Slughorn's Christmas Party

• Type: Social Gathering / Slug Club Meeting
• Host: Horace Slughorn
• Date: 20 December 1996
• Location: Slughorn's office, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Horace Slughorn's Christmas party was a lavish event held in his large office at Hogwarts. The room was transformed for the occasion, with the ceiling and walls draped in rich fabrics of emerald, crimson, and gold, giving the impression of being inside a grand tent. Golden lanterns, each containing a live fairy, were hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow. A lively atmosphere was maintained with loud music, chatter, and the presence of house-elves serving trays of food and drink. The party was attended by Slughorn's favored students, members of his Slug Club, along with their chosen guests. The event was primarily an opportunity for Slughorn to network and connect his promising young students with his influential and famous contacts from the wider wizarding world.

The party was a pivotal event during Harry Potter's sixth year, serving as a backdrop for several important plot developments.

• Arrivals: Harry Potter attended the party with Luna Lovegood as his guest, having invited her out of friendship. Hermione Granger, also a Slug Club member, attended with Cormac McLaggen, a decision she quickly came to regret due to his aggressive romantic advances. She spent a significant portion of the evening avoiding him, at one point hiding behind a curtain.
• Slughorn's Networking: Horace Slughorn spent the evening introducing his students to important guests, such as the vampire Sanguini, who was the guest of former student Eldred Worple. Slughorn also tried to get Harry Potter to pose for a photograph with him for the Daily Prophet, which Harry avoided.
• The Gatecrasher: Draco Malfoy was discovered lurking in the corridor outside the party by Argus Filch, who dragged him in to see Slughorn. Malfoy claimed he was invited, but Slughorn did not believe him and dismissed him from the party.
• Overheard Conversation: After Malfoy's departure, Harry Potter, concealed by his Invisibility Cloak, followed him. He overheard a tense conversation between Malfoy and Severus Snape. Snape questioned Malfoy about his recent activities and apparent failures, referencing Lord Voldemort's anger. Crucially, Snape offered to help Malfoy with his secret mission, referencing the Unbreakable Vow he made to Narcissa Malfoy. This exchange solidified Harry's deep suspicion that both Malfoy and Snape were working together on a dark plot inside Hogwarts.

• Host: Horace Slughorn
• Slug Club Members & Guests:
  • Harry Potter
  • Luna Lovegood (guest of Harry Potter)
  • Hermione Granger
  • Cormac McLaggen (guest of Hermione Granger)
  • Marcus Belby
  • An unnamed Slytherin student, a friend of Belby's father.
• Staff & Other Adults:
  • Eldred Worple, author of Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires.
  • Sanguini, a vampire and guest of Eldred Worple.
  • Severus Snape (arrived late to confront Malfoy)
  • Argus Filch (as security)
• Servers:
  • Neville Longbottom (asked to serve drinks, not as a guest)
  • An unnamed Hufflepuff student (also serving)
• Uninvited:
  • Draco Malfoy (attempted to gatecrash)

Slughorn's Christmas party is a significant event in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Its primary narrative purpose is to provide the setting for Harry Potter to overhear the conversation between Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy. This is a critical piece of evidence that fuels Harry's conviction that Snape is working against Albus Dumbledore and is assisting Malfoy with a mission from Lord Voldemort. The party also serves to develop several subplots, including the awkward romantic tension between Hermione Granger and Cormac McLaggen, highlighting Hermione's complicated feelings for Ron Weasley. Furthermore, it reinforces the character of Horace Slughorn as a collector of people, more interested in their connections and potential fame than their intrinsic worth, as evidenced by his poor treatment of Neville Longbottom.

In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the party's aftermath is depicted differently. While in the book Hermione Granger is merely annoyed by Cormac McLaggen, the film shows her returning to the Gryffindor common room after the party and seeing Ron Weasley with Lavender Brown, which prompts her to magically summon a flock of canaries and set them on Ron using the charm Oppugno. In the novel, this event happens on a separate occasion before the party. (film)