry,” said Mrs. Weasley soothingly.
  35. complacently
    in a self-satisfied manner
    “At Beauxbatons,” said Fleur complacently, “we ’ad a different way of doing things. I think eet was better. We sat our examinations after six years of study, not five, and then—”
  36. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    “Hermione?” said Ginny tentatively, for Hermione still hadn’t turned around.
  37. confines
    a bounded scope
    Harry remained within the confines of the Burrow’s garden over the next few weeks.
  38. flippant
    showing an inappropriate lack of seriousness
    “Blimey...you can’t even make a joke round here anymore...” But Ron was careful not to be flippant about Voldemort over the next few days.
  39. harried
    troubled persistently, especially with petty annoyances
    Harry noticed that many of the people who passed them had the same harried, anxious look as Mrs. Weasley, and that nobody was stopping to talk anymore; the shoppers stayed together in their own tightly knit groups, moving intently about their business.
  40. disabuse
    free somebody from an erroneous belief
    Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged looks, but before they could disabuse Hagrid of this comfortable notion, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Ginny appeared, all clutching heavy packages of books.
  41. ruefully
    in a manner expressing pain or sorrow
    “And what’s happened to your eye, Hermione?”
    “Your punching telescope,” she said ruefully.
  42. surreptitiously
    in a secretive manner
    “And our Decoy Detonators are just walking off the shelves, look,” said Fred, pointing at a number of weird-looking black horn-type objects that were indeed attempting to scurry out of sight. “You just drop one surreptitiously and it’ll run off and make a nice loud noise out of sight, giving you a diversion if you need one.”
  43. skeptical
    marked by or given to doubt
    “Best range of love potions you’ll find anywhere.”
    Ginny raised an eyebrow skeptically. “Do they work?” she asked.
  44. retribution
    the act of taking revenge
    “Tell anyone,” said Malfoy, “and there will be retribution. You know Fenrir Greyback? He’s a family friend. He’ll be dropping in from time to time to make sure you’re giving the problem your full attention.”
  45. unctuous
    unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating
    Inside the shop, Borgin remained frozen; his unctuous smile had vanished; he looked worried.
Created on Tue Jan 02 14:41:53 EST 2018 (updated Tue Sep 11 11:57:15 EDT 2018)

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