Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince

I set about getting comfy and opening my book, looking forward to cranking out another chapter. Well on track to re-read the first six Harry Potter books before heading to Europe; taking the seventh with me to read on the plane. Everything will be nice and fresh when I visit Harry Potter World and go on the Harry Potter train.

“But sir,” said Harry, making valiant efforts not to sound argumentative, “it all comes to the same thing, doesn’t it? I’ve got to try and kill him, or – “

“Got to?” said Dumbledore. “Of course you’ve got to! But not because of the prophecy! Because you, yourself, will never rest until you’ve tried! We both know it! Imagine, please, just for a moment, that you had never heard that prophecy! How would you feel about Voldemort now? Think!”

Harry watched Dumbledore striding up and down in front of him, and thought. He thought of his mother, his father and Sirius. He thought of Cedric Diggory. He thought of all the terrible deeds he knew Lord Voldemort had done. A flame seemed to leap inside his chest, searing his throat.

“I’d want him finished,” said Harry quietly. “And I’d want to do it.”

“Of course you would!” cried Dumbledore. “You see, the prophecy does not mean you have to do anything! But the prophecy caused Lord Voldemort to mark you as his equal…in other words, you are free to choose your way, quite free to turn your back on the prophecy! But Voldemort continues to set store by the prophecy. He will continue to hunt you…which makes it certain, really, that – “

“That one of us is going to end up killing the other,” said Harry. “Yes.”

But he understood at last what Dumbledore had been trying to tell him. It was, he thought, the difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking into the arena with your head held high. Some people, perhaps, would say that there was little to choose between the two ways, but Dumbledore knew – and so do I, thought Harry, with a rush of fierce pride, and so did my parents – that there was all the difference in the world.

(Reference: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. J.K. Rowling)

As I closed my book, a bit of sage advice a sailor had quoted to me came to mind:

“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.”

It’s all about how we perceive things and the action steps we take next.

P.S. I’ll be available from 12th October for hypnotherapy sessions. The best way to contact me will be Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. See you soon!

Something to think about...

“If you don't like something change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it.” - Mary Engelbreit