In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Voldemort takes up terrorism. The Dark Lord and his Death Eaters — who had gained strength in the earlier installments and have finally arrived in force — use their newfound power to spread fear in familiar ways. They destroy bridges. They murder innocents. They compel children to kill their elders. (They’re also behind a magical and destructive hurricane. Does J.K. Rowling know something we don’t?) The response of the wizarding world also rings a few bells. The Ministry of Magic issues pamphlets on “Protecting Your Home and Family Against Dark Forces.” Fred and George Weasley’s shop makes a mint selling Shield Cloaks, which protect their wearers from harm. The new Minister of Magic jails an innocent man, hoping to stave off panic and create the impression that he’s taking action. And Harry, Hermione, and Ron greet the morning paper with a familiar sense of dread: “Anyone we know dead?” What is J.K. Rowling up to here? Is she criticising the War on Terror or simply using it as a plot device? In some scenes, she does take jabs at the Bush and Blair administrations. The Ministry of Magic’s security pamphlet, for example, recalls the much-scorned TIPS program: “Should you feel that a family member, colleague, friend or neighbour is acting in a strange manner, contact the Magical Law Enforcement Squad at once.” And Harry has a telling confrontation with the Minister of Magic, who thinks that in the battle against Voldemort, perceptions matter most. “If you were to be seen popping in and out of the Ministry from time to time,” he tells Harry, “that would give the right impression. It would give everyone a lift to think you were more involved.” Harry refuses. He doesn’t want to endorse the ministry when it’s sending innocent men to Azkaban — the wizard penitentiary that becomes, in this installment, a stand-in for Gitmo. “It’s your duty to check that people really are Death Eaters before you chuck them in prison,” Harry says. These moments elicit grim smiles of recognition and have led some bloggers to label Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince an anti-American screed. But close reading of the book suggests that Rowling’s motives are more authorial than political. She’s not using Harry to make points about terrorism. She’s using terrorism to make points about Harry. Excerpted from an article by Julia Turner at Slate.com
