Mortality Quotes in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

How we cite our quotes: (chapter.paragraph)

Quote #1

"And now, Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure." (3.110)

Harry and Dumbledore seem to share a similar bravery and taste for adventure. Even knowing the risks that certain events, outings, and quests entail, they do not hesitate to press onward. We see this in their attempt to steal the first of Voldemort's Horcruxes. We see this in Harry's quest for Slughorn's memory. We see this in Harry's resolve to destroy Voldemort, no matter what. The two wizards seem to possess a love and reverence for the unknown, for "that flighty temptress, adventure."

Quote #2

"Anyone we know dead?" asked Ron in a determinedly casual voice: he posed the same question every time Hermione opened her paper. (11.25)

You know it's not good when high school students are discussing which of their acquaintances have died. This single moment tells us a lot about how the culture at Hogwarts has changed. Death and tragedy lurk everywhere, even in the Great Hall over breakfast. There is no hiding from heartbreak or grief in a time of war.

Quote #3

Harry and Ron did not answer, but Harry knew that they were all thinking the same thing. There had been a horrible incident the day before, when Hannah Abbott had been taken out of Herbology to be told her mother had been found dead. They had not seen Hannah since. (11.41)

Can you imagine knowing that someone in Biology class had just lost a mother? This kind of loss is one that Harry knows so well. Family is one of the most universal ideas in the world – everyone can relate to the idea of what a family is and means. And so when someone at Hogwarts loses a member of her family, everyone can empathize.