Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince is another fantastic adventure into the fantasy world of the Harry Potter, with the franchise continuing to take its turn into darker content as the threat of Lord Voldemort continues to increase.
The movie is one of the strongest of the franchise, with its 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes reflecting that. The film has a very different feel to others within the series, which is one of the reasons that it stands out.
Like all the films in the franchise, the Half-Blood Prince has been watched countless times by Potterheads. However, there are still many hidden details that fans have missed out on, which we will cover within this article.
Updated on September 16th 2020, by Matthew Wilkinson: With the Harry Potter world proving to be so unbelievably popular, the films are constantly being watched with people specifically looking out for hidden details on the re-watch that they might not have noticed before.
While Half-Blood Prince has got a lot going on, especially in driving the overall story to a darker tone, there are still plenty of great hidden details squeezed in, and these are 15 you may have missed.
Horcrux Reveal
Within the Half-Blood Prince, it is never really revealed exactly how Dumbledore works out where to find the Horcruxes. He takes Harry Potter to the Cliffs of Moher and poisons himself to help destroy one, but how does Dumbledore know where to go?
Well, if you look very carefully when Dumbledore first meets Tom Riddle, there is a photo of the cave that he uses to hide one. This photo can barely be seen though, so it is one that most people miss, however it is clearly a place that means a lot to Riddle.
Art Work
You would think that being in the cast of a movie this big would be enough for Bonnie Wright who plays Ginny Weasley, as she has a major role in the franchise. But that wasn't the case, because she actually did more to help the movies than just act.
That's because she worked behind the scenes in the art department and helped to decorate the Weasley household, creating and placing different objects around the home where she would be acting.
Seven
The number seven has a magical connotation within the Harry Potter world, and it is interwoven into many of the movies. Half-Blood Prince just so happens to be one of those movies where seven is strongly hinted at, and once again it is Tom Riddle's bedroom.
During one particular scene inside the bedroom, the camera pans to set of stones. There are seven stones here to be specific, which is a tease for how many Horcruxes Riddle will create. The stones can be seen on the ledge, and while they're nothing special, they are a clear sign of this.
Green Tints
Speaking of the scene where Dumbledore goes to visit Tom Riddle, because what is being said and teased is so important, many people overlook the green tints that are all over the scene. While people might just think it is because it's a memory, that isn't the case.
These glimpses of green are showcased as a direct nod to the fact that Tom Riddle is the heir of Slytherin and the scenes have those slight green tints on purpose to push that message across, which is true attention to detail.
Harry Potter Number
As we previously mentioned, the number seven is something that is pushed heavily throughout Harry Potter and the stones aren't the only example in this film. In Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter is made the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
Interestingly enough, his team number just so happens to be #7, of course. There are just too many references to this number for it to be anything but intentional, so when you re-watch the franchise, try and spot them all.
False Details
Because the muggle world is very rarely shown in the Harry Potter movies, people might not be aware that this film is supposed to be set in the late 1990s. However, that is the case, which is why the scene with London's Millennium Bridge is inaccurate.
It's one that most people won't have noticed or even thought about. However, the Millennium Bridge was opened in 2000, meaning it couldn't have existed within this movie. In the novel, this attack took place on a fictional bridge, but clearly the movie wanted to add something more recognizable.
Egg Whites
Ron Weasley is put through the wringer in Half-Blood Prince, suffering at the hands of love itself. From being in a very hands-on relationship to enduring a strong love potion, things take a turn for the worst when he ends up being poisoned.
The moment leaves Ron foaming at the mouth as Harry ends up having to save his life. It's a very startling and stunning scene, and to make the foam look as realistic as possible, egg whites were used in his mouth.
Family Ties
Within Half-Blood Prince we get to see both Lord Voldemort as an adult, as well as a young Tom Riddle when Dumbledore first meets him in the same movie. While everyone knows Voldemort is played excellently by Ralph Fiennes, many aren't aware of who the young Riddle is.
Well, that character is played by Hero Fiennes-Tiffin. He's also an actor and just so happens to be the nephew of Ralph Fiennes. However, he didn't get the role specifically for his relation to Ralph, as he still had to audition and go through the process like anyone else.
Rupert
Throughout the Half-Blood Prince, it is clear that Professor Slughorn is only interested in the elite students at the school. Spending his time trying to 'collect' Harry Potter, in particular, it is no real surprise that he pays little to no interest in Ron Weasley.
He spends so little time getting to know him that he doesn't actually even know his name. Every time Slughorn sees Ron, he ends up calling him a totally different name that begins with an R. One of those happens to be, Rupert, which is a clear nod to the actor's real name, Rupert Grint.
"Spearmint Toothpaste"
During the potions class within this movie, Hermione Granger is able to turn the potion into whatever she is thinking of, and that's what she can smell. But what audiences might miss is that the color of the smoke that comes from the potion goes along with the scent.
However, when she gets to the final one, Hermione claims that she is smelling spearmint toothpaste. Yet, the color of the smoke is actually bright orange, which could be a hint towards her thinking about Ron, but she doesn't want to confess it.
