(Spoilers) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

[The Grumpy Celt]

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"?

Blink. Blink.

I read "Harry Potter Goes to Phoenix."

"...the desert sun shone like a golden snitch..."

(Giggles)

But seriosuly, folks, I read where the next DAtDA teacher is going to be the most violent, rude, mercurial, vindictive, useless and hated teacher to date. Yes, a teacher worse than Umbridge.

Apparently, Rowling is having an American teach the course in the next book and he invades Harry's room looking for Spells of Mass Destruction.

(Giggles and bounces away making “woo-woohoo-woo” noises.)

 

[Tsyr]

Thank you for turning a discussion of a children's book into a political one...

 

[Piratecat]

No politics here, please. Thanks!

 

[Uzumaki]

I thought it was because of her time-commitment to the films.

No, she was too busy getting pregnant.

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

No, she was too busy getting pregnant.

Busy?!?!?

Then they weren't doing something right.

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

So, I just finished the book about a half-hour ago. Some thoughts, curiously fragmented (possible spoilers, but it says so in the thread title, so no lame spaces):

The "OK Corral Gunfight" at the Ministry was just wicked cool. I swear on a stack of bibles, I actually yelled, "YES!" and made the devil-horn hand salute in the middle of the breakroom at work when I got to the part where Dumbledore made his entrance, blowing away Death Eaters left and right. Was anyone else thinking "This is gonna look bitchin' in the movie version".

Umbridge may have been a walking cliche, but she was still nasty. I had a teacher like this once in sixth grade; he just seemed to get off on humiliating children. I think if he'd been allowed to hit us, he probably would have. So I guess that made her a little more believable to me than some of you found her.

Harry was sure sullen, wasn't he? Still though, I know lots of teenagers who are less well-adjusted than him who don't also bear the burden of Savior of the World.

The Cho romance angle left me a little cold, I wish more would have happened in the end. I guess it points up what happens when boys don't have strong father figures growing up. Harry really didn't seem to know his you-know-what from a hole in the ground, did he? Hell, I needed a father AND a stepfather to make sense out of women for me when I was growing up, and I've totally got that down now

Hermione was great, Ginny was even moreso. Love how these characters are developing.

Fred and George, and especially their escape from Hogwarts, were the best thing about this book. I hope they stay close to the story, they just have a neat attitude and reaction to all the grimness in their lives.

If I've gotta wait 3 years for the next book, I ... I don't know what I'll do. Something awful, like an Unforgivable Curse.

 

[jasper]

870 pages please! I tick off a librarian when I was 12.
She didn't believe I went thru 9 Alfred Hichcock and Three investigators books and Hardy Boys. They average 170+ pages. Pick them up at the Gunter library just after 9 a.m. Monday and return Wednesday just after 1300.
She didn't believe and gave that adult look to my dad. They gave another adult look when I starte rattling off the high pts of each book.
Of course it was Summer and no friends lived nearby.

 

[Samnell]

The Cho romance angle left me a little cold, I wish more would have happened in the end. I guess it points up what happens when boys don't have strong father figures growing up. Harry really didn't seem to know his you-know-what from a hole in the ground, did he?[/B]

I always thought Harry's attraction to Cho was purely physical (like most first crushes are) so I wasn't surprised when it fell apart.

 

[Pylar]

Mostly, I'm curious about the backstory questions that Order of the Phoenix raised rather than answered.

What happened to deflate James Potter's ego?

I think we've already been given the awnser to that question. Remember in PoA we find out that Snape was following James and his friends, and James tricks snape into following them on a night when Lupus is changing into a werewolf. That course of action almost gets Snape killed. I think James relized what he almost happened and caused him to grow up.

 

[Dinkeldog]

Dolores Umbridge:

dolorous umbrage

offense or resentment marked by or exhibiting sorrow, grief, or pain.

Seemed like a great name to me.