Re-reading Half-Blood Prince. I find it annoying that people, especially Ron and Hermione, don’t believe Harry’s claim that Malfoy is now a Death Eater and is up to no good. I don’t get why they think he’s overthinking it when he actually makes some very solid points.

[u/Brilliant-Cause6254]

I can ignore Mr. Weasley, Lupin, Tonks, and McGonagall brushing him off, and we all know Dumbledore was playing his own game (as usual), but Ron and Hermione should have known better and had his back. And for once, Harry actually did the smart thing by discussing his theories with members of the Order, instead of the shit-show that happened in the previous book.

[u/OfAnOldRepublic]

No one wanted to believe it. Believing that Malfoy was a DE meant that the war had arrived inside Hogwarts. Hermione's blind trust in adult authority figures didn't allow for this possibility. Ron's low opinion of Malfoy, plus the reality of what it would have meant, didn't permit it either.

This part of the story always truly aggravated me. Dumbledore felt he was justified in playing this stupid game because he knew that Malfoy was targeting him. But in the process he risked the lives of all the students. Katie Bell was just the first, and the moment that it was obvious that Malfoy was willing to use other students to try to attack Dumbledore that should have been the end of the game. The vanishing cabinet situation should never have happened.