Line #1 Heartwarming/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ginny_and_harry_share_a_kiss_in_half_blood_prince.jpg]]
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4	!!This is a Moments page; per policy, spoilers are unmarked!
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6	[[folder: From the Book]]
7	* Harry only has to endure a mere fortnight at the Dursleys' before Dumbledore arrives to take him away. After his horrible mistake in letting him starve for information and connection the previous summer, and with this being his penultimate stay (and the last stay that Dumbledore himself will live to see), one could see this as a massive apology and reward to make up for all the suffering he was put through the previous year. Harry gets to spend the vast majority of the summer with his true family, the Weasley's.
8	** Before they go, Dumbledore gets the chance to calmly but sternly give Vernon and Petunia a piece of his mind for all their torture and abuse, and even gets one in on Dudley’s behalf, stating that at least they didn’t spoil Harry rotten and seemingly destroy him like they did him.
9	** Harry also has to sort through Sirius's possessions left to him. He agrees to let Buckbeak live with Hagrid again (Dumbledore notes Hagrid was already delighted to have him), and agrees to let Grimmauld Place continue as Order headquarters.
10	* With this being Dumbledore’s last year of life, he chooses to let his walls down more around Harry and show more of himself to the boy he sees as his son. He opens up to him about his staffing issues, he treats Harry with more respect beyond just being his student, and doesn’t baby him either, providing stern admonishment when needed. This is Dumbledore’s last chance to show Harry how much he loves him, and he takes it even though he knows he’s going to leave Harry inevitably devastated.
11	* Snape consoling Narcissa and taking the Unbreakable Vow. You're so used to him being a massive {{Jerkass}} that this one act of kindness stands out. It really shows that he actually is capable of caring for another person to that extent.
12	** On a similar note, his loyalty to Dumbledore, and Dumbledore's trust in him. While the culmination of their relationship is a tearjerker, Dumbledore cared about Snape enough to trust him with his life and his death; he's not afraid, even surrounded by psychos like Bellatrix and Greyback, because he knows Snape won't let him die painfully. Add up the fact that Dumbledore believed his defection was genuine all those years ago and he's pretty much Snape's ParentalSubstitute. As much of a {{jerkass}} as Snape is, Dumbledore has always seen the best of him.
13	* "I am not worried, Harry. I am with you."
14	** For more context, not long before, Dumbledore had said "You're with me" to reassure Harry that there was no reason to fear danger in their quest ahead. Now [[MeaningfulEcho he turns it around]], to express his faith in Harry.
15	* Luna says, "I enjoyed the Dumbledore's Army meetings too. It was like having friends." Later in the same scene, Harry tells a rude girl that all the people in his compartment are his friends. Luna says, "People expect you to have cooler friends than us." And Harry replies, "You are cool." Pretty much any scene where anyone is nice to the optimistic yet sadly abused Luna is heartwarming because she ''deserves'' to have kind friends. What makes it even better is that it's a CallBack to the previous book, when Harry had been resentful and humiliated by the mere sight of Cho seeing him sitting with people like Neville and Luna (though being covered in Stinksap was a significant contributing factor). It shows how much [[CharacterDevelopment Harry had grown up since then]].
16	* Early in the year, when the students are selecting their N.E.W.T. subjects, [=McGonagall=] tells Neville, not unkindly, that he doesn't have the required grade to continue Transfiguration past O.W.L. level and goes so far as to ask him why he wants to continue it in the first place, given that he didn't particularly enjoy it in the past. Neville mutters something about his grandmother wanting him to do so, prompting [=McGonagall=] to respond thusly:
17	--> '''[=McGonagall=]:''' It's high time your grandmother learned to be proud of the grandson she's got, rather than the one she thinks she ought to have, particularly after [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix what happened at the Ministry]].
18	** This is added on with what happens next. [=McGonagall=] suggests that Neville takes up Charms, but Neville says his grandmother thinks it's a soft option.
19	--> '''[=McGonagall=]''': Take Charms, and I'll drop Augusta a line that just because she failed her Charms O.W.L. doesn't mean the subject is worthless.
20	** She also reminds Neville that he's good at Herbology. It goes to show that, while she ''can'' be quite stern, she does care about her students and pays attention to the things they like.
21	* Hermione hesitantly trying to ask Ron to Slughorn's party, and the burgeoning ShipTease, is absolutely adorable for Ron/Hermione shippers. Of course, Ron screws that up by making out with Lavender for half the book while Hermione screws up by dating Cormac and assaulting Ron, but still.
22	* After he's been poisoned, it's mentioned that Hermione had run up to the hospital wing and been very pale and quiet all day. No matter how much of an idiot they've both been, she still loves and worries about him.
23	* Harry gets Dumbledore's back in ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince''. He notes how Rufus Scrimgeour accused Harry of being "Dumbledore's man through and through." Dumbledore notes, amused, how very rude that was of him. Harry then says he effectively accepted it as a compliment... and suddenly notices how very damp Dumbledore's eyes seem, with Dumbledore being moved to tears by this display of loyalty towards him. What perhaps makes this moment even better is this exchange right at the end when Harry and Scrimgeour meet at Dumbledore's funeral:
24	-->'''Scrimgeour:''' I see you are--\
25	'''Harry:''' Dumbledore's man through and through. That's right.
26	** The fact that throughout the book, Harry ''does not drop'' the fact that Stan Shunpike, of all people, has been convicted as a Death Eater and thrown in Azkaban. He only met him a few times, but Harry knows Stan (along with many others) is innocent. (It's also heartwarming to find that Dumbledore has been trying to get Stan set free too.)
27	* Mr. Weasley has been promoted and Mrs. Weasley is ''incredibly proud'' of her husband, commenting that even Slughorn can make mistakes as he never favoured Arthur when he was teaching them (or that he favors students in general, as it always means some will be singled out).
28	* When Harry complains about Snape's first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, expressing disgust at how Snape waxed poetic about the dark arts' power and ever-changing nature, Hermione replies that the point he was making there (that you need to be incredibly quick-thinking and adaptable if you want to have any hope of overcoming them) was actually not so different from what Harry said about the Dark Arts when he was teaching DA the previous year, citing when he said what's really most important when fighting dark wizards is being brave and quick-witted, otherwise everything you've learned is just going to fail you. Rather than getting angry at Hermione for indirectly calling him similar to Snape, he's instead stunned into silence at the realization that she memorized ''his'' lectures just as dutifully as she did those of actual proper teachers.
29	* Harry asks Luna to accompany him to Slughorn's Christmas party and Luna is thrilled. The scene is sad, funny, and heartwarming; it's very well done. And despite the various sideplots also being developed at the party, we still get to see Luna thoroughly enjoy herself.
30	** [[http://ashleybenlove.tumblr.com/post/82954345560/altrutix-thismissatomicbomb-i-love-how-harry This post]] gives a perfect description of why Harry and Luna's relationship is [[PlatonicLifePartners one of the most perfect BROTPs in existence.]]
31	** J.K. Rowling says that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lnb-XIZwbY0 "The key to Luna is that she has that unbelievably rare quality of actually not giving a damn what anyone else thinks of her.[...] she's comfortable with being different, she doesn't care.]]
32	*** Yes, that's right - Luna ''knows'' she is different, but she '''doesn't care in the slightest and is perfectly happy being totally different to everyone else''' because she has friends that care for her. And even in those times when she ''didn't'' have friends who genuinely liked her for who she was, she chose to be the person who makes '''her''' happy, and if people don't like that person, ''that's not her problem''.
33	** Ginny telling Harry that Luna is happy about going to the party with him. Yes, Ginny loves Harry, but it's heartwarming how much she cares about her friend Luna that she's willing to let her enjoy a party as Harry's date.
34	* The scene that leads up to Harry asking Luna to the party, when he finds her comforting an upset Hermione after she rushes out of class upset at Ron. Especially since the two of them are pretty much polar opposites in personality.
35	* Throughout the book, Molly Weasley, convinced that Fleur Delacour was a vain, shallow, and snobby girl, was ''dead-set'' against Fleur and Bill's wedding. At the end of the book, Bill is slashed by Fenrir Greyback, is horribly disfigured, and may have some werewolf-ish tendencies. Molly is devastated, upset that "he was going to be married." Fleur asks Molly what she meant by "''was''", and yells that she doesn't care if Bill looks different, all that it will prove is that her husband is brave. The scene ends with Molly offering Fleur her great-Aunt's tiara to wear in the wedding; Fleur thanks her coolly, and then the two collapse into a hug and cry hysterically.
36	-->'''Fleur:''' ''(to Mrs. Weasley)'' And what do you mean by zat? What do you mean "he was going to be married?"... You theenk Bill will not wish to marry me anymore? You theenk, because of these bites, he will not love me?... Because 'e will! It would take more zan a werewolf to stop Bill loving me!... You thought I would not weesh to marry him? Or per'aps, you hoped? What do I care how he looks? I am good-looking enough for both of us, I theenk! ''All these scars show is zat my husband is brave!'' And I shall do zat. ''(she takes the medicine and starts treating Bill)''
37	** Towards the beginning of the book, it was mentioned that Molly was trying to have Tonks over for dinner as her kids believed she was trying to get Bill to fall for her instead of Fleur. Molly is shown inviting Tonks, mentioning that Lupin and Mad-Eye were coming over for dinner. While the main story here is foreshadowing that Molly is actually being a ShipperOnDeck for ''Lupin and Tonks'' instead, it’s also nice that she provides a home for all their friends in the Order, especially Lupin and Mad-Eye. Lupin just lost Sirius and now has none of his old friends to be with, and Mad-Eye is a paranoid old warhorse who doesn’t seem to have any friends or family outside of the Order, but Molly nonetheless has them over for dinner like extended family.
38	* The teachers all deciding, at the end of the book, that Hogwarts must remain open.
39	** [=McGonagall=] specifically asking for Hagrid's opinion on the matter, even if he doesn't think it's worth considering, because Dumbledore always considered Hagrid's opinion, and so will she. There's also the heartwarming of Professor Sprout saying that Hogwarts should remain open, even if they have just ''one'' student who wants to be there.
40	** That last bit does become HarsherInHindsight in ''Deathly Hallows.'' In this book, Slughorn worries that nobody will return to school, [[spoiler: but they almost all do in ''Deathly Hallows.'']] However, [[spoiler: Voldemort made attendance mandatory for non-Muggle-borns, thereby keeping the young Wizarding population under his thumb and enforcing his regime's FantasticRacism.]]
41	* The scene where, after Fleur says she loves Bill despite being scarred, Tonks shakes Lupin yelling at him that ''Fleur'' loves Bill no matter what, and she loves ''him'' even if he's a werewolf.
42	** That whole relationship, really. Tonks is young, pretty, talented, and funny; she could probably have anyone she wanted. And who does she fall for? The older, destitute, insecure werewolf. Even sweeter, she works for the Ministry, which has strict anti-werewolf laws. No FantasticRacism is keeping Dora from her OneTrueLove.
43	** The fact that Remus clearly loves her back, but doesn't want to "ruin her life" through affiliation with him. Misguided, but the kind of sweet and sacrificial love central to Lupin's character.
44	** Arthur and Kingsley acting as [[ShipperOnDeck shippers on deck.]]
45	* After Harry saves Ron from being poisoned and the Weasleys are huddled around his (Ron's) sickbed, Mrs. Weasley remembers every time Harry has saved one of them and we get this golden line from Mr. Weasley:
46	-->'''Mr. Weasley:''' It was a very lucky day for the Weasley family when Ron decided to sit in your compartment in The Hogwarts Express.
47	** Granted, at least some of those Weasleys only needed saving ''because'' of Harry, but at the very least, Harry Potter cleans up his own messes.
48	* At the end of the book, Harry breaks up with Ginny because he knows that she'd be in constant danger otherwise. He intends to do essentially the same with Ron and Hermione, but:
49	-->'''Ron:''' We'll be with you, Harry. At your aunt and uncle's. And then we'll go with you.\
50	'''Hermione:''' You said to us once before that there was time to turn back if we wanted to. We've had time, haven't we?\
51	'''Ron:''' [[TrueCompanions We're with you, whatever happens.]]
52	** Ginny doesn't cry, make a scene, or try to talk him out of it, understanding completely what he's got to do. Both show in this moment why they love the other, Harry's ChronicHeroSyndrome for Ginny, and Ginny being one who was tough enough ''not'' to let her emotions get the best of her (considering his soured relationship with Cho Chang in book 5).
53	** During this conversation, Ginny tells Harry that she ''never'' stopped loving him even when she started seeing other people. Her fan girl crush on him only developed into something real. And it turns out, seeing other people was actually something she did to try to bide her time and increase her chance of attracting Harry - and that it was [[ShipperOnDeck Hermione]] who suggested it, instructing her to take a step back and give Harry some space so that any feelings could develop after he got to know her as more than just a girl who was crazy about him. And it worked.
54	* Ron and Hermione making up after not speaking for a good chunk of the book, especially her freaking out after he is poisoned and him muttering her name in his sleep.
55	* Ron's boasting about Hermione's skill at apparition after their multi-chapter big fight earlier in the book, is very sweet in its own way.
56	-->'''Ron:''' "Oh, she was ''perfect,'' obviously!"
57	* Harry's triumphant kiss with Ginny after Gryffindor wins the cup. Without thinking he just goes for it, and then warily looks over to Ron. Keep in mind throughout the entire book that the main thing keeping Harry from acting on his feelings was Ron's bile towards the idea of anyone snogging his sister. Ron's response? A second of shock followed by a nod of approval.
58	** Several pages before, after Harry's confrontation with Draco that nearly killed the latter, Hermione can't help but get in a fit of IWarnedYou over trusting any spell in the Half-Blood Prince's textbook while coming just shy of saying Harry deserved whatever punishment would be given. In a surprising (to him) move, Ginny immediately unloads on Hermione for not supporting Harry and that he was perfectly in the right to use self-defense. The rare argument -- Harry can't remember ''any'' time Ginny and Hermione were at odds -- is the biggest signal that Ginny feels the same about him as he does her, eventually leading to the BigDamnKiss by the end of the chapter.
59	* When Harry visits Fred and George's new shop, they insist on not charging him for anything in the store. Fitting, since Harry gave them his winnings from the Triwizard Tournament and that allowed them to open the shop, but really, throughout the series, they've always thought of him as part of their family (though they make their actual blood family pay).
60	** Another example during that scene, while the twins are showing off their Defence Against the Dark Arts wares, Fred and George talk about how surprised they were that so many people in the Ministry of Magic had trouble performing a Shield Charm, before remarking that none of them had a teacher like Harry. Yes, Fred and George - two students who were never seriously concerned with their studies - both respect Harry as a teacher.
61	*** It's even more than that - Harry gave them his winning because he believed everyone could use a laugh and, perhaps more importantly, ''believed that Fred and George were good enough to be successful in their careers.'' Harry knows them well - they won't take it at first because it could be charity, so he specifies it isn't - it's to open the joke shop and give everyone a laugh to cheer them up in the dark times to come.
62	* A small one where Ron asks what happened to Harry on the train but doesn't go any further despite guessing Malfoy broke his nose after Harry did something stupid, later Harry sees Ron parading like a rooster when Lavender gives him flirty eyes but doesn't mock him for the same reason: they've been friends long enough to know when they aren't in the mood for being called out on their idiocy.
63	* Buckbeak attacking Snape quite ferociously when Snape is threatening Harry. It's quite heartwarming to see how fiercely loyal Buckbeak is to Harry even years later.
64	* Surprisingly, Seamus's shouting match with his mother. His loyalty to Dumbledore does shine after all.
65	* Filch and Pince showing up at Dumbledore's funeral together. Maybe they are a couple after all.
66	* The Merpeople have a... less than good... relationship with most British Wizards and ''especially'' the Ministry of Magic. Despite this, they ''do'' have a good relationship with Dumbledore and turn up to mourn at his funeral. It's official - even Merpeople, ''who cannot speak English above water'', like Dumbledore!
67	** The same can be said for the centaurs - we have plenty of examples from PS and this book in particular that set out their dislike of wizards and humanity. Nevertheless, they came as a herd and fired arrows to pay tribute to Dumbledore at his funeral as a clear sign of their respect for him.
68	[[/folder]]
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70	[[folder: From the Film]]
71	* The very first scene of the film; Dumbledore putting his arm around a visibly shaken Harry, while reporters and photographers swarm around them after the battle in [[Film/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix the Ministry of Magic]].
72	* In a weird way, Ginny's first scene. It's the first time in the films she's introduced by herself and is the focal point of the scene (and she and Harry have a close embrace that immediately signals a shift in hormonal feelings since the last time they've seen each other). It practically shows that she's earned the right to be treated like a main character. This scene also introduces the other familiar faces in the Burrow, set to a rare Yates-era appearance of "Hedwig's Theme".
73	* This conversation:
74	-->'''Harry:''' Sorry for making you miss the carriages, by the way, Luna.
75	-->'''Luna:''' That's alright. It was like being with a friend.
76	-->'''Harry (surprised):''' Well, I AM your friend, Luna.
77	-->'''Luna:''' That's nice.
78	* The film's setup to Harry asking Luna to Slughorn's party (already adorable as is). Harry promises Hermione (who's already coming with someone else) that he's going to invite "someone [he] likes. Someone cool." Cue a SmashCut to Luna, decked to the nines as only she can do.
79	* Harry comforting Hermione after Ron and Lavender get together; Hermione also voices to him that she considers Harry "my best friend" and that she can see he feels for Ginny what she feels for Ron, and Harry holds her close while she sobs.
80	* Harry and Ginny's relationship throughout the movie. One common complaint about the novel is that it skims over their increasing closeness, so the movie beefs up the interaction between the two:
81	** Ginny is the first to greet Harry at the Burrow, and they give each a hug a little more intimately than expected over the prior films.
82	** Ginny quieting the new Quidditch recruits as Harry is the new captain but is getting tuned out, and basically becomes his right-hand man on the pitch.
83	** During the holiday, both Harry and Ginny are in the sitting room with Mr. Weasley with palpable (good) tension; Mr. Weasley has the common ShipperOnDeck courtesy to excuse himself so he can LeaveTheTwoLovebirdsAlone with a wry smile.
84	** Ginny then suggests RomanticSpoonfeeding by asking Harry to try one of her mince pies out of her hand. He's a little taken aback at first, but comes around on it. It's startlingly romantic in a series that doesn't usually linger for such moments.
85	--->'''Ginny''': ''[holds a pie]'' Open up, you.
86	--->'''Harry''': ''[nervously laughs, unsure if she's serious]''
87	--->'''Ginny''': ''[pointedly looking at him]'' Don't you trust me?
88	--->''[Harry obliges]''
89	** When everyone is ready to call it a night, Ginny encounters Harry on the staircase (in her night robe) and points out his shoelace is untied and bends down to fix it. She stands back up in close enough vicinity that they're already in AlmostKiss position and exchanging low-voiced "Merry Christmas" leaning in...until the Death Eaters attack.
90	** When Harry sprints out to go after Bellatrix Lestrange, Ginny follows through the flames right behind him without a second thought, and they wind up as BackToBackBadasses in the ensuing fight.
91	** When Harry must rid himself of the Half-Blood Prince's book, Ginny quietly leads him to the Room of Requirement to do so, just the two of them:
92	*** Ginny: "Take my hand."
93	*** Once inside, she instructs him to close his eyes so he won't know its location and be tempted to look for it. She whispers the instruction again that elicits a reaction on his face of an anticipated nervousness, which is on the money considering Ginny returns and wordlessly leans in and kisses him. In the film canon, this is treated as their OfficialKiss. Undoubtedly the most heartwarming moment in the film.
94	---->'''Ginny''': That can stay hidden up here too if you'd like.
95	** Upon Dumbledore's death, Harry approaches his body and begins to break down in tears. With the entire school looking on (mainly at Dumbledore), she cradles him in her arms and holds him in comfort.
96	** Unlike the novel, the film doesn't pretend Harry or Ginny will ever not be an OfficialCouple after all of the above, and dispenses with the ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies subplot at the end, keeping them faithful and together from this point on.
97	* During Christmas Eve, Harry gets a nice moment with Arthur as he shares his findings on Draco’s secret schemes. It’s nice for Harry to get a moment with Arthur, who’s always treated him with respect as his son and doesn’t mollycoddle him like his wife does.
98	* Ron and Hermione insisting that they will go with Harry on his Horcrux hunt, no matter what.
99	* Everyone will always be split over things they change in the movies, but you'd have to be TheStoic to not feel a tug at the heartstrings in the sixth movie when, after Dumbledore dies and the Dark Mark is cast, Ginny is comforting a sobbing Harry and ''everyone'', teachers and students, raise their wands and together vanquish the Dark Mark from their castle.
100	** That scene is made even more heartwarming by the reactions of [=McGonagall=], Hagrid and Madame Pomfrey. Dumbledore knew more about [=McGonagall=]'s past than anyone else - she's just lost her best friend and looks utterly broken (she even gulps later to ''stop herself from crying''); Hagrid is too sad to do anything and, when the wands (and Umbrella, in Hagrid's case) are raised, Madame Pomfrey is barely a ''second'' behind [=McGonagall=] and is crying unashamedly. Hurt their headmaster, and Hogwarts will unite.
101	** The wand raising is so powerful that the Potter fandom has [[{{Defictionalization}} devoted gifs of it to times when members of the cast die]].
102	** After a 2016 mass shooting at an Orlando nightclub -- the then-deadliest in American history -- claimed the life of a worker at the ''Harry Potter'' section of Universal Studios, employees and parkgoers gathered at dusk around the ''Ride/HarryPotterAndTheForbiddenJourney'' ride, which is housed in a small-scale replica of Hogwarts, and raised their wands in remembrance.
103	** The act has transcended the Potter fandom; Ex. after Creator/CarrieFisher and Creator/DebbieReynolds died, ''Franchise/StarWars'' fans and ''Film/SinginInTheRain'' fans did a similar tribute with lightsabers and umbrellas instead of wands.
104	* Horace Slughorn talking about the fish that Lily Potter gave him; again, both a heartwarming moment and a tearjerker, and also remarkably startling since the lead-in lines to this speech had been part of a SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment\|s}}.
105	-->'''Horace Slughorn:''' It was a student who gave me Francis. One day I came down to my office, and there was a bowl with only a few inches of clear water in it... and there was a flower petal floating on the water. Before my eyes it started to sink, and just before it hit the bottom, it transformed into a wee fish. It was a beautiful piece of magic, wondrous to behold. The flower petal was from a lily... the day Francis disappeared was the day your mother...
106	** Then there's Slughorn's moment in the scene before, when he "says a few words for" the deceased Aragog, the giant monster-spider who was Hagrid's friend. The way it's done, an event that could have been just plain silly was transformed into a heartwarming moment and is possibly the first time we begin to see Slughorn as a person with depth; as being more than just a shallow glory-seeker.
107	* Near the beginning of the film, Draco whines about Hogwarts like it's some kind of disgrace for him to have to go back. But by the end of the film, the Great Hall is nearly destroyed, Dumbledore is dead, and [[BreakTheHaughty ''Draco'' is very clearly heartbroken]].
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109	* When Ron mutters "Hermione" in his sleep and how Hermione holds his hand is sweet, especially in the wake of all that happened between them.
110	* The somewhat guilty look Hermione gives him after Harry shows her that he didn't actually slip Ron the Felix Felicis. She's impressed with him, but she also knows he's not the type to cheat.
111	* [=McGonagall=] trying to comfort Harry after she finds him in Dumbledore's office, saying if he needs to talk to someone, she's there.
112	** [=McGonagall=] telling Harry that he meant a lot to Dumbledore.
113	* Before they set off for the cave, Dumbledore warmly muses that Harry needs to shave, and reflects on how much Harry has grown. He probably knows he won't survive the night, so in a way, this is him expressing affection for his surrogate grandson one last time as just that - not as a hero but as Harry his ''grandson''.
114	-->'''Dumbledore:''' Ah, Harry. You need a shave, my friend. You know, at times, I forget how much you've grown. At times I still see the small boy from the cupboard. Forgive my morkishness, Harry. I'm old now.\
115	'''Harry:''' You still look the same to me, sir.\
116	'''Dumbledore:''' Just like your mother, you're unfailingly kind. A trait people never fail to undervalue, I'm afraid.
117	* Ron's achievements as a Keeper. For those of you who read Order of the Phoenix, to see how far he has come is wonderful.
118	[[/folder]]

Context Heartwarming / HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince