My take on Order of the Phoenix

[karohemd]

Order of the Phoenix

Hm, not bad, not particularly exciting, either. PoA and GoF were better. It's the longest but also the most disjointed book and the last quarter seems rather rushed.
At least we know more about Harry's and Voldemort's history.
It's a bit like The Empire Strikes Back, things happen, stuff is explained but there is no definite end (V not defeated or even weakened, he just lost a couple of his followers), with the difference that Empire is the best SW film.

To stay with the Star Wars references, Dumbledore fighting V was a bit like Yoda fighting some Dark Lord (heh) of the Sith.

The language is quite elaborate with sometimes rather big words, which is strange considering the target group (or is the adult version different from the kids version, other than the cover?).
The wizarding world seems to become more of a satirical version of the real world, almost Pratchett-esque. Nice.

Cruelty, especially to animals. Poor frogs. And Vanishing kittens? Awwww.

Is it just me, or do Tonks and zenmeisterin have quite a lot in common? I think Isi would love to be able to change her hair on a whim ;o)

Luna Lovegood
Please! This will only give the slashfic writers more fodder... Cool to see a weirdo/misfit, though, every school needs one.

Dolores Umbridge
Thoroughly unpleasant but stereotypical character.
Finally, the Ministry show their colours. What is Fudge up to? Is he in league with the Death Eaters? At least he accepts bribes from them.

Will Harry and Cho get together? Considering that James and Lily did, probably.

Interesting view of Snape's memories. Gooooth! ;o)

Why didn't Harry use Sirius' mirror when he tried to find out if he was alright? Instead he risks everything and breaks into Umbridge's office to use the fireplace. It just seems that JKR forgot about it and then remembered when he was packing for the summer holidays but was too lazy to rewrite a section of the book...

I was actually surprised that it was Sirius who died. With all the hype I thought it would be Ron, Hermione or Dumbledore. There's still a lot to learn about Harry's father (we know already that he isn't the shiniest example of wizardkind) and Sirius as his closest friend would have been the one to tell Harry/us about it. I guess there's still Lupin, who might also have a slightly more subjective view.
What exactly is behind that archway in the Dept. of Mysteries? The world of the dead (to use a generic term)?

Something you Potter-freaks need to explain to me:
In the Dept of Mysteries, Lestrange calls Harry a half-blood. Huh? Both James and Lily were at Hogwarts... Later, Dumbledore mentions it as well. Or does it simply mean that there were Muggles in his line somewhere?

What do the abbreviations on the prophecy stand for?
S.P.T to A.P.W.P.D
S P Trelawney to Aldus bladibla Dumbledore? (his full name is in the book but I can't be bothered to look it up). Dumbledore himself thought that Trelawney wasn't suitable as Divination teacher, why does he (and everybody else) believe that prophecy? Another bit in the book where the explanation was too rushed.

Neville using his dad's wand? Weren't wands sort of destined for a user so nobody could use somebody else's?

Just for once, let somebody else than Gryffindor win on House points and the Quidditch Cup...

The future? Two books to go.
Hopefully, we'll find out more about Harry's parents and the general back story
Does anyone else think that the wording of the prophecy could also mean that both will die? Actually, I'd like the idea of Harry having to sacrifice himself to finally destroy Voldemort to "save the world". It would mean no pressure on JKR to write sequels where no sequels were planned.
If not, what's Harry's future after Hogwarts? I can't see him doing a "normal" job, or even work for the ministry, my best bet would be Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and who better to teach that than someone who's fought, survived being attacked several times and finally destroyed the most evil and powerful dark wizard in history? Plus, he's got teaching practice already.

Comments

[crocodilewings.livejournal.com]

Lily Potter was muggle-born.

Wands can be used by anyone, but a wizard will acheive the best results with their own.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Surely, it should be quarter-blood, then?
I'd consider someone being half-blood if one parent is muggle the other wizard/witch.

[blue-cat.livejournal.com]

Hermoine is a mud-blood because she was a witch born to 2 muggle parents - this is what Lily was.

SO - Pure blood + Mud blood = Half-blood

besides, insults based on how 'pure' your blood is whether muggle/wizard is about as logical (probably) as insults based on black/white mixed race.

[crocodilewings.livejournal.com]

This is a point of conflictive hypocrisy in the series that narks me.

It's splashed all over the place that one's parentage shouldn't effect one's capacity to perform magic, as born witness to by Hermione being so damn good at everything and Neville/Ron being from pureblooded families and being shite/average at what they do.

On the other hand, everyone, even the liberal Dumbledore and Mcgonagall, keep reciting how Harry is a lot like his parents, who were both amazingly talented wizards, and how since he's picked up their other characteristics (Quidditch, staggyness, etc.) he's going to be just as good a wizard as they were, which is actually panning out now in the books.

Rar! Ranty double-standardness.

[blue-cat.livejournal.com]

My take is that the way the parantage issue is written is that those who deride those of non-wizard background should not do so as a squib happens to the best wizard family and vica versa.

Hence Draco's snearing is as pointless as BNF.

but I do take your point that there is some sort of double issue - but again it is a logical one and one that is present in real life :)

[sithrose.livejournal.com]

I'm finding the new depths to Snape very interesting myself. He's become much more of a sympathetic character than he was originally - Although not quite a Darth Vader, certainly along the lines of a former nemesis that may become an unexpected ally in the future. It will be interesting indeed to see how the relationship between Harry and Snape evolves forward, as I can see that Harry has very little understanding of what Snape's been through at the hands of his father.

*chuckles* OK, so Snape's a goth.

[zenmeisterin.livejournal.com]

Harry is going for Auror-ship. Wands can be passed along from person to person (see Ron's old wand before it got snapped). APWPD can't be Dumbledore's name as it has Brian in it somewhere. Unless you got the letters wrong ;-P Actually, that does look very very likely. As to why he belived her - it was the way she prophesised it. The funny voice and head lolling - like when she makes the prophecy in PoA to Harry about Voldemort. I don't think Harry and Cho will get together anymore. Or if they do it won't be for a bit. She has a new bloke for a start and towards the end Harry stops feeling the way he did towards her. The Wizarding world has no concept of Human Rights, considering the fact Dolores was not thrown in Azkaban for the punishments she was doing and the fact she tried to use an Unforgivable on Harry.

And if I'm as clumsy as Tonks, shoot me now.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

I forgot about the clumsiness, that's the big difference...

[whiskeylover.livejournal.com]

Quite a few of these questions (and more, such as why Harry couldn't see the Thestrals before, even though he had seen his parents and Cedric Diggory die) are answered on www.the-Leaky-Cauldron.org.
Quite a good site actually, fairly well researched & humorous

[sogoth.livejournal.com]

I'm probably horribly horribly wrong and being led on by the rushed writing of the last part of the book... but... I'm not 100% certain that Sirius is dead.

The only people that mention that Sirius is dead are the kids. The one other reference to death is where Sirius' relative (painting) asks dumbledore "am I to be led to believe that my nephew is dead?" to which Dumbledore replies yes. Does this mean that yes he actually *is* dead, or that people are to be "led to believe" that he's dead?

No-one mentions what's behind that curtain other than Luna saying that Harry will be able to speak to him again. Weird no?

[whiskeylover.livejournal.com]

Quite apart from Bellatrix Lestrange's triumphant screm (p.711), Lupin also says that there is no way of getting Sirius back ("'There's nothing you can do Harry, nothing...he's gone' (p.711 'He can't come back. He can't come back because he's d.-' ... 'HE'S NOT DEAD' roared Harry" p. 712), Sir Nicolas de Mimsy Porpington makes it quite clear that Sirius will not be able to return as a ghost because he would not choose that way and Luna Lovegood says that her mother died, but that it was not as though she was never going to see her again. After Harry reacts incredulously to this, she refers him to having heard the voices behind the curtain. Oddly enough, it seems that the only people who heard voices behind the curtain were those who had encountered death.

And Phineas does not ask whether he is being led to believe, he says "'Am I to understand that my great-great-grandson...is dead?' 'Yes Phineas' said Dumbledore" p.728. Furthermore, on the previous page Dumbledore is even more explicit about Sirius' death, when he tells Harry that "It is my fault that Sirius died" (p.727)

[sogoth.livejournal.com]

I really should read that bit again :\

doh!

[whiskeylover.livejournal.com]

chapters 35-37...

That said, I am not entirely certain that he is irretrievably dead myself. It did sound a little shady, and I wouldn't be surprised if he came back, or at least was able to communicate etc.

[sogoth.livejournal.com]

Thanks

If it was permanent death then it was done very quickly and very badly as most of the action in the fight still centers around all the other characters with the odd reference to Sirius. Harry seemed to get over it rather quickly too :\