Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling

#21 of 52 – 52 Books in 52 Weeks

Major spoiler-filled post follows.

I finished this a few weeks ago and have sort of been marinating since. I loved this book so, so much, and would say it’s my favorite of the series so far. Prisoner of Azkaban is now my second favorite. I’ve started caring about the characters in a more personal way, which was kind of unexpected.

I had such a good time reading this book that I had to stop every so often and take notes. For me, this is the sign of a really fantastic book. My notes generally are very rambly and stream-of-consciousness, and may make little sense. So, my apologies in advance if they’re completely nonsensical.

Notes taken during reading:

Umbridge is so abhorrent, so despicable. This is excellent writing, because not long into the book, I wanted to kill her myself. This kind of writing always elicits an intense reaction from me–always a sign of a great book.

The brief bit with Neville, his grandmother, and his parents in the hospital was heartbreaking.

Though Dumbledore and Hagrid are basically absent from the first half of the book, I didn’t mind much. I love both of them as characters, but the other characters and plots were interesting enough to keep me engaged. I was glad when they both returned to the story, though.

Holy crap. Dumbledore has left and that nutter Umbridge is head of Hogwarts. WTF.

Snape’s worst memory was particularly moving. So Harry’s dad was not the ideal that Harry had always believed him to be. Rude awakening? I wonder, though, if what Harry saw in the pensieve was true…or if Snape bewitched it to mislead Harry about his father? I still can’t decide whether Snape has truly forsaken being a Death Eater…but Dumbledore trusts him so…

Very sad that Sirius is dead…I liked him very much. And Harry is so torn up about it. He was all the family he had left.

So glad that Umbridge was ousted and Dumbledore is back at Hogwarts! I wonder what the centaurs did to Umbridge, though.

Now there’s a reason for everything–why Harry has to go back to the Dursleys every summer, what his scar means. But though he now knows the reasons it doesn’t make his life any easier…if anything, things will only get tougher…especially since Lucius Malfoy is in Azkaban. Draco’s really got it in for him now.

I really like Luna Lovegood, she was such a help to Harry, even though most people treat her unkindly. I hope we see her again.

So glad that the Dursleys will be less horrible to Harry from now on! The members of the Order will see to that.

Now for my thoughts on the movie: love, love, loved the movie! Like the book, this movie is my favorite in the series so far. I rented it and had it for five days, and I think I must have watched it at least eight or nine times. (Yes, I have no life.) I kept watching it because it was so good, then I took to watching it while knitting as well. I think my favorite scene is the exchange between Harry and Sirius in the room with the family tree. Daniel Radcliffe’s and Gary Oldman’s acting is just fantastic. Sirius’s words at the end of the scene, about how the two of them would be a ‘real family,’ were just devastating to hear, knowing what his fate would be.

Of course I loved the epic fight/battle at the end with Dumbledore and Voldemort. I’m sad I missed seeing that scene, especially, in a theater. And the montage in Harry’s mind between his memories and his war inside with Voldemort was amazing. I loved how Dumbledore tells him, “It’s not how you are alike–it’s how you are not.” Harry struggles with the part of him connected to Voldemort–the part he believes himself to be bad–and who he truly is. When he tells Voldemort, “You’re the one who’s weak. And you’ll never know love or friendship–and I feel sorry for you,” I completely lost it and burst into tears. Harry’s memories of his happiest moments with Ron, Hermione, and Sirius overcome that struggle with Voldemort attempting to take over his mind, and Harry succeeds–at least for now–in pushing that darkness away. I absolutely loved the montage, with Harry looking in the mirror and seeing first himself, then Voldemort, then smashing the mirror and driving him out–ahh, I love it! I was confused, though, when Voldemort is standing over him just before he disappears–when he tells Harry he is a fool and that he’ll lose–why Voldemort didn’t kill him then. I know Dumbledore was next to them, and the members of the Ministry arrived right then, but it seemed like Voldemort could have killed him in an instant. Then again, we have two more books to get through!

One final thought–I liked the exchange between Harry and Luna at the end, when she tells him she’s sorry about his godfather and takes his hand. I thought, briefly, that there might be a romantic spark between them but unfortunately, I think I know who he ends up with in the end. (That’s one of the few spoilers I knew concerning the whole series, before I ever started reading the books.)

Last-last thought–I think this movie was the best directed of them all. The story itself is definitely the darkest yet, and the film captured that feeling perfectly. These scenes I mentioned were so well shot and acted, and that’s what makes this my favorite movie thus far. (Sidenote, except I felt that some of Hermione/Emma Watson’s scenes weren’t as well-acted as they could be. When they walk in after the battle and she and Ron are watching Harry and Dumbledore, her face is kind of blank…not in shock or sadness, but just…blank. That’s the sense I got, anyway.)

I’m several chapters into Half-Blood Prince, and I have to say I’m kind of bummed about at least one or two plot points. I’m sticking with it to see how things turn out, of course. And I’m really excited that I’ll be able to see HBP in a theater in a couple weeks. It will be my first HP theater experience.