Order of the Phoenix

For Charming's Summer Reading Challenge 2019!

I'm sure we all know very well what this book is about :P But, just in case, from Goodreads...

There is a door at the end of a silent corridor. And it’s haunting Harry Pottter’s dreams. Why else would he be waking in the middle of the night, screaming in terror?

Harry has a lot on his mind for this, his fifth year at Hogwarts: a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher with a personality like poisoned honey; a big surprise on the Gryffindor Quidditch team; and the looming terror of the Ordinary Wizarding Level exams. But all these things pale next to the growing threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named---a threat that neither the magical government nor the authorities at Hogwarts can stop.

As the grasp of darkness tightens, Harry must discover the true depth and strength of his friends, the importance of boundless loyalty, and the shocking price of unbearable sacrifice.

His fate depends on them all.

A couple of questions; feel free to add your own!

— Where did/does OotP rank in your favourite/least favourite of the HP series?
— Most memorable moment from the book?
— Has anything changed in your opinions with rereads over the years?

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This is a discussion thread for people who have read or are reading the book in question. With that in mind, there are likely to be spoilers throughout. (LOL okay in this case I imagine spoilers are not much of an issue xD)

  

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look ANOTHER beautiful bee!set <3

Using this as a place to deposit my thoughts as I progress in my reread. I've read the series too many times before to even count, but am trying to reread them all this year because it's been far too long, and I'm trying to get back to my roots, and ~what I always loved about Harry Potter.

In the first ~100ish pages:
— I always forget how sassy book!Harry is. The snark is incredible, especially because he's so grumpy already in this one.
— MAN I LOVE MRS. FIGG why did I never appreciate her as a kid. AN ICON.
— I know yadayada Dumbledore always has his reasons for what he plans for Harry and Voldemort's back and he's worried about shit yeah whatever, I have gotten more and more anti-Dumbledore as I've gotten older and I'm pissed off for Harry that he's always so left in the dark "for his own good" I'm sure he does not have to suffer this much for the sake of safety D<
— Grimmauld Place, and hi hello all my Remus/Sirius feelings, I'm sure it's no surprise to anyone that I've always shipped it. Cue me reading into EVERY SINGLE GLANCE. So, sorry JKR, sorry canon, Lupin is gay, I don't make the rules.
— And Tonks is a lesbian. And I wish she'd gotten more to do in the series, I love her also.

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   Marlena Scamander

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look ANOTHER beautiful bee!set <3

I feel like I almost don't need to bother re-reading this one as it is unquestionably my favourite of the whole series and my copy is basically at the point where one more flick through it might well make it fall apart. So, in no particular order, (lol jks, the first one is clearly the #1) these are my favourite parts of this magnificent tome:

• The emergence of one Professor Minerva McGonagall as being the most universally beloved character in the series. Seriously, who doesn't love McGonagall? Up till this point she was pretty solid background sass but her utter disdain for anything to do with the Inquisitor business was a joy (highlights being: offering Harry a biscuit after confirming he disrupted the lesson, telling Peeves how to destroy the chandelier, telling Umbridge she's incompetent, I could go on). But it was so much more than the sass: the moment where she goes to stand with Trelawney despite two previous books establishing how little she thinks of her, the bit where she decides to forget common sense and runs (runs, she's seventy!) to Hagrid's defence. But best of all, the cough drop scene. I want someone to read me that moment on my death bed, it's perfect.
  
• (The fact that every subsequent appearance of Sybill Trelawney involves a sherry bottle and the continuous insistence that she is mostly useless as a seer but McGonagall is never bitchy about her in public again also warms my heart.)
  
• The return of Rita Skeeter. I get she's not a popular character or a particularly likeable person (unless you're me, obviously, love a bitchy baddie with a surprising skill for something that is elsewhere expressed as being SUPER DIFFICULT) but I never quite reconciled myself to being on Hermione's side in this rivalry when, after Rita slandered her, which is a dick move, Hermione responded by FULLY KIDNAPPING A GROWN WOMAN. Like...that's not legal 'Mione, wtf? But then she came back! Yay! A bit more bedraggled, even more acerbic and knocking back whiskey at a child's expense like a champ. I salute you Book-Five-Rita-Who-Didn't-Have-a-Job-or-Fucks-to-Give.
  
• Aunt Petunia having a series of strokes over the owls at the beginning while Dudley took his first step towards Not Being a Dick <3 Obviously the Dursleys were pretty problematic but in the later books I did get an appreciation for Petunia that is probably at least 65% to do with Fiona Shaw but w/e. Best Dursley section of the series easily.
  
• Yeah, MJ is right, Tonks is a lesbian, sorry. I'm less fussed about what Remus is up to but I choose to believe Tonks spent her rec time making her way through the Holyhead Harpies squad before eventually settling down with, idk, is there even another woman in the same age bracket?
  
• And finally, another universal opinion I'd say, Umbridge: worse than Moldy Voldy?
  
• And at the last minute it has just occurred to me that another aspect of book five I loved is Mad-Eye Moody as himself and how hilariously IC Barty Crouch Jr was to the point where he is literally no different whatsoever.
  

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   Elias Grimstone

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fabulous set by Lady <3

• The emergence of one Professor Minerva McGonagall as being the most universally beloved character in the series. Seriously, who doesn't love McGonagall? Up till this point she was pretty solid background sass but her utter disdain for anything to do with the Inquisitor business was a joy (highlights being: offering Harry a biscuit after confirming he disrupted the lesson, telling Peeves how to destroy the chandelier, telling Umbridge she's incompetent, I could go on). But it was so much more than the sass: the moment where she goes to stand with Trelawney despite two previous books establishing how little she thinks of her, the bit where she decides to forget common sense and runs (runs, she's seventy!) to Hagrid's defence. But best of all, the cough drop scene. I want someone to read me that moment on my death bed, it's perfect.
  

Minerva McG is what I have wanted to be when I grow up since I first read this book, ngl. The greatest disappointment in the entire film is that we were deprived of her glorious Careers Counseling interlude.

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   Constance Sykes

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— Aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp as the result of a splinching accident. —

— graphics by lady ❤ —

On the topic of Mcgonagall, I think this is the development of Harry's deep respect for her.

Show

It reminds me of how he jumps out of cover to defend her at the end of the series.

And Lauren. Arguably I would say that yes Umbridge could indeed be worse than Voldy.

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   Aldous Crouch

Waaaay late because I finished rereading a month ago and forgot to share my progress, but... xD

— MY GOD YES McGonagall, OotP is a book full of her greatest hits, each moment is better than the last.
— Umbridge is such a compelling villain (and yes, soooo amazingly hateable), and I think she was one of the rare things the movies (and Imelda Staunton) did perfectly.
— Similarly, OotP has never been one of my favourite of the films, but I am a SUCKER, I tell you, for the "Dumbledore's Army" training montage, and it turns out I love that progression just the same in the books, it's so heart-warming and cosy and great.
— Can we talk about Ginny? I don't know whether it was the sixth and seventh films or maybe Bonnie Wright who ruined her for me, but I feel like I've treated her pretty unfairly over the years and in OotP at least I really do admire her. It's those Fred & George vibes combined with a steely determination and generally not giving a fuck (& also being friends with Luna!). Actually every moment Neville, Luna or Ginny get from this book on is awesome by me, and I love them as that extra trio.
— This book is also more heartbreaking every time I read it because of the Sirius thing and how desperate Harry is to save him being the reason he plays straight into that trap and winds up dead. I think I get more emotional about it now than I ever did as a child.
— (Bellatrix is also an amazing villain, this is also universally held I'm sure)
— Oh also? HAGRID. The Grawp subplot has always been one of my least favourite things to read (it's no Norbert!!!!) but it is an interesting look at wizarding opinion of halfbreeds/some deeper insight into Hagrid's backstory and really what I wanted to say is how underrated but how important Hagrid is to Harry throughout the whole series, and that it is a CRIME none of Harry's kids even got "Rubeus" as a middle name??????? I mean??????? Who's the real, most constant, most heartwarming father-figure in these books anyway?


I've still got the sixth and seventh books to go in my 2019 HP reread but I think the older I get (the worse the world gets???) the more I like the first couple of books and the less I look forward to the darker, more complex, generally bleaker later books. But anyway.

  

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look ANOTHER beautiful bee!set <3

— Umbridge is such a compelling villain (and yes, soooo amazingly hateable), and I think she was one of the rare things the movies (and Imelda Staunton) did perfectly.

I think the key difference between Voldemort and Umbridge (other than a nose) is that Voldemort's convictions were evil, but he had them. He truly believed in the path he was walking, and while that path was godawful, there is something reassuring in that—it takes genuine belief for people to be bad.

In comparison, we have Dumbridge. Dumbridge has no convictions. Dumbridge adapts to survive, meaning that no faith can be placed in her. But while other characters like Narcissa Malfoy adapt to survive quietly, in the background, Dolores Fucking Umbridge over-corrects, because not only is she adapting, she is the FUCKING BEST at adapting. She will show everyone that there is no one more adapted than her, regardless.

Also she wasn't an awesome person to begin with. P sure she got off on scarring Harry.

— Can we talk about Ginny? I don't know whether it was the sixth and seventh films or maybe Bonnie Wright who ruined her for me, but I feel like I've treated her pretty unfairly over the years and in OotP at least I really do admire her. It's those Fred & George vibes combined with a steely determination and generally not giving a fuck (& also being friends with Luna!).

There are very few instances when the movie versions of characters aren't watered down, shadow creatures. Ginny was so much better in the books.

— Oh also? HAGRID. The Grawp subplot has always been one of my least favourite things to read (it's no Norbert!!!!) but it is an interesting look at wizarding opinion of halfbreeds/some deeper insight into Hagrid's backstory and really what I wanted to say is how underrated but how important Hagrid is to Harry throughout the whole series, and that it is a CRIME none of Harry's kids even got "Rubeus" as a middle name??????? I mean??????? Who's the real, most constant, most heartwarming father-figure in these books anyway?

Don't get me started on the fact that Albus Severus was named after two men who treated Harry horribly, tbh, and he named an entire child after them.

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   Elias Grimstone

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— Aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp as the result of a splinching accident. —

— graphics by lady ❤ —

Don't get me started on the fact that Albus Severus was named after two men who treated Harry horribly, tbh, and he named an entire child after them.

"Minerva Pomfrey Potter you were named after the only two people in the series that just did their fucking jobs properly, you should be so proud."

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   Amelia Evans, Elias Grimstone, Idunn Fraser

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MJ made me beautiful

Don't get me started on the fact that Albus Severus was named after two men who treated Harry horribly, tbh, and he named an entire child after them.

"Minerva Pomfrey Potter you were named after the only two people in the series that just did their fucking jobs properly, you should be so proud."

Actually that's another thing — obviously a big thing in HP, but they also did it in Breaking Dawn and even Grey's Anatomy. Why in fiction do people name kids after other humans so much? I never see it in RL to even half that extent except for my Dutch friends.

No one in my family was named after anyone; they just liked the names >.>

  

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— Graphics by MJ ♡ —

My middle name is Jane, which was also my mother's middle name... mostly because she couldn't think of any other middle names. xD

  

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look ANOTHER beautiful bee!set <3