Friendship Quotes in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

How we cite our quotes: (chapter.paragraph)

Quote #7

"Lord Voldemort has never had a friend, nor do I believe that he has ever wanted one." (13.188)

Again, we see here a big difference between Voldemort and Harry. Voldemort wants to separate himself from the people around him, while Harry's friendships are the thing that sustains him. If Voldemort had had a friend at one point in his life, what kind of friend would it have had to have been?

Quote #8

He and Cho were now too embarrassed to look at each other, let alone talk to each other; what if Ron and Hermione started going out together, then split up? Could their friendship survive it? Harry remembered the few weeks when they had not been talking to each other in the third year; he had not enjoyed trying to bridge the distance between them. And then, what if they split up? What if they became like Bill and Fleur, and it became excruciatingly embarrassing to be in their presence, so that he was shut out for good? (14.33)

Ruh roh. Love is getting in the way of friendship, or at least that's at the top of Harry's worry list right after "Defeat Lord Voldemort" and "Figure out what Draco is cooking up." Ron and Hermione don't get together in this story, but does that preserve the dynamic between the triumvirate (Harry, Ron, and Hermione)? How does love affect their relationships? And, what has happened between Harry and Cho?

Quote #9

"Nobody's ever asked me to a party before, as a friend!" (15.72)

Oh Luna, once again, you rule. There's something totally charming and winning about the fact that Harry dodges the love darts aimed at him by the likes of Romilda Vane by asking out a girl who is not considered to be the coolest kid on the block. Luna's earnest glee at being able to go to a party in this moment is infectious. Did anyone notice that a Slughorn party is kind of like a mini prom or a Blair Waldorf party (Gossip Girl, anyone)? It's all about who you are with and what you wear, and not everyone gets invited.