The Order of the Phoenix SPOILER Review Thread

[IronParrot]

Anticipating a major flood of thoughts (and spoilers) in this forum starting in about... twenty-four hours... here is the thread for thoughts from those of you who have read the book.

This is an officially designated SPOILER ZONE - no need to disguise everything in big grey blocks, since the title should be fair warning. If you haven't read the book, you should not be reading this.

Treat it much like the What people think of Two Towers (*SPOILERS*) (http://entmoot.tolkientrail.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6443) thread in the LOTR Movies forum. It is the haven for discussion of the entire book on a holistic level until pretty much everybody has had a chance to get through it.

You can of course start threads dealing with very specific issues (like that "Will Krum come to Hogwarts thread" which I haven't actually read due to the spoiler warning), but please do not put spoilers in the title, and observe spoiler policy at all times. Be courteous.

Anyway, have fun. I am going into Potter-reading hibernation over the next few days, and I wish you all a good time.

[eowyngirl14]

even though i havent finished the book i would just like to say something that i feel very strongly about, PERCY IS AN @$$!!!! what a jerk?! saying all those rude things to his dad like that.

when i finish reading i will post my other thoughts.(in sure there wil be many more!)

[IronParrot]

I've finished the book. Overall, I quite loved it - in some (albeit not all) places it is the strongest book of the entire series, but why bother making comparisons here?

There is, obviously, lots to say here. The big marketing points of the book that we'd all been looking forward to - namely, The Death and The Big Dumbledore Revelation - were probably a little overhyped beyond measure (I hesitate to call them "disappointing"), because it is a lot of the other material in the story that really caught me. The pace did kind of slow in the middle, but things remained interesting.

I will go into extremely spoilerfied details shortly, once I gather my conclusions in a more organized manner.

[Blackboar]

Well, I can't belive Sirius dies! It was predictable, but why him?:(

Banned from Quidditch! Now that is just tight!
I've started to read the book for the second time to get all my thoughts together, I'll post back tonight!

[Elf Girl]

I'm finished too.

I loved it. Everyone gets character development. I thought Sirius's death was done well, but the Big Dumbledore Revelation seemed, as IP said, overhyped.

BB: Well, now that Umbridge is gone, I assume Harry will be back on his broom.

I loved Umbridge, BTW. And how the whole school rallied against her.

The Ministry of Magic was well done when we first entered it in Chp. 6.

I thought the thestrals were a nice touch. Darkened the tone a bit.

I loved Luna Lovegood! She was perhaps my favorite character, next to Umbridge.

I am gleeful that Percy did just what I predicted. I think he will see the light in a while tho. He is in Gryffindor.

[EyeSeeYou]

i hate Umbridge. shes a jerk. (and lots of other swear words) when she took harry's quidditch rights away, i started to scream into a pillow.

this book was just like a dementor. it sucked the happiness out of you. but it was still really good.

and the hermione and ron thing is still in question. but considering hermoine's kiss on the cheek, i think a relationship is definite.

we didnt find out as much about lily potter as i thought, other than the fact she hated james when he was fifteen. but now we also know that snape is the way he is now not only from abuse at school, but because of his parents at home.

fred and george's rebellion was awesome. i loved how peeves agreed to make umbridges live a living hell for her while they were gone. but will they be back to complete their education?

in the same chapter, that argument between umbridge and mgonagall was great. and mgonagall came out on top.

on the chapter called O.W.L.S. i was really scared that mgonagall was dead. i almost cried. (then again, the entire book was a tear jerker)

harry's new burden, on how he will be the victim or the murderer in the end for "neither can live while the other survives" left me feeling burdened in the same way. i have come to the conclusion that JK in a really good author considering she can give a character such a strong feeling and the reader can pick it up too.

and now we have to question dumbledore. is he a relation of harry's? i think maybe he is harry's grandfather. well, then again there was the mirror of erised... but i mean, the tear at the end of chapter 37.... either that or he really loves harry like a grandson or a son.

im really sad that sirius died. he was really the only relative of harry's that loved him... but now... will lupin stand up to take sirius's place?

now i know that the final battle will be between harry and voldemort. again "either must vanquish the other, for neither can live while the other survives " (or something like that) i think his next two years of school will be in preperation for that final moment. but who will die before the end?

there is one question remaining..... will harry pull a complete "anakin"? now as we've read he is angry and upset almost all the time, and he explodes in the faces of his friends, teachers, and others. but will harry go "bad"? his little attempt at CRUCIO kinda freaked me out a little. But harry, no doubt, will have to use the unforgivable curses again in the series. BUT maybe his anger is just a phase, just like the little torture phase his father went through. and maybe harry wont turn bad. but we wont know until the other books come out.

thats all for now folks, im going to eat non depressing foods and read the book again.

[EyeSeeYou]

WAIT!!!! theres something else.......
hehe i also found a mistake. for anyone who has the american version, on the copywrite page, it should say 1st american edition at the bottom but the it says JULY 2003. its JUNE. i dont know if that was done on purpose or by accident but its a mistake.

and more importantly....

at the end of the book harry was trying to talk to sirius through the mirror or through Nearly Headless Nick. couldnt harry just find a picture of sirius and talk to him that way? i mean, the other portraits in the castle have some dead people in them, and they talk back to you, so couldnt harry talk to sirius through a picture? and if he could talk to sirius, couldnt he talk to his parents? or anyone else who died? like cedric?

[Sylvee Estel]

Well I finished, late last night, and I really liked it! I think it has become my new favorite in the series.

I really liked seeing Lockhart again. That was pretty funny.

I also liked the Harry and Cho thing. It was sad though, that it kinda ended.

I'm glad we found out why Voldemort wanted to kill Harry in the first place. That was pretty cool.

I have a question though. It might be that I'm juyst confused because I read i so fast, and I missed the real answer, but... If Harry and Neville were both born at the right time, then what if Voldmort had tried to kill Neville before Harry. Then, assuming Nevilles mom would die to save him, then, wouldny Neville have the scar? Then wouldn't Neville be the one marked, and the prophecy be about him? I'm sure I'm just confused and missed something though, so this is probably a stupid question.

But anyway, now I can't wait for the next one. How long til it comes out? 20 years?:)

[Elf Girl]

Originally posted by EyeSeeYou
couldnt harry just find a picture of sirius and talk to him that way? i mean, the other portraits in the castle have some dead people in them, and they talk back to you, so couldnt harry talk to sirius through a picture? and if he could talk to sirius, couldnt he talk to his parents? or anyone else who died? like cedric?
No. The idea of portraits is very sketchy, but anyway: A) He's a convicted murderer, I don't think there are any portraits of him, and B) the portraits capture the personality of the subject, not the subject himself. 'Sirius' would only have the memory of when the portrait was painted. Since none are likely to have been painted since before he ran away, 'Sirius' would be merely a child.

Note: B) is merely opinion. I have no proof whatsoever except that it would make sense; it is just my personal take on portraits in HP.

[Elf Girl]

EDIT: Forget this. I was confused. See below for my real answer.

[Elf Girl]

O wait, scratch my previous post. I was confused. I think I have an answer now.

Originally posted by Sylvee Estel
If Harry and Neville were both born at the right time, then what if Voldmort had tried to kill Neville before Harry. Then, assuming Nevilles mom would die to save him, then, wouldny Neville have the scar? Then wouldn't Neville be the one marked, and the prophecy be about him?
Yes, it would be. But Voldy didn't attack Neville, he attacked Harry. He marked Harry as the more dangerous, Voldy's equal, by attacking him. A prophecy predicts the future, in this case that Voldy would mark a boy as his equal, and that that boy would have 'powers the dark lord knows not', and the ability to defeat Voldy. Voldy, although unaware of what he was actually doing, fulfilled the prophecy.

[Sween]

Just finished reading it all! go me. Overall very good book took a very long time getting to Hogwarts (probably too much) end of the day cleaning an old house up is only so intresting isnt it?

Loved Neville in the book hes such a good suporting character! The Giant thing didnt work for me mind u hagrid never really did i just dont really care about him and if hes got some big giant brother of his!

Harry and Cho was great remind me a lot of many of my early attempts at dateing very well observed from her shame Ron didnt get any action! I think they will get back together!

Umbridge was very good real nasty peice of work esspecially making harry do that cutting pen thing.

as for sirus death, kinda expected but same time kinda didnt care i mean im not sure what it add to the plot hes dead so what?

Loved the DA showed a lot of harrys skill!

As for Harry mood yeah hes a jerk but then again hes 15 year old and had a pretty crummy life so far! I can really understand why he so angry all the time. Now he knows he is the matrix style 'the one' he might be a bit happier esspecially as hes been let in on information! Now what i dont get is Harry relectance to kill Voldermort hows that gonna work hes a very evil man that tried to kill him man times i hope shes not gonna go down the killing is allways wrong route cos well it aint end of the day esspecially in the books where there is clearly defined good and evil.

The Malfroy thing is getting a bit end of the day harry twice the wizard he is and everyone knows it why does he even give him the time of day? ill just tell him to shut up or bring it cos well only one person walking away from that.

I liked the Snape back stroy it makes him very pitiable infact i feel very sorry for him it apears Harry day was not much more than a common high school jock as american would call it or as i would call it a w*****r! Remind nme of a lad i went to school with treated a few lads like crap but everyone kissed his ass cos he was good looking and good at everything! I think Harry should apoligise to Snape about his father i wish he had of done that in the book i think it would touch Snapes heart.

Ally my thoughts for now sure ill come up with some more later

[Diaxion]

well i thought the book was excellant but it was a little shaky at some points, al though i have forgotten which points there were.
Many of the scenes in the book were very good and i liked very much the Harry-Cho thing even though it didn't turn out great but maybe it will be restarted in number six. I was also getting anoyed with hagrid and i was also getting anoyed with percy. While eading the book i thought ron and luna were about to hook up. Any way all in all it was a very good book and i cant wait for the sixth and seventh. Think about it in the sixth book we find out harry's owl scores and in the seventh book we most likely dies. Its a lot to look forward to but my thoughts are still jumbled because even though i have read the book it will take me a couple more days to work out a theory.

[IronParrot]

I tried to post this last night but the board was down. But here goes:

Some initial snippets of my thoughts - no huge elaborations just yet, but believe me, they will come.

What I liked

- The handling of the relationship between Harry and Cho Chang - it thankfully never got in the way, remained consistent with who the characters both were as people, and ended on the right note.

- Snape is indeed a whole lot more understandable as a character simply because we've now seen James Potter depicted as a veritable asshat. That was an unprecedented, but appreciated, development in the nature of the Snape-Potter relationship.

- But at the same time, just seeing Sirius Black's family background perhaps illustrates what a good guy James Potter must have been, in terms of an influence on his closest friend. It gave them both considerable depth.

- I think everybody predicted that Percy's ambition and Ministry loyalty would land him in some serious trouble, but I don't think anybody predicted the extent to which he'd go. However, now that the Ministry is behind Dumbledore again, he'll probably come back into the family fold at some point. It still doesn't say much about him, however, that he always toes the party line.

- Harry, as a character, isn't as cute and innocent and naive as he was in the first four books - naturally, given what happens at the end of Goblet. This is a nice change, especially because we now see our hero's tragic flaw(s) flung into the open.

- Peeves is finally not needlessly annoying, and is even put into good use.

- Once again, Rowling expands really well on seemingly peripheral characters. Figg, Trelawney, Firenze, Mundungus. The Lockhart cameo was a nice touch. It's good that Mundungus is a bit of a crook - after all, Arthur Weasley raids his house in The Chamber of Secrets. (It's a minor, minor reference, but somehow I remembered it.)

- There's a lot I liked that I haven't even begun to cover yet, but that could wait.


What absolutely ruled

- Fred and George. You've read it, so you know what I mean.

- Neville Longbottom finally gets a chance to shine. He kicks some serious butt, and it was about time he grew up a bit. He's going to be crucial, I can feel it.

- Professor Umbridge has, in my eyes, become the most fearsome villain we've yet to see (Voldemort notwithstanding - maybe). Considering that the story takes place in a boarding school, it was about time J.K. Rowling did a subliminal scathing commentary on pedagogy and curricula, not to mention government intervention. As a plus, Hogwarts finally becomes a nice and dangerous place, which was a necessary touch to keep things interesting.

- The fight between Voldemort and Dumbledore in the Ministry is truly a clash of the titans, the most spectacular battle we've seen thus far. This does come with the catch that Voldemort's strength is slightly undermined compared to what we'd expect, though it is placed next to Dumbledore, so we have an excuse here.

- The setup for the next book - Dementors free, giants on the Death Eaters' side, the very title "The Second War Begins" - is very promising. Hopefully it delivers. Pretty much everybody thought the end of the fourth one was a big setup for the outbreak of war, but personally, the whole Ministry coverup angle was a far more creative approach, and one I do not hesitate to praise. The sixth one really needs to send everything to hell, though.

[IronParrot]

What was... questionable

- Sirius' death was a bit sloppy. It didn't have the shocking emotional resonance that Cedric Diggory's death had, and the entire graveyard finale of Goblet remains the series' most crushing scene (particularly Priori Incantatem). Sirius didn't go out with enough of a bang - and a part of me is still in denial. The Veil is still unexplained, so Rowling has some room to move, but it would be even cheesier to bring him back somehow. It's just that there's a prevailing feeling that maybe he "deserved" a more spectacular death. On the other hand, Harry experienced the aftershock much in the same way - complete denial (and complete shock upon finding that mirror!).

- The Prophecy and the big Dumbledore explanation at the end finally answers the burning "Why Harry?" question, but does it really tell us much that we don't know already? Dumbledore mentions the scar as the Overriding Big Idea, but then we don't hear much about it. If anything, it practically spoils the ending of the saga - now our convictions of a simple "Harry kills Voldemort" are only strengthened. Though it'd be a good laugh to see a "Neville kills Voldemort" surprise ending (to parallel the extra ten points at the end of The Philosopher's Stone, no less).

- Perhaps my biggest complaint is that the year at Hogwarts tends to drag, maybe because we don't see any sort of mystery being solved. There's a certain lack of narrative flow, because there's little notion of "progress" throughout most of the book's midsection. Yes, there's the whole mystery of Harry's purported dreams, but the kids just don't seem to go out of their way to meddle the same way they used to. Things still remain interesting, mind you (Umbridge raising the stakes, the whole bit with Harry training the DA, Occlumency lessons) but they don't quite chug along as nicely as the first and last thirds. Fancy such a comment coming from a guy who finished the thing in a day, eh?

- I know I'm asking for a bit much, but the thing that makes The Prisoner of Azkaban my favourite is that we learned so much about what happened on, leading up to, and after the night of October 31st, 1981. We don't learn anything new here, though the additional insights into the characters of the last generation do make up for that.


Unanswered questions

- OWLs are apparently standardized tests regardless of what is taught in the classroom. But if Hogwarts is the only wizarding school in Great Britain, shouldn't classroom curriculum be synchronized with examination material? So when the Ministry has the power to affect the Defence Against the Dark Arts curriculum, how come the OWL remains unchanged?

- Dumbledore suggests the protection of Harry under Aunt Petunia's roof to be an extension of a bond of blood, not of love. Doesn't this run thematically contradictory to everything we've learned about the Potterverse so far about matters of birth meaning absolutely zip?

- So is the Potterverse governed by fate, or isn't it? Divination is so constantly ridiculed as being bogus, yet Trelawney's first prediction really confuses the matter - not to mention various causal issues raised by the Time-Turner that are worth a different essay entirely.

- Where's Wormtail?

- So yes, Snape is monitoring communications between Voldemort and his servants. But how? And was this the secret task Dumbledore assigned him at the end of Goblet, or was that something else entirely?

- Miscellaneous leftover open ends - the "triumphant gleam" in the last chapter of Goblet, for instance... is that ever going to be relevant? It seems that Dumbledore doesn't quite know all there is to the Harry-Voldy connection.

- Does anyone know the symbolic meaning of Hermione's Patronus being an otter? (Or Cho's as a swan, but I think that's more easily explained...)

- What are the limits being a Metamorphmagus? Like the Polyjuice Potion, this is something that could seriously be abused. However, by all indications (via Tonks), it's limited to very rudimentary changes of appearance - changing a nose here, hair there, etc.

- The Veil. I want some answers.

[cassiopeia]

I finally finished it. I started at nine o'clock Saturday morning, and finished it at eleven o'clock Sunday night.

I agree that Sirius' death was disapointing. I was really expecting it to be Dumbledore, or Hagrid, or Ron. It certainly didn't have much emotional impact on me, but perhaps that's because I never liked him very much in the first place. It seems to me Sirius could come back, because we don't really know what the veil is about.

I really liked Harry in this book: he's certainly growing up to be a true teenager. His relationship with Cho is interesting, and I'm looking forward to see what happens between them in the next two books.

I loved the backstory of Snape. I have always liked Snape (he is very funny), and have always thought he was misunderstood. Now it seems we know why he hates Harry so much: he reminds Snape of the taunts he received from James and his friends. No wonder he gives Harry such a hard time. Of course, that is no excuse, and it's not Harry's fault, but I can understand it.

Fred and George RULE, Umbridge is very scary (that whole writing lines thing is very cruel), Lockhart is the same as usual, and I think Aunt Petunia has something to reveal in the next two books.

[Tanoliel]

(Whoa....I really should be in bed now--I stayed up way too late last night reading--but I want to put down some thoughts.)

Firstly, I echo other's thoughts on Sirius' death: little emotional impact. This may be because a friend spoiled it for me earlier (you go, girl...:rolleyes: :)), but even so...it wasn't quite as jerking as Cedric's death was. As to why Sirius died: Ron and Hermione were too important to the plot at this point (Sirius was, as horrible as it sounds and as much as I like him, rather useless); and beyond R and H, Sirius was the next person Harry loved most in the world. If Lupin had died, eg (no! not my werewolf! :) ), it would have been sad but not wrenching for Harry--cause Sirius, as a pseduo parent, would have been there to comfort him.

Secondly...I understand why Cho is feeling this way. I still think she's a weepy idiot. However, I agree with Ron that Hermione ought to write the Boy's Guide to Girls, simply because those passages were so funny.

Thirdly; Luna Lovegood is beamingly, happily wonderful; possibly because she reminds me a bit of me. Someone above said Ron and Luna--I think Harry and Luna is more likely, although really I think she will turn out as more of an older sister comforting person, which is funny as she's a year younger.

Fourthly: GINNY! Finally got some character. I used to like her okay, but now that she's got backbone and is dancing around kitchens crazily with the twins, I like her tons more.

Fifthly: GRED AND FORGE. You know what I'm talking about. If I had kids like that for older brothers...well, I'd probably be in big trouble, but life would be very interesting.
I love how the entire school rallied around them, and also Harry's DA classes, and overruled Umbridge. Those were some of the happiest scenes--seriously, is there any person here, who is or ever was a student, that has never wanted to do something like that to a horrible teacher? Which brings me to...

Sixthly...If Rowling was a liberal American, I would accuse her of some not-so-subtle social commentary on the government. Heh.
As it stands, however, I think she did a fabulous job of showing the dangers of the government messing in things and having so much power.

Question: I had always understood Hogwarts was a bit out of the realm of the Ministry. Perhaps this is because before Book 4, Fudge and Dumbledore had a good relationship...but it confused me how much the Ministry was legally able to fudge (hah hah, sorry), or mess with Hogwarts.

I have tons more to say but I'll wait until discussions get started and stuff. To end, I just have to add:
Go Professor McGonagall! She is Scottish, and awesome (things that often go together...heh) and I loved her in this book.


Tano

[Elf Girl]

Okay, I mostly agree with IP, except that I was expecting Percy to go totally off the deep end. (I also predict he will come around. He was in Gryffindor after all.)

Here are my thoughts on some of his 'unanswered questions.'

Originally posted by IronParrot
- OWLs are apparently standardized tests regardless of what is taught in the classroom. But if Hogwarts is the only wizarding school in Great Britain, shouldn't classroom curriculum be synchronized with examination material? So when the Ministry has the power to affect the Defence Against the Dark Arts curriculum, how come the OWL remains unchanged?
Perhaps they are standardized throughout the entire wizarding world?

Originally posted by IronParrot
- Dumbledore suggests the protection of Harry under Aunt Petunia's roof to be an extension of a bond of blood, not of love. Doesn't this run thematically contradictory to everything we've learned about the Potterverse so far about matters of birth meaning absolutely zip?
I took that bit to mean that Lily's love was in her, and thus Petunia's, blood.

Originally posted by IronParrot
- So is the Potterverse governed by fate, or isn't it? Divination is so constantly ridiculed as being bogus, yet Trelawney's first prediction really confuses the matter - not to mention various causal issues raised by the Time-Turner that are worth a different essay entirely.
*shrug* No idea...

Originally posted by IronParrot
- Where's Wormtail?
He's just a Death Eater now, albeit one in high standing and with a magical hand. So he would be probably serving Voldy while in hiding. (Since everyone thinks he's dead, he's in the same situation as Sirius.)

Originally posted by IronParrot
- So yes, Snape is monitoring communications between Voldemort and his servants. But how? And was this the secret task Dumbledore assigned him at the end of Goblet, or was that something else entirely?
I don't know... Maybe she's going cheasy and having him pretending to be a spy for Voldemort, in order for him to be a spy for Dumbledore... But that is both stupidly impossible and impossibly stupid.

Originally posted by IronParrot
- the "triumphant gleam" in the last chapter of Goblet, for instance... is that ever going to be relevant? It seems that Dumbledore doesn't quite know all there is to the Harry-Voldy connection.
My theory is that Dumbledore knows that the fact that Harry's blood runs in Voldy's veins will be Voldy's undoing. Probably because Lily's love is in that blood.

Originally posted by IronParrot
- Does anyone know the symbolic meaning of Hermione's Patronus being an otter? (Or Cho's as a swan, but I think that's more easily explained...)
*shakes head* Well, 'Patronus' means 'father' obviously, which is why Harry's is a stag, but I can't think what a Muggle dentist has to do with otters.

Originally posted by IronParrot
- The Veil. I want some answers.
Dumbledore refers to the place where it is as 'the Death Room'. I think the Veil is kind of concentrated death. (Just an opinion, don't hold me to it.)

I would like to add that my favorite part of the book is right after the twins leave, it's as if Hogwarts itself is rising up against Umbridge. Beautifully done.

[sun-star]

Ok well… here goes.

The thing that pleased me the most about this book was that quite a lot of it was unexpected. After three years of analysing the others, you’d think we guess what was coming next (I am so glad Arabella Figg wasn’t the new DADA teacher!). But most of it was a surprise to me, with the obvious exceptions of Percy, Fudge in denial, etc.

I didn’t think Sirius would die! I didn’t think his plot function - Harry’s father figure - was exhausted yet, and I thought that after such a horrible life maybe he could get some happiness. Obviously that’s not the way JK Rowling works… I felt most sorry for Lupin though - two of his best friends dead and one a traitor! His life has to have a major turnaround or my money’s on him to die, putting him out of his misery.

I still don’t feel sorry for Snape. I just think James is sexier than ever (I’m the only person in the world who prefers James to Sirius or Snape) :)

I liked the political and educational commentaries. I wonder if JK Rowling was examined by Ofsted when she was a teacher, because they’re a lot like Professor Umbridge! Hats off to McGonagall, too. It all took me back to my GCSE days, though mine were a bit more peaceful than Harry’s!

A few problems though: I agree that Sirius’ death had little emotional impact. Unfortunately AK (if that was what killed him) doesn’t leave much time for tragic death scenes. And the climax was very confused, I thought. I couldn’t be clear what was going on - perhaps that’s deliberate though. Also, I know it was a long book, but don’t the publishers employ anyone to check the text?! One name was wrong and there were a couple of typos in my edition - it’s trivial, but you’d think that in such an important book they could be more careful.

Does anyone know the symbolic meaning of Hermione's Patronus being an otter? (Or Cho's as a swan, but I think that's more easily explained...)

If I remember rightly, JK Rowling has said that the otter is her favourite animal, and that if she were an Animagus, that’s what she’d be. I don’t know what it symbolises apart from that though.

Sorry for the long post. Lots to say :D

[Elfmaster XK]

OKay. My very long and opinionated post on OotP.

Overall
On the whole, I think this is probably my favourite book of the series; sure, it had its problems, but I kept going with it and wanted to know the end. Throughout the entire thing, the death was hovering over me, and my mind kept forming horrible situations for certain people to die. I suspected Mr. Weasley, Cho, and Neville, even Ron at various points. Obviously I was wrong. But it was such a sinister book this time around. I really love sinister plots and such, but the thing I think it lacked was one consistent plot. Sure, it was the prophecy, but did we know that at the beginning? No. And I'm going to talk more about that later. So, overall, I love it.

Characters
Harry then. I absolutely love the new angry Harry. He's everything I ever wanted him to be. Violent even in Dumbeldore's office at the end, and I always did love writing SmashingSomethingtoPieces!Harry. :) However, his attitude at the very beginning, he's become all snarky and sarcastic with Uncle Vernon and Dudley. He wasn't like that at the end of GoF, and I thought perhaps he needed to state at the beginning he was angry with the others for telling him nothing. Maybe he did. I've not got the book near me to check. Bah. Am not going to say more when I can't remember what I'm talking about.

Ron was better because I could actually stand him this book. Though that might have been the combined effect of the new!Ginny and AllKnowing!Hermione pissing me off more than he did. I really wasn't pleased he got onto the Quidditch team because that's Harry's thing. Ron always seems to be second best to Harry in everything, Quidditch is the same, and I think he should find a niche of his own. He was prefect though. Go Ron!

Hermione was an annoying wench for most of it. I just felt she knew *too* much all the time. And okay, in that interview with JKR she says she feels safe placing knowledge in the words of Hermione. But too much already. We get it, she's smart, but Harry isn't stupid, and neither is Ron. There's no need for her to treat them both as though they're dunces.

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were great. Especially Petunia. I thought it was great to have that little reminder at the beginning of her past. It was also interesting to hear her talk about it without going crazy about Lily. I am still wondering about the howler. Remember my last, Petunia. I wonder if it means she’s Dumbledore’s last hope of protecting Harry. If so, what does she owe Dumbledore? Or perhaps it was some kind of promise he had made to her. Maybe it’s even something to do with Lily. Also Dudley has changed, what with him actually speaking to Harry and walking with him. They seemed to have reached a state of mutual hate, yet beyond actual violence. Was just, scathing and mean. I certainly liked the older Dudley more, and the furthering of the Dursleys as a group.



Mad-Eye was good. I'm really glad he came back because he was a great character in GoF and he's developed a little more here. I thought the gunked up eye at the beginning was really gross. Blergh. Tonks I hate her name. Her whole name. And also the changing of appearance didn't seem to help anyone, but tht could have been seriously well utilised in the plot. Kingsley was alright, though my immediate thought was of a thai boxer on the computer game DOA III, or the guy who played Othello and is pictured on the front of the BBC edition of the play. There wasn't much more about dear Lupin. We only learned that he was a prefect too. I was wondering if there might be any connections with him and Ron. Like, Ron wouldn't stop Harry doing things, neither would Lupin with James. Dunno.

MWPP. Well. Covered Moony. Wormtail...his adoration of James is interesting actually. Though it bordered on worship the way she chose to portrey it, maybe it could shed some light on why Wormtail eventually turned the way he did. Perhaps he felt neglected. Like he could never reach the level of respect in James' eyes as Sirius and Remus seemed to have already. It seemed he was impressed with James, and almost idolised him, but James failed to pay him much attention. Then when they confided in him, making him SecretKeeper, he knew that was only because they thought Voldie wouldn't guess, Wormtail was too weak. If I knew more about the relationship Peter had with the others I might have said it was all down to something psychological why he joined Voldemort. Er...I appear to have digressed. ...

[Elfmaster XK]

Anyway. James. Arrogant James...I doth declare I love thee. Now Harry has a real little dilemma eh? Father wasn't such a great role model after all. I am glad JKR did this; I liked to think he wasn't perfect myself, and this proves it. Now Harry will have to learn to live with that, and accept that his father did have flaws. Sirius. WAH!!! I am in total denial here. I seriously don’t believe it happened. I love Sirius a lot. He was never my favourite character but he didn’t deserve to die in such a pointless way. Pointless because on first reading it I seriously didn’t register he was dead. I expected there to be more. But there was no more; he was just gone. I don’t think I can accept it.

Fred and George were fantastic. I absolutely loved them to pieces and wish I could turn my old school into a swamp. I thought Molly would be a bit more angry they just left though. I wonder if they’ll be in the Order by next instalment. Maybe not, what with the joke shop and all.

Ginny was annoying. Suddenly she’s become Super!Ginny. Can play Seeker, knows many of Fred and Georges tricks. Maybe she’s the new troublemaker Weasley. And then the boyfriends. I suppose it was nice to see her get some further characterisation. I wonder if she was serious with the Dean/Ginny, or it was a joke to wind up Ron. Still pondering.

Luna is interesting. I like her, but I don’t love her like a lot of people seem to. There’s something about her which I don’t like. I mean aside from the fact she just appeared in the year below. I hope beyond hope this doesn’t end up Harry/Luna. The only thing she seemed good for was turning up at the right time to provide the right information/plot help. For me, her most significant time was when she spoke to Harry about the voices behind the veil. I wonder if it’ll make Harry obsessed with them.

Draco: He didn’t get much furthering to his character, just emphasis on what was already there really. That he’s a coward hiding behind his cronies, and abusing his powers and such. I think it has laid the way for further characterisation though, because now we know more about his family, and that he will begrudge Harry even more now because of his father. He has been quite childish and I don’t think he can continue to be so after this. So…yay for paving the way for a better Draco.

Percy I knew was going to turn evil. He may be under Imperious, but I don’t think so. He has shown to be ambitious, and Ron told Harry he thought he might do what Crouch did to his son if the family got in the way. And he did. Percy is like Fudge. I think they’re both morons.

Lucius and Narcissa. Not much to say you’d think. Okay, so Narcissa didn’t even get a line, or an appearance, but Lucius did. We now know they are related to the Blacks. And Sirius said that all wizarding families were related because there were so few left. The Potters were pure-blood. (Before Harry that is. James’ family are, unless I’m mistaken.) So could they too be related? Anyway, Lucius and Narcissa. Lucius seems to be a bit of a maniac actually. He still seems to be Voldie’s second hand, and I think he knows that, but feels threatened by Bellatrix. They argued a lot, or Lucius yelled a lot at her. He also seems to be too proud of being a Malfoy, with his immense smugness and such with Harry. And so he’s in Azkaban? Well that won’t work as there are no dementors. He’ll be out soon I expect.

Bellatrix Lestrange is so very interesting. I liked her character. She was very evil. A bit insane, and also, I think, Voldie’s favourite. After all, we all saw he called her “Bella” rather than how he addressed the rest of his followers, like “Avery.” Very interesting how she shall develop, and also her with the connections with Neville.

Neville was GREAT! I absolutely love him. I’m so so glad he got a bigger part, I knew he would, even though that wasn’t what I expected it to be. I really hope this gets developed A LOT more. Especially with the prophecy and all. Neville is my hero.

Umbrige was a bit of a peculiarity for me. I couldn’t decide if she was good or bad, because lots of parts of her were good. But then there was the flatness of her on occasions too. I think she was simply in the story too much. We could have done with seeing less of her. And also, JKR needed to stop describing her in the same way, the frog and fly thing. Started well, then got a bit expected of what she’d do. Yes. She was annoying.

Hagrid I knew wouldn’t die when he came back injured. That to me showed he was safe from being the one JKR killed. But I didn’t really care either way what he did in this book. He didn’t seem important, and I really disliked the bit with Grawp.

McGonagall I have a new respect for. I always liked her, but now she totally rocks. All the other teachers I feel the same about. Trelawney maybe a bit sorry for.

[Elfmaster XK]

Snape. I now understand Snape a bit better. Before I never really liked him and thought he was just damned mean. I’m glad we got to know a bit more about him and hope that in future he and Harry will be able to reach some sort of mutual understanding over what happened, in which Snape no longer victimises Harry so much. I thought maybe because they have both seen each other’s bad childhood. Poor Snape. I feel for him now.

Cho can just go away and fall of a mountain. I shan’t dignify her with anything.

Dumbledore I can’t decide on.

Fudge remains to me, a hypocrite, and a total idiot. Someone who is completely blind, and inept at his job. He loves his power more than he admits, and more than wanting the safety and happiness of his people, he wants his money and his status. I think he’s a total [insert swearing], and have since we first met him.


Favourite parts
I have to say for me, the parts, which have stuck out the most are the “I must not tell lies” bit. That was very strong. It’s all about indoctrination, and I found it very sinister. Also, the fact Harry just took it made me think he was punishing himself somehow. I know he just wouldn’t give in, but he did, to me, seem to be punishing himself. Possibly even taking out his anger. The Black house and history also seems very important to me. Though the description of the house made me think of the colour green, dark mossy rotting green, and of general decay. Wasn’t so nice. I’d like to get my hands on that tapestry, see who else is related. The DA was great. Snape’s memory in the pensieve was good. Harry smashing Dumbledore’s office also brill.

Heart-breaking, soul-destroying moments
Neville in the hospital with his parents. I know…the death; but when his mother gives him that wrapper *collapses* I wanted to cry. I wanted to hug Neville. It was so sad. I hope a lot of people appreciate that tiny moment for what it was.

When Harry looked at the mirror hoping to see Sirius, and a wild hopeful excitement passed through him. Again, wanted to cry. This part for me was worse than the bit with the veil. Far worse because it was actually crushing. Obviously it reminded me of the mirror of Erised, and that was certainly the saddest part of PS.

I don’t want to be human anymore. *wibbles* Aww…it destroys me!

Sirius’ death barely needs mentioning. Harry has lost so much, and Sirius didn’t deserve it. I didn’t dare to believe it. Still failing to accept it.

When Harry yells at Hermione and Ron for being kept in the dark all summer, and then at other times throughout the book becomes angry, violent or vindictive because of it. The way they all look at him, pretend to understand, and pity him. Also when they don’t believe him about the dreams. And they do, they pity him, which makes me sad. I suppose it’s clichéd to say so, but they don’t understand; they can’t.

Neville’s strength in the fighting. We know where his strength comes from, but it drives him to be reckless. Similar to Harry when he runs after Bellatrix. When Harry says “I am,” and tries to Crucio her that was sad. Desperation. Anger.

Questions and Criticisms
Firstly: How the hell did he get the Marauder’s map back? HOW!

Umbridge I’m still a bit unsure of. I disliked Grawp. I thought the darkness and overall atmosphere too heavy for children, and the sinister, yet subtlety of the takeover too complicated for them. I don’t think this much politics has a place in children’s books, they don’t need it. The prophecy. It was too vague, as if JKR doesn’t know where she’s taking it, and the book as a whole had no continuing plot. The prophecy was explained (briefly) at the end. Harry was running towards the door, but he didn’t know why. There was too much unknown in this book to be going with. It was made of many subplots, and lacked a tying together factor. In a way, I think I felt angry when reading it, because I felt like Harry. I didn’t know enough at the right times. For example, after Sirius fell through the veil I was angry because I wanted to know why? Where did he go? Why has he gone? What were the voices? Why can’t he get out, why did whatever it was kill him, and why did Lupin know but not explain? *breaks down* He. Is. Not. Dead. Am left with questions. Having said that though, I still love it. I just think fanfiction has probably warped my view a little. I have become too analytical of it, and I doubt I’d have thought a lot of this if it weren’t for the fandom. I even stayed unspoiled completely before reading it. It wasn’t what I expected I don’t think. I liked it a lot, though it had its flaws.

Also, has anyone noticed how all the Pure-blood families seem to be rich? I want to know why this is. Heritage I suppose.

Sorry for that everyone. Had to say it. :D Also, why did I have to post in three installments? Only 5000 characters allowed now. I thought it was more than that. :confused:

[Elf Girl]

Originally posted by Elfmaster XK
Umbrige was a bit of a peculiarity for me. I couldn’t decide if she was good or bad, because lots of parts of her were good. But then there was the flatness of her on occasions too. I think she was simply in the story too much. We could have done with seeing less of her. And also, JKR needed to stop describing her in the same way, the frog and fly thing. Started well, then got a bit expected of what she’d do. Yes. She was annoying.
:confused: What parts of Umbridge were good? She was the closest thing to a villain present at Hogwarts, I should think we saw a lot of her!

[EyeSeeYou]

umbridge is PURE EVIL!!!!!!! yes EVIL i say. that whole pen thingy? i mean what kind of sick person is she? good thing she was taken out of action at the end of the book. but will she return?

(evil darth vader star wars music plays in background)

[Sheeana]

Haven't got too much to add. Umbridge worked well; everytime I saw hem hem, I felt like screaming! Sirius' death felt like it had been just dashed off; I didn't have any particular feeling for this scene other than, Aha! I guessed right! Sirius was an awesome character, and I'm sad that JK Rowling felt that he'd served his purpose, but I'm definately glad it wasn't Ron, or Neville, or Hagrid. Hopefully, there will be some more development on the giants in the next book. The prophecy was predictable, and boring. Okay, so now it's been confirmed, but seriously, haven't we all been thinking that since book one? :rolleyes: I would have hoped that Dumbledore would have come up with a better shocker, like James being a deatheater or something. I think it's interesting that Lily hated James, and I suspect there's something further there that Dumbledore hasn't told Harry yet. And why? Oh Why? did they not let us know how Harry did in his OWLs???? :mad:

[Sheeana]

PS - Why wasn't Umbridge arrested or something? SHE was the one who set the dementors onto Harry! :confused:

[Elf Girl]

Ah, yes, but do we have any proof? Ministry-worthy proof I mean?

[Tanoliel]

Snerk. No. :)

Wow, ExK, nice long post there....;) Let's see if I can whack at some things now.

I like that Harry got some character, finally...even if it's Smashing Things to Bits!Harry; but he got very annoying at many points, when he kept yelling (reduce the capitals, JK, it's aggravating); and especially when he refused to talk to people. Eg, he wouldn't tell Dumbledore anything--he just assumed Dumbledore was being closed-mouthed without actually asking him stuff. He wouldn't tell people about...oh, I don't know, but masses of stuff. It really bothers me in books when people simply refuse to talk and that's the reason things go wrong. Argh.

I agree a bit that Luna was too convenient (I stil like her, though)...but at least, thank god, she's not an American transfer student. :D

Cho....*growls* No. Just no.

ExK and others mentioned the Black-Malfoy connection, and is there a possible Potter- something connection? I really wouldn't be suprised--she's laid the groundwork for it anyway.

NEVILLE: I neglected to mention him earlier, but I would just like to say...Neville Rocketh My World; Verily It Is So. And I love him to pieces. I want to take him home, give him a cup of tea and be his friend forever. :)

[Sheeana]

Originally posted by Elf Girl
Ah, yes, but do we have any proof? Ministry-worthy proof I mean?

I dunno. who did she confess in front of again?

[Diaxion]

I have an unanswered question. What happened to Harry's grandparents on his father side, i just don't assume that they died right after James left school because of when Sirius talked about them.:D I'm so smart

[Tanoliel]

Originally posted by Diaxion
I have an unanswered question. What happened to Harry's grandparents on his father side, i just don't assume that they died right after James left school because of when Sirius talked about them.:D I'm so smart

Probably died soon after, though...obviously they aren't alive. That would be a bit of a bugger, if they were and Harry wasn't living with them.

Originally posted by Sheeana
I dunno. who did she confess in front of again?

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna...and her Inquisitors, Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, etc. No one the Ministry would believe if it weren't in their best interests. Though we can hope that after what happened the last time they ignored someone, they might listen to people a bit more....:rolleyes:

[Khamûl]

People on my good list:
Harry -- quite a bit angrier this time around. Yep, he's a teenager.
Ron and Hermione -- will they just get it over with already? :p
Ginny -- she's cool now that she's not possessed by Voldemort.
Neville -- whoa. Didn't see all that coming. Very nice.
Fred and George -- my heroes. :D
Dumbledore -- excellent timing to save the day.
Tonks, Moody, Kingsley, Lupin, etc. -- good supporting cast.
Prof. McGonagall -- my new favorite teacher. I love the way she handles Umbridge.
Peeves -- actually proves useful.
Sirius -- too bad he dies.
Luna -- very... interesting.

I'm sure I'm leaving someone out.

People I want hung up by their toenails:
Umbridge -- she better be glad I'm not a student at Hogwarts.
Percy -- I just want to smack some sense into him.
Kreacher -- I think I'd feed him to Buckbeak.
Cornelius Fudge -- what an idiot. Glad he sort of came around in the end.

Plus Voldemort and the rest of the Death Eaters, but that goes without saying.

[Elfmaster XK]

Originally posted by Elf Girl
:confused: What parts of Umbridge were good? She was the closest thing to a villain present at Hogwarts, I should think we saw a lot of her!

*leaps away from Elf Girl's attack*

Don't kill me! I meant to say, her charactierisation. Bad because it was flat at times, but good because other times she was just evil and villanous. But I *do* think she was in it too much. She was there all the time, it just started to annoy me. In GoF Moody was a much better fleshed out villain, even though it wasn't really him.

SheeanaSirius' death felt like it had been just dashed off; I didn't have any particular feeling for this scene other than, Aha! I guessed right! Sirius was an awesome character, and I'm sad that JK Rowling felt that he'd served his purpose, but I'm definately glad it wasn't Ron, or Neville, or Hagrid.

I agree. I didn't believe it at first. You know, because it ended a chapter. I thought next chapter it was to be explained and they'd get him back. But then I read the last page and he was gone still. He didn't deserve that. I disagree with you though, and think Hagrid has served his purpose more than Sirius. But I am glad it wasn't Neville.

Tanowhen he kept yelling (reduce the capitals, JK, it's aggravating); and especially when he refused to talk to people. Eg, he wouldn't tell Dumbledore anything--he just assumed Dumbledore was being closed-mouthed without actually asking him stuff. He wouldn't tell people about...

But he was angry, and I quite understand why. He'd been left out of the circle completely. Then the other characters are always so pitying and understanding. Maybe he felt like he couldn't talk to them anymore. Or didn't feel obliged to after they'd kept everything from him. I liked Stubborn!Harry. Though there were a lot of capitals in there. We've seen angry Harry before, angry with Sirius when he thought he'd killed his parents. I think it's that same kind of vengeful anger but now it's much much stronger. Plus he's angsty teenager now. :D

I have a question: Why didn't anyone noticed that Lucius Malfoy had that person under the Imperious curse? And why does no one know Harry tried to Crucio! Bellatrix? They're supposed to have detectors at the Ministry and stuff to stop that sort of thing.

[Cirdan]

Originally posted by Sheeana
I dunno. who did she confess in front of again?

About a dozen students. And the Ministry doesn't seem to have very high standards of jurisprudence. But I guess corruption cuts both ways.

So, why did Harry forget the mirrrors? Oh right, nothing happens if he doesn't.

EXK covered everthing v. well.:)

Very enjoyable over all, except too many wizards seem to have muggle faults. They're a bit more mundane than in the beginning of the series. I did like all the new charaters. I think I met Umbridge once. The "power corrupts" theme was... familiar. Nice summer read.

I'm guessing some serious blows to the Order next time and then a heroic finish for Harry in the last; defeating Voldy and becoming the DaDA professor in the end.

[Elf Girl]

Originally posted by Elfmaster XK
I meant to say, her charactierisation. Bad because it was flat at times, but good because other times she was just evil and villanous. But I *do* think she was in it too much. She was there all the time, it just started to annoy me. In GoF Moody was a much better fleshed out villain, even though it wasn't really him.
Ah. But Umbridge was the conflict in the book, up till the end. How interesting could it have been if she wasn't in it a lot?

[Elfmaster XK]

Originally posted by Cirdan
EXK covered everthing v. well.:)

I'm guessing some serious blows to the Order next time and then a heroic finish for Harry in the last; defeating Voldy and becoming the DaDA professor in the end.

Thanks Cirdan. :) I didn't actually think people would be able to read that without getting bored :p

Originally I covered relationships too. But felt that was really irrelavant here. Anyway. Harry as DaDA teacher. Interesting idea. But, I think he's going to die at the end. I still do.

and either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live whilst the other survives...the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies.

Both seem to be quite alive at the moment. I don't really understand the prophecy, it doesn't make much sense. Am still pondering how i can make it seem so Harry wil die. :D I think he will.

Ah. But Umbridge was the conflict in the book, up till the end. How interesting could it have been if she wasn't in it a lot?

Yes, she was. But she was always there. There was nothing she did not see. She had no flaws...wait, all she had was character flaws, evilness etc. That was it. She was a stereotype of a villain. JKR always used the same description for her and that got a bit expected as the book went on. I knew how she'd deal with every situation. She had the characterisation of a minor character, but was there all the time. Am I the only person who found her flat at times?

[Elf Girl]

She didn't see the D.A. meetings, until Marietta Edgecomb squealed. Nor did she see Harry using her fire the first time around.

(I seem to be being very negative and full of antagonism today. Please forgive me, I'm just in a bad mood.)

[Cirdan]

Umbndge was a good variation on the good vs evil. More like real life evil that the Voldemort kind. Just lust for power with no moral compass. I hted her being at Hogwarts but she did make a good tthreat. Completely disposable as a character. Not much there past the villany bit. May get ressurrected if Fudge get offed next time (he's such an idiot, antway).

I don't think we can kill Harry, though, EXK, him being the protagonist and all (Next series - Neville Longbotton and the...?:)). I'm guessing JKR will find a cute way for Harry to "accidentally" kill Voldemort so he won't be "Killer" Harry.

So is Harry a danger junkie? Just a few weeks after Cedric dies and he's chomping at the bit for action.

[sun-star]

Originally posted by Cirdan
I don't think we can kill Harry, though, EXK, him being the protagonist and all (Next series - Neville Longbotton and the...?:)). I'm guessing JKR will find a cute way for Harry to "accidentally" kill Voldemort so he won't be "Killer" Harry.

Before this book, I didn't think Harry would end up dead, but now I can see a scenario where he might. If all the people he cares about start dying, he's probably going to wish he's dead anyway. I'm wondering if he might choose to walk through that veil after destroying Voldemort, so he can be with his family and godfather (and let's face it several more main characters by then) again.

EDIT: I forgot one thing I loved about the book - centaurs! I'm a big fan of centaurs, even when they're being mean :D

[TheWhiteRider]

I have a lot to say about this book, but I can't seem to organize it very well. But I will say this, I think the death of Sirius was very unemotional. I loved Sirius, he may have been my favorite char, but him dying didn't make me feel sad very much. I mean, I was expecting to cry when the "Mystery Character" died, but I found that it wasn't deep or emotianal. Like others have said, it seemed like he didn't die, just because of how short it was.

On a happier note, I very much enjoyed the book. It was written in JK's humourous style, and the depiction of Harry as a true teenager was pretty acurate. I think Fred and George leaving was really cool, but I do hope they go back to school to finish their education, as they were most of the comic relief in the books, and they were crucial to the Quidditch team.

I think that there is no doubt that Harry and the twins will be allowed to play again in Harry's sixth and seventh years, and hopefully Ron will improve over the summer.

I agree with the other mooters who said that the prophecy was not all it was made out to be. We kind of knew that it would come down to Harry vs. Voldermort in the end, anyway, and the prophecy just explained why.

I think that Cho still likes Harry, by how she blushed at the end, when she looked at Harry on the train. Hopefully Harry will learn to talk to her better in the sixth book, and she get's over Cedric's death more. Even though he said about the info that she was dating someone else did not hurt him, I think he will like her again after he has time to think about everything over the summer.

There, I ended up speaking my whole mind anyway, however unorganized it may be.;)

P.S. Is everyone absolutely certain that there will only be seven books, one for each of his years at hogwarts? Because I think it would be cool for her to write one about his life as an auror. I do think he will become an auror, seeing as he always seems to be a detective with his friends in school.

P.P.S.I just want to comment on how much I think it would suck to be in Harry's place. He has to deal with all those kids, and he gets all that attention, more than half of it not good, without asking for it. I don't blame him for being angry at people for not telling him things. Okay, really, I'm done...for now.:)

[TheWhiteRider]

Originally posted by Elfmaster XK
Umbridge I’m still a bit unsure of. I disliked Grawp. I thought the darkness and overall atmosphere too heavy for children, and the sinister, yet subtlety of the takeover too complicated for them. I don’t think this much politics has a place in children’s books, they don’t need it...

I think that JK was aiming a little more towards the older kids with this book, meaning teenagers the same age as harry, and the atmosphere was perfect for them, IMO. Also, I think the dark mood was created to reflect Harry's mood and thoughts.

EDIT::Then again, idk how many of each age group read it.

[Elfmaster XK]

Originally posted by Cirdan
Umbndge was a good variation on the good vs evil. More like real life evil that the Voldemort kind. Just lust for power with no moral compass. I hted her being at Hogwarts but she did make a good tthreat. Completely disposable as a character. Not much there past the villany bit. May get ressurrected if Fudge get offed next time (he's such an idiot, antway).

Maybe that was it. That she was completely disposable and empty apart from the only purpose she had. I am more expectant of deep characters whose uses can change and they can come back. Like, Moody. :D



I don't think we can kill Harry, though, EXK, him being the protagonist and all (Next series - Neville Longbotton and the...?:)). I'm guessing JKR will find a cute way for Harry to "accidentally" kill Voldemort so he won't be "Killer" Harry.

So is Harry a danger junkie? Just a few weeks after Cedric dies and he's chomping at the bit for action.

Of course she can kill Harry.At the end of book 7 there is nothing more to come. And by the bleakness of this book, there may be nothing left. At least, nothing for Harry to live for. Even if he kills Voldemort, I don't think he'll be able to deal with that. He'll feel pointless and empty. And I think he will be killer Harry. He should be. He deserves to get revenge on Voldemort, it's what he wants.

Heh, danger junkie. Possibly. Seems that way doesn't it. A few weeks of nothing and he gets all angry and frustrated. :p

I think that JK was aiming a little more towards the older kids with this book, meaning teenagers the same age as harry, and the atmosphere was perfect for them, IMO. Also, I think the dark mood was created to reflect Harry's mood and thoughts.

Maybe she was. But she can't exclusively do that as Harry gets older. Then it'll become not a childrens book at all, when Harry reaches 17 he's almost an adult. Younger children might start loosing interest if it becomes too much about politics and teenage angst. I'm not saying they're stupid; they're not. But they aren't interested in that. They care about the wonder and magic of it all. This book seemed to take the joy out of the magical world. It was sad. But I still love it, don't get me wrong. :D

[Varda Oiolosseo]

oooooooh that Umbridge woman scares me! especially when her hand came into the fire to get Sirius! I jumped out of my skin even though i was only reading it!lol!

This book is even more addictive than the others. The chapters finish so suddenly you have to read the next one because you can't be left in suspense you have to know what happened!

Oh and at school everyone went running around shouting who was killed out and they spoiled it completely for me! Plus it was one of my fave characters! :( Oh and what can i say about Fred and George! noooo! lol

I got about 6 chapters left! yay!

[Estel13]

Originally posted by Khamûl
People on my good list:
Harry -- quite a bit angrier this time around. Yep, he's a teenager.
Ron and Hermione -- will they just get it over with already? :p
Ginny -- she's cool now that she's not possessed by Voldemort.
Neville -- whoa. Didn't see all that coming. Very nice.
Fred and George -- my heroes. :D
Dumbledore -- excellent timing to save the day.
Tonks, Moody, Kingsley, Lupin, etc. -- good supporting cast.
Prof. McGonagall -- my new favorite teacher. I love the way she handles Umbridge.
Peeves -- actually proves useful.
Sirius -- too bad he dies.
Luna -- very... interesting.

I'm sure I'm leaving someone out.

People I want hung up by their toenails:
Umbridge -- she better be glad I'm not a student at Hogwarts.
Percy -- I just want to smack some sense into him.
Kreacher -- I think I'd feed him to Buckbeak.
Cornelius Fudge -- what an idiot. Glad he sort of came around in the end.

Plus Voldemort and the rest of the Death Eaters, but that goes without saying.

Wow. I mean...Wow. That is exactly what I was going to say. Some thoughts: You really don't want to know what I would do to Umbridge if I were there. Percy would truly need Madam Pomfrey after I was through with him. McGonagall is so cool! It's too bad Neville's wand got snapped. But that was so cool how he did the Impediment Curse!
Fred and George: What can I say? I wouldn't have stuck around to take my N.E.W.T's either.
Peeves: Never took an order before but he certainly gave that horrid woman some trouble!
Khamul, you forgot Filch on your 'String Up By Their Toenails' list. ;)

[Fimbrethil]

I was kind of surprissed about Flich! I mean JR made Sirius out to be a murderer but then it turns out he's not! And Snape even though I still think he's a prick does work for the Order. So naterually you would think that just because Filch is as prick like as Snape that he would turn out to be good but no! And I cried when Sirius died! He was the best character in the book (aside from Fred and George ofcourse)! But I have a question and I don't if it should go in another thread or not so please tell me if it does. What was that thing that Sirius fell through? I'm geussing a portal to the afterlife, that once you pass through you can't get back out. Will someone please tell if I'm or not because this very confussing.

[Arien the Maia]

I loved OotP! I thought it was the best book so far! It was so sad when Sirius died even though I found out before I read it that he was the one who would die:( anywho, is the room with the Veil in it something like a death Chamber? didn't someone mention that room as the Death Chamber? I'm confused on that.....I wish books 6 and 7 were coming out soon! But I've heard they woun't be out till 2005 and 2007:(

[Salquënòrëwen]

Sirius was my favorite character...:(
I thought Luna was really cool, and I like Grawp too :) I think my favorite part was where Fred and George leave...;) :)

[Tanoliel]

But I have a question and I don't if it should go in another thread or not so please tell me if it does. What was that thing that Sirius fell through? I'm geussing a portal to the afterlife, that once you pass through you can't get back out. Will someone please tell if I'm or not because this very confussing.

(Well for now this is the only thread discussing Book 5 that I've seen, so it's fine.)
I guess it's something like that--makes as much sense as anything else and JK didn't explain it.
Although it makes me very suspicious--since Sirius' death was so quick and unemotional (at least to me--it's sad that he died but I wasn't sad during it), and we don't have a dead body....I strongly suspect that he'll turn up again. Somehow. We'll see.

[Khamûl]

Originally posted by Tanoliel
I strongly suspect that he'll turn up again. Somehow. We'll see. I thought about that, but Rowling said that she cried when she killed him off. I don't know if she would have cried if he's not gone for good. Unless she's bluffing.

[Silpion]

posted by Sheeana
Sirius' death felt like it had been just dashed off; I didn't have any particular feeling for this scene other than, Aha! I guessed right!

I wholeheartedly agree. It was only later when I read this scene that Sirius' death really hit me.

“Am I to understand,” said Phineas Nigellus slowly from Harry’s left,”that my great-great-grandson --- the last of the Blacks --- is dead?”
“Yes, Phineas,” said Dumbledore.
“I don’t believe it,” said Phineas brusquely.
Harry turned his head in time to see Phineas marching out of his portrait and knew that he had gone to visit his other painting in Grimmauld Place. He would walk, perhaps, from portrait to portrait, calling for Sirius through the house . . .


I enjoyed this book, right before my eyes, the characters are growing and changing. I wish it had been even longer.

[Tanoliel]

Originally posted by Khamûl
I thought about that, but Rowling said that she cried when she killed him off. I don't know if she would have cried if he's not gone for good. Unless she's bluffing.

That's why I think my theory is probably bollocks. :) But I'm hoping she was bluffing...Sirius deserves some mention at least, later on.


tano

[Arcala]

Sirius and Lupin are my favorite characters, and I'm really mad at Rowling for just killing him off like that...........still, I for one think he'll turn up later.:)

[Radagast The Brown]

[/i]originally posted by Khamul[/i]
People on my good list:
Harry -- quite a bit angrier this time around. Yep, he's a teenager.
Ron and Hermione -- will they just get it over with already?
Ginny -- she's cool now that she's not possessed by Voldemort.
Neville -- whoa. Didn't see all that coming. Very nice.
Fred and George -- my heroes.
Dumbledore -- excellent timing to save the day.
Tonks, Moody, Kingsley, Lupin, etc. -- good supporting cast.
Prof. McGonagall -- my new favorite teacher. I love the way she handles Umbridge.
Peeves -- actually proves useful.
Sirius -- too bad he dies.
Luna -- very... interesting.

I'm sure I'm leaving someone out.

People I want hung up by their toenails:
Umbridge -- she better be glad I'm not a student at Hogwarts.
Percy -- I just want to smack some sense into him.
Kreacher -- I think I'd feed him to Buckbeak.
Cornelius Fudge -- what an idiot. Glad he sort of came around in the end.

Plus Voldemort and the rest of the Death Eaters, but that goes without saying. I mainly agree with you. Just thought that Ron and Hermione were a bit less aggressive this book, and Harry was a bit too aggressive.

And I wanted to point Tonks as a very funny character. (I liked her hair :p )

And I was really sad whe Sirius *sob* died... :( I loved him... (I actually believed one of the Weaslies is going to die)

I hope Rowling won't take a holiday as she did after the 4th book and start writing the next one soon. I want the sixth to be published more one year max.!

[Linaewen]

Hem hem :D (I practically yelled at the book every time she did that)
I've just finished reading the Order of the Phoenix, and overall, I loved it. Brilliant stuff. My longer response on this will be posted later.

Generally, I agree with IronParrot's posts. Sirius' death was ...disappointing. But Harry's subsequent grief and desperation made me cry, though. But I think Sirius deserved a bit more than falling through the veil- he is/was one of my favourite characters!

And one thing I don't understand is Malfoy's appointment as prefect. Dumbledore was aware of Malfoy's malicious and "evil" nature, and he didn't display particular responsibility either. (Though I do admit, he had considerable power over other students) Why choose Malfoy to be a prefect? Especially as a son of a prominent Death Eater?

[sun-star]

Originally posted by Linaewen
And one thing I don't understand is Malfoy's appointment as prefect. Dumbledore was aware of Malfoy's malicious and "evil" nature, and he didn't display particular responsibility either. (Though I do admit, he had considerable power over other students) Why choose Malfoy to be a prefect? Especially as a son of a prominent Death Eater?

I wondered about that too. It can't be that everyone else in Slytherin is too stupid. Maybe Malfoy is the only one other Slyths listen to, and Dumbledore doesn't mind if that's because of fear rather than respect.

[Radagast The Brown]

originally posted by Lin
And one thing I don't understand is Malfoy's appointment as prefect. Dumbledore was aware of Malfoy's malicious and "evil" nature, and he didn't display particular responsibility either. (Though I do admit, he had considerable power over other students) Why choose Malfoy to be a prefect? Especially as a son of a prominent Death Eater?I thought in the begnning that Snape (professor Snape) chose the prefects. After I read the end, I could've easily understand that Dumbeldore chose the prefects (or at least Hermione and Ron. Maybe he didn't choose Slytherin's prefects, Ravenclaw's ands Hufflepuff's)

[elf queen]

I liked it. I still think the 3rd book was favorit. I mean it was good and all but...

Everyone was soooo evil!!!

Percy stinks!!!

Why does my favorit charater (AKA Sirius Black) have to die!!!

Why does Harry's dad have to be a jerk!!!

But I am making it sound as though I didn't like it. I really did enjoy it:D . I recomend it!!!!!;)

[Salquënòrëwen]

I also couldn't belive James was such a jerk, I was so mad at him.....and I kinda felt sorry for Snape....until he called Lily a mudblood, then I was like "Now beat his head against the ground, James!" hehe.... :D

[gimli7410]

this book was great. i liked seeing the history between james and snape and hearing what dumbledore should of told harry 5 years ago, it was surprising about neville though:eek:

[Tanoliel]

Originally posted by Linaewen

And one thing I don't understand is Malfoy's appointment as prefect. Dumbledore was aware of Malfoy's malicious and "evil" nature, and he didn't display particular responsibility either. (Though I do admit, he had considerable power over other students) Why choose Malfoy to be a prefect? Especially as a son of a prominent Death Eater?

Obviously, because the book wouldn't have been as interesting. :)
I think JK did it--even though logically it doesn't make sense--because then a) Malfoy would have gained something Harry didn't and b) would be able to pull things over on other students--something he has always done and which seems to be a popular plot pastime. :rolleyes:

It doesn't make sense, though. But we've seen that Dumbledore believes in giving people chances, so....

tano

[Varda Oiolosseo]

"hem hem" drove me up the wall too! The teachers should have just swung for her i know i would have! lol!

I liked it when Fred and George turned the corridor into a swamp and none of the teachers would clear it up!lol!

I liked Fudge at the beginning of the 3rd book when he was helping Harry but he is such an evil b*...........anyway i was saying i really done't like him and Percy it is horrible that he has gone against his own family just coz of his job!

Harry is such a stroppy teenager in this one! lol!and that Luna is strange. I love Ginny in this book! She is really helpful and kind. Ron's reaction to her having a boyfriend cracked me up! lol!

[TheWhiteRider]

Originally posted by Varda Oiolosseo
"hem hem" drove me up the wall too! The teachers should have just swung for her i know i would have! lol!

yes I really wish Hagrid would have smacked her up a little as he was storming off, as he did take down other wizards.:D I would've loved to see her all black and blue.

[Linaewen]

Originally posted by Tanoliel

It doesn't make sense, though. But we've seen that Dumbledore believes in giving people chances, so....

Do you think Malfoy is likely to change? Wow, what an interesting idea. I must think about that one.
I think it's a possibility. Maybe Draco is trying to live up be like his father when he's nasty etc, and because he is jealous of Harry. Not so much because that's what he's really like...*contemplates*

Have we seen any signs that Draco may turn over a new leaf?

[gimli7410]

Originally posted by Linaewen
Have we seen any signs that Draco may turn over a new leaf?


i doubt it, hes the one who fuels harrys anger and probably gets the inside info on him for voldemort

[Lady of Rohan]

It was great! I loved the book! I stayed up until 2 in the morning a few nights ago to finish it, and that is really unusual for me (I usually go to sleep at a reasonable tiime).

I don't think Draco could ever be good. You heaard what he said to Harry about his dad being caught, and all. If he was going to turn over a new leaf, I don't think he would have got so riled up, and all.

I was so sad when Sirius died. I got all chocked up, and that, again, is unusual for me. Fred and George where great, really. I tyhin Harry had some serious anger managment problems though. :rolleyes: Oh well, I can hardly blame him (well I can but...) because he was kept in the dark about every thing for so long. And tehn at the end when he had a spaz attack (In dumbledours office) he was just upset that serious died.

The only thing I don't get is why he hated Snape so much more after that. I mean, Snape saved Harry's life pretty much (if anyone) and he tried to make Serious stay behind so, shouldn't harry be thanking him more then blaming him?

[Lady of Rohan]

Originally posted by Radagast The Brown
And I wanted to point Tonks as a very funny character. (I liked her hair :p )

Lol. Me too. (though I would personally pick orange hair, instead of the pink she often has).

I hope Rowling won't take a holiday as she did after the 4th book and start writing the next one soon. I want the sixth to be published more one year max.!

Me too! If she does then.... I.... er..... will.... umm..... be very mad! :p I really hope she doesn't though. Right as soon as I finished (I actually fell asleep, but after I woke up again) I wondered when she was going to come out with teh sixth. I hope it will be as long. (And one of teh Weaslies better not die! Unless its Percy, then I don't mind).

[Elf Girl]

Why do you people want her to rush through it? I hope she takes her time, so book six is as good as it can be.

[Lady of Rohan]

Originally posted by Elf Girl
Why do you people want her to rush through it? I hope she takes her time, so book six is as good as it can be.

I don't want her to rush through it, I just want it to be out in stores ASAP. By all means no, I don't want her to rush at all. :)

[Varda Oiolosseo]

I agree.
I want it as soon as i can get it but if i have to wait 2 years for it then i'll happily wait 2 years for it.

I just hope that she won't finish it in a year (and i mean completely finish it and it's perfect and it's ready to publish) but decides to keep us waiting for another 2 years that will aggitate me! :(

I can't wait for it though!!! :D

[Tanoliel]

RE: Draco....

I don't expect--and I don't want--that he will have some sudden epiphany and be a good boy. That would be dumb. :) But I think that we might begin to see signs that he's not so happy with his chosen career path...
Also (I'm sorry if I get all psycho-analytical on you here), he does get riled up easily by Harry and everyone else, defends himself over little things that are hardly worth talking about, and does his absolute best to inflate his own ego and make himself the coolest kid around. This to me says something big....he's very unhappy. I can tell. :)

I think it would be very very cool if in book six, or more likely seven, Draco and Harry had to work together to do something important...not like a school project, like something big for the Order or Dumbledore, or to defeat Moldy-warts.
That would make me happy.

tano

[Silpion]

posted by the Lady of Rohan
The only thing I don't get is why he hated Snape so much more after that. I mean, Snape saved Harry's life pretty much (if anyone) and he tried to make Serious stay behind so, shouldn't harry be thanking him more then blaming him?
I believe Harry hates Snape because he needs someone to blame for Sirius' death and Snape is an easy target because they have never gotten along. It doesn't make any logical sense, of course, because Snape in his way is trying to help. I don't think, at this point, that Harry is looking at the situation with logic or from the viewpoint that Snape is on the good side. He is just focusing on how Snape was a former Death Eater, he's in Slytherin, Harry knew Sirius wanted to help out more but couldn't which Snape also was aware of and kept pointing it out, and finally Snape is alive and Sirius is not.
I also think that there could also be some feelings of guilt on Harry's part because he was tricked into thinking Sirius needed help. And instead of saving Sirius, events led to Sirius' death.

[Arathorn]

Has anyone checked out paragraph 3 on page 242?

I don't believe I've ever heard that verb used in that manner before. :rolleyes: You learn new things every day. :D

[gimli7410]

in what version?

[Khamûl]

That's a perfectly proper (if unusual) use of that word. It is a bit funny though. :D It's not as bad as her use of "snogging" when discussing Kreacher the house elf and someone's pants. :eek:

[Arathorn]

Originally posted by gimli7410
in what version?

It's on the hardbound edition by the american publishers Scholastic.

And yes, Khamûl, I believe now that I've heard it used before in that manner by my aunt when she was livid about the road construction in our area.

Like I said, you learn new things everyday.

[gimli7410]

Originally posted by Arathorn
It's on the Scholastic hardbound version.


damn i have the raincoast edition:mad:

[Sheeana]

Okay, stop being meanies and quote it for the benefit of those who don't have scholastic books. :mad:

Edit: Hi Arathorn! :) (Me BoP.:p)

[Arathorn]

Originally posted by Sheeana
Okay, stop being meanies and quote it for the benefit of those who don't have scholastic books. :mad:

Edit: Hi Arathorn! :) (Me BoP.:p)

BoP!!! <hugs her and gives her lotsa Spice Melange>

Anyway, here's the quote (and it's from a children's book so I guess it's ok except as a spoiler):
"We're not going to use magic?" Ron ejaculated loudly.

To the mods and amins, feel free to edit them out as I wasn't really quite sure whether I can post them. But it is funny, as Khamûl says.:D

[Millane]

well well well im very impressed, im glad she didnt skim on the dark side of things this book... ummm ill do this in points
1. Dudley was a champ and i sorta thought Harry was a wimp with his wand, i nearly cheered when 'Dudley dropped him, but Harrys taunts made up for that
2. Harry's detentions with Umbridge were very nice, very honorable of Harry to take it like that, would have been more of an impact if he wrote GET ****ED WENCH! or something along those lines.
3. Hagrid was a champ when he started beating the wizards. Reminded me of Bigwig charging at the crow yelling Cowards because the crow was attacking Pipkin and Fiver.
4. Sirius was great. Didnt deserve death but in the same way the Priest didnt, it was for the best :(
5. I loved the brutality of the Giants and if they conveniantely 'edit' that from the movies for the kiddies i will scream.
6. Poor Grawpy should have feasted on the centaurs.
7. Neville is awesome this book. Copped a boot to the face and still kept on fighting.
8. Fred and George were again very amusing (especially when Fred beat Draco down:p ) Fred and George should beat Percy.
9. Ron should have abused his powers and taken every point Slytherin earned...
10. Nymphadora made me laugh heheheh im so childish:rolleyes:
11. I can picture Ainsley Harriot playing Kingsley.
as far as what becomes of Draco... well Lucius will die, cant claim Imperius curse twice now can he?, hopefully the captured Death Eaters will be given to Grawp to play with, or face execution by Hagrids crossbow (when will he use that thing???) but more likely they will be killed by Voldemort thus turning Draco against him and free to join Harry in a good old fasioned witch hunt. Bellatrix is Voldemorts lover in my opinion and it could well end (as sick as it sounds) in a Hitler/Eva Braun situation...

[gimli7410]

Originally posted by Arathorn
BoP!!! <hugs her and gives her lotsa Spice Melange>

Anyway, here's the quote (and it's from a children's book so I guess it's ok except as a spoiler):
"We're not going to use magic?" Ron ejaculated loudly.

To the mods and amins, feel free to edit them out as I wasn't really quite sure whether I can post them. But it is funny, as Khamûl says.:D


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!has anyone even protested that?thats hilarious! ROFLMAO:p

[jerseydevil]

Arathorn -

I was surprised by the line too. But words in British English are used differently. I did think it was funny that they left it in in the American version since that is basically only used in a sexual manner in the US. We don't even say "The water ejaculated from the bottle" We say "squirted". I can picture a lot of 13 years olds going around in class saying "ejaculated" when they are talking about someone yelling something.

As for the death scene - I was disappointed. I feel sorry for Harry - but basically the description of Sirius's death had no feeling to it. It was just people saying he's gone, never coming back. I also don't trust the veil thing - I just think there is a way to get him out or at least talk to him.

I actually thought it was going to be Neville who died. I figured he was going to sacrfice himself to protect Harry by jumping between Harry and Voldemort. I just thought in the end Neville was going to die as a hero. and be a really emotional death. Or else the other person I thought it would be was Ginny for the same reason. Ron seeing his sister die would have been very eomtional. But I was left feeling empty with the whole Sirius death thing. It had no emotional impact and I liked Sirius - so I'm sorry he's dead.

There has to be some reason for Sirius's "death" though. It has to be important in some way to the plot.

I had problems with the book - because too much of it seems to be spent setting up things for the next book. As has been mentioned - there was nothing said at all about the Prophecy until the last couple of chapters. So much of the book was just Harry having that unfinished "dream" - but then no one giving any hints nor anyone really attempting to figure out what it was. It was just so much in the dark until the very end. I also thought that the situation with Umbridge was wrapped up too quickly Too much of the book was wrpped up too quickly in the last couple of chapters.

[Elf Girl]

Originally posted by Arathorn
"We're not going to use magic?" Ron ejaculated loudly.
Honestly. It's a perfectly good word. It's not necessary to seek out sexual content in everything.

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by Elf Girl
Honestly. It's a perfectly good word. It's not necessary to seek out sexual content in everything.
In the US - the word is only really used in a sexual context. If that is the only way it is used here - that will be the way people will think of it. Words only conjure up images of the way we use them - so it makes sense that Americans would think of the sexual meaning and not the way it is used in England.

[Cirdan]

The primary def. is the verbal action and not, er... anyway, it isn't commonly used for obvious reasons. Why she chose to use it I can only guess; maybe to entertain 13 year old boys.

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by Cirdan
The primary def. is the verbal action and not, er... anyway, it isn't commonly used for obvious reasons. Why she chose to use it I can only guess; maybe to entertain 13 year old boys.
Actually according to Websters online dictionary - it's the secondary definition.

e·jac·u·late (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=ejaculate)
v. e·jac·u·lat·ed, e·jac·u·lat·ing, e·jac·u·lates
v. tr.
1. To eject or discharge abruptly, especially to discharge (semen) in orgasm.
2. To utter suddenly and passionately; exclaim.


v. intr.
To eject semen.

n. (-jky-lt)
The semen discharged in an ejaculation.

I don't know if it requires spoiler or not - I don't see anything wrong with putting the definition in here.

[Cirdan]

Originally posted by jerseydevil
Actually according to Websters online dictionary - it's the secondary definition.

My Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary print version lists them the other way. It's a couple of years old so maybe the order was changed to reflect common usage recently. Or the people at Webster's just don't try as hard as they once did.

[gollum9630]

i think JD was just waiting for an excuse to post something like that :p :) :p :p . He told me on AIM that that is why he made that post.

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by gollum9630
i think JD was just waiting for an excuse to post something like that :p :) :p :p . He told me on AIM that that is why he made that post.
I didn't say anything like that. You're the one that brought it up to me and said that my post was good because it showed people the definitions.

[Sheeana]

Well, I dont' see what the fuss is about. I've seen it used in that fashion in quite a few books. :confused: *shrug*

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by Sheeana
Well, I dont' see what the fuss is about. I've seen it used in that fashion in quite a few books. :confused: *shrug*
I'm just saying that it isn't used here like that and so of course when people read it in America - they will think automatically of the sexual meaning.

[Cirdan]

Originally posted by jerseydevil
I'm just saying that it isn't used here like that and so of course when people read it in America - they will think automatically of the sexual meaning.

Yep. I had to read it twice to be sure of what I was reading.

[Sheeana]

Well, that'll teach y'all to be so potty-headed. :p

[Cirdan]

Originally posted by Sheeana
Well, that'll teach y'all to be so potty-headed. :p

Probably not...:D

[gollum9630]

Originally posted by jerseydevil
I didn't say anything like that. You're the one that brought it up to me and said that my post was good because it showed people the definitions.

dont pin your obsession with dirty words on me, you sicko. :p

[Arathorn]

Well, with all that's been said after I brought the subject up, I was wondering if there was a mix-up between the american publicaction and the european one. It reminds me of the movie Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and what I've been hearing about it's title being changed for british and other british colonized audiences (the non-american ones, of course).

Anyway, the Scholastic Edtion was the one that had this and is also what shipped to Manila. We had lotsa people pointing it out too and grinning since we're mostly brought up on the american english system.

[cassiopeia]

Originally posted by Arathorn
Anyway, here's the quote (and it's from a children's book so I guess it's ok except as a spoiler):
"We're not going to use magic?" Ron ejaculated loudly.


I didn't even notice it, which is surprising with my mind. :rolleyes: To my ears it doesn't sound sexual at all; what do you think Ron is really doing in the classroom? :D Actually, I quite like the word: I may use it in one of my stories.

[Tanoliel]

Heh. Snerk.

As regarding changes for America, as far as I am concerned, the less changes the better. None at all would make me happiest. I much prefer reading the book the way it was actually written (now there's a concept), even if it's a supposedly different language system.

tano

[Khamûl]

Originally posted by Millane
11. I can picture Ainsley Harriot playing Kingsley.I always picture Kingsley as looking something like Shaft. Must be the whole 'tall bald black guy' thing.

"He's a bad mother--" "Shut yo mouth!" :D

[cassiopeia]

I just checked my book, and it's no wonder I didn't notice that word: because it's not in my version. It has '"We're not going to use magic?" Ron exclaimed loudly.' So they must've changed the word for the American version. I wonder why? :confused:

[Millane]

ohhh yeah i pictured Ainsley Harriot playing Kingsley but Samuel L Jackson would be awesome too (is that the Shaft your refering to?) in any case if they got Jackson in to do it it would add so many classy lines to the movie "english mother****er, do you speak it?" or when he busts in at the end in the Department of Mysteries "this parties over" then cursing everything to death:D

[Elvengirl]

Just finished it so here's my two cents worth:

Overall it was pretty good. It's not my favorite, but I'd say it comes in second.

Dumbledore vs. Voldemort was awesome. Finally get to see Dumbledore's wit, strength, and power.

Fred and George :D <----- (need I explain?)

What was the point of Sirius's death? I think it was sloppily done and totally unnecessary.

The DA was great. It was good to see more students take action, though I expected to see the Army in action.

Neville, wow, didn't think he had it in him. Good for him. I think there will be more to see from him :)

The Prophesy was dissappointing. Nothing new there except the tying in of Neville. What's to come........?

Cho :rolleyes: What did Harry see in her? I personally thought they were not a good match.

Umbridge :mad: I wanted to scream. One word for her: EVIL!

If I had one complaint, I'd would be that the book was too slow, too dragged out.

Hmmm...can't think of anything else for now. But there is definitely things that need to be explained in the next book.

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by cassiopeia
I just checked my book, and it's no wonder I didn't notice that word: because it's not in my version. It has '"We're not going to use magic?" Ron exclaimed loudly.' So they must've changed the word for the American version. I wonder why? :confused:
I have the American Scholastic version and it's in there.

[Cirdan]

Is thew Aussie version identical to the GB print?

[jerseydevil]

cassiopeia - I misunderstood you when I posted my above post.

Maybe it's not the American version that has been changed - but the Australian version - or the version you are reading. It would be very strange if they ADDED the word "ejaculated" to the American version - since we don't even use the word in the context that it is used in the book.

[Sheeana]

Well, I have the bloomsbury (published in Great Britain) edition, and it says "exclaimed" as well. Weird.

[Radagast The Brown]

Where is it in the book? I want to check in mine. (The transaltion, by the way, to hebrew, is from the American book...)

[Estel13]

Originally posted by Salquënòrëwen
I also couldn't belive James was such a jerk, I was so mad at him.....and I kinda felt sorry for Snape....until he called Lily a mudblood, then I was like "Now beat his head against the ground, James!" hehe.... :D

HEAR HEAR!!!
*mutters* Slimy, git, greaseball...
Slimy, oily-haired kid, he was.-Sirius Black*sob*

[Sylvee Estel]

Now that I have read the book twice, I want to say some more stuff...

I loved Harry's temper. I can completely understand how he feels sometimes. I think it made him seem more real.

I thought Sirius's death was really sad. But I don't think he will be coming back. I thought it was pretty clear that he was dead. Maybe he'll come back in a dream or vision or something, I dunno.

I liked Neville, Ginny, Dumbledore, and some more characters better in this book, they seemed more real, and they were much more interesting.

The flaws in the wizarding government make the whole wizarding world seem more real too. So do characters like Percy and Umbridge.

I have a question... if Harry's got to kill Voldemort, how will he do it? The Avada Kedavra curse thing didn't kill him when it backfired on him earlier. And I thought there wasn't enough human left in him to die. So Harry's gonna have a hard time killing him, isnt he?

My last question is... How did Harry get the Maurader's Map back? When we last saw it, the fake Moody had it... I think. So how'd Harry get it?

Anyway overall I think this is my new favorite book, replacing the 3rd one.

[Khamûl]

Originally posted by Millane
ohhh yeah i pictured Ainsley Harriot playing Kingsley but Samuel L Jackson would be awesome too (is that the Shaft your refering to?) in any case if they got Jackson in to do it it would add so many classy lines to the movie "english mother****er, do you speak it?" or when he busts in at the end in the Department of Mysteries "this parties over" then cursing everything to death:D I think Samuel L. Jackson would rock as Kingsley. Michael Clarke Duncan (the guy from The Green Mile) would be an awesome Kingsley too. He's definitely intimidating enough.

[Tanoliel]

I've reflected some...all my earlier points are still true. But I would like to add that overall the whole thing was very much a damn fool story--for everyone. And that was annoying.
By 'damn fool story' I mean a story whose plot, at least for the damn fool, hinges on the fact that the damn fool was stupid in some way, forgot something, didn't say a certain thing, etc.
So for HP5, NO ONE is talking to ANYONE else, and that's most of the reason everything goes wrong.
So all I have to say now is: TALK TO EACH OTHER, PEOPLE!

(Er. Yes. That is all. :))

tano

[Linaewen]

Originally posted by cassiopeia
I just checked my book, and it's no wonder I didn't notice that word: because it's not in my version. It has '"We're not going to use magic?" Ron exclaimed loudly.' So they must've changed the word for the American version. I wonder why? :confused:

Huh? :confused: I have the Bloomsbury edition, and I am fairly sure I came across that word- and I thought it was slightly strange. Aren't all the Aussie editions the same?

[Sheeana]

Lin, *I* have the Bloomsbury text as well, and it says "exclaimed", not "ejaculated." Was yours printed in Great Britain like mine? :confused:

Originally posted by Radagast The Brown
Where is it in the book? I want to check in mine. (The transaltion, by the way, to hebrew, is from the American book...)

It's in the chapter where they first have their defence of dark arts class, just after hermione puts her hand up, I think.

[sun-star]

Well, mine was definitely printed in the UK, and it has "exclaimed" (it's towards the end of Chapter 12). Funny thing to change :confused:

[Radagast The Brown]

mine is exclaimed. (the British book).

[Cirdan]

So, we have a bit of a mystery. Since the British version is going to be the original text, and "exclaimed" is the more commonly used word in the US, why did the translator change the word? Is this a prank, I wonder?

[HOBBIT]

that is weird - my version definitely says ejaculated. i thought it must have said that originally because NO ONE uses that here. probably a prank, lol.

I was wondering why no one mentioned it here sooner! I guess because most of you don't have it.

[EyeSeeYou]

i have the first american edition.... it says "We're not oging to use magic? Ron ejaculated loudly."

thats kinda funny.

[Elf Girl]

*crisp McGonagall voice* I really don't see what all the fuss is.

[Elf Girl]

Originally posted by jerseydevil
In the US - the word is only really used in a sexual context. If that is the only way it is used here - that will be the way people will think of it. Words only conjure up images of the way we use them - so it makes sense that Americans would think of the sexual meaning and not the way it is used in England.
I live in America. I guess from reading British novels I have learned to not see the sexual content in everything. It's a skill.

[Tanoliel]

Originally posted by Elf Girl
*crisp McGonagall voice* I really don't see what all the fuss is.

Neither do I. It's been what, three pages? :)

And anyway, I just came across the word used as "a voice ejaculated from across the room" (paraphrased, I don't remember the quote) while reading Jane Eyre.

Don't get yer knickers in a twist. :D

tano

p.s. I realize by posting that I became a complete hypocrite and am adding to the fuss... :rolleyes:

[Arathorn]

Nevertheless, it makes for a great conversation piece, IMO. :D

I think I'll get another copy of the US (Scholastic) edition and sell it as a collectible in a few yrs time. It'll probably fetch a niftier price if you talk to the right people.

[Tanoliel]

Arathorn! Long time no see bouncing boot. :)
What'd you think of Book 5?

Btw, I finished Jane Eyre (go me!) and came across the word "ejaculated" used in that sense (in place of "said" or "yelled") at least four more times. For ladies, too. :D

[Arathorn]

<hem hem>

I enjoyed Book 5 for all the surprises it sprang. But I think I enjoyed those revelations a lot more than the main plot. As with Sheeana, I still enjoyed book 3 the best and it's sort of a toss-up between books 4 and 5 for the number 2 slot.

I like/hate the new characters. Well, I liked all the new characters, good and bad, but there's nothing to hate more than that <hem hem> toad.

My favorite has now been replaced. Sirius is now my 2nd favorite character to (don't laugh too hard) Luna! She's one of the most cumfy of all the people there. She must have been exposed to some nirvana state as everything's just fine and dandy with her. :D

And Nymphadora's loads of fun too, heheh.

I do hope they keep developing Neville's character. He's starting to come out of his shell. Perhaps one of his parents gets back to normal?:rolleyes:

[Alassë Elensar]

I finished the book long ago, but have not been on in awhile. I like the book overall. Percey was an arse. Fred, George, and Peeves were incredible. The sixth book isn't going to be the same without the twins. Umbridge was terrifically evil. And Dumbledore... just magnificent.
Luna was interesting and I'm really liking the way that Neville's character is developing.
I read a spoiler while I was only partway through the book, so... I spent the last half of it dreading the death of... yeah. That. Sleep is good.

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by Elf Girl
I live in America. I guess from reading British novels I have learned to not see the sexual content in everything. It's a skill.
It's not the fact that it's making "fuss" over it - it's the fact that in AMERICA we do not use the word in the context in which it has been used. I assumed it was that way in the British editions. If it is not then it makes it even more strange. Sorry - but the only time ejaculated is used in the US is in the sexual manner. It's not reading sex into - it's just the way it is used in the US 99.99999999% of the time. I'm sure you can find the small percentage of times when it is used in it's other term - but I have never come across it in a book, nor in speech.

[HOBBIT]

For all of you that are complaining that we won't see as much Fred and George because they left - are you forgetting that it was their 7th year? They just wanted to leave with a bang because of Umbridge and they were sick of school - they only left a month or two early. (im pretty sure that it was, if I am wrong just correct me :D)

They were going to finish their schooling that year ANYWAY and they wouldn't be back at Hogwarts the next year, now would they?

And I, like JD, assumed that ejaculated must have been part of the original British text. It is never used here in that context - why changed it from 'exclaimed,' which is used all the time.

[Arathorn]

Me thinks Fred and George ought to be back but probably not in Hogwarts itself. They should open a franchise next to the joke shop in Hogsmead(sp?). They know the market and have a captured one when the students go out.

[Cirdan]

The joke shop will make a good venue for further story lines. I'm sure F&G's skills will come in handy in the last two installments.

[HOBBIT]

If they get sucessful enough, they can always buy the jokeshop in Hogsmeade.

[Tanoliel]

I sincerely doubt that Gred and Forge will not be around. I think them having a shop in Hogsmeade would be awesome.
Plus I can just see them forcing a canary cream down Voldemort's throat..."I am the Lord of Darkness! I am invinci--TWEET!" :D

Arathorn: YAY! Another Luna lover! I adore that child. She makes me very happy.

[Cirdan]

Luna is great! Definitely a personality type that was too long in coming. I think she would be a good romantic interest for Neville. I think the HP+ LL allusion at the end of the book is a diversion.

[Tanoliel]

Neville and Luna would be sweet...but it's really hard for me to see Luna "with" anyone. She seems a very single soul, in that sense anyway.
HP and LL would be ridiculous. I hope that doesn't happen...

tano

[Cirdan]

It may be she is the other half of the Neville equation like Ron and Hermione are paired as the lead supporting cast. They do have the crazy family element in common, and Neville is a loner for the most part, too. I don't think it would happen becuase it would be a distraction from Harry and... Hermione?:eek:

[Arathorn]

What?? No more Hermy and Grawpy?? :D

Luna's great to be a kid sister, for me. She can take care of her emotional self. Perhaps being both the loner types, she and Neville can help each other learn to interact more with other people.

[Varda Oiolosseo]

I love Fred and George's swamp on the corridor and how Pro Flitwick left a corner in memory of them! lol!

[Elf Girl]

Originally posted by Arathorn
Me thinks Fred and George ought to be back but probably not in Hogwarts itself. They should open a franchise next to the joke shop in Hogsmead(sp?). They know the market and have a captured one when the students go out.
:confused: But they have premises in Diagon Alley...

My favorite character list would be as follows:

1) McGonagall
2) Umbridge
3) Luna

[Arathorn]

Originally posted by Elf Girl
:confused: But they have premises in Diagon Alley...

My favorite character list would be as follows:

1) McGonagall
2) Umbridge
3) Luna

They don't have to give the Diagon Ally premises. They can just expand. Hogsmmmeade (sp?) looks like a very good spot to do research and experiment on students, heheh.

[Elf Girl]

But even so, they're not made of gold. They've already spent 'a good bit' of the Triwizard money, and premises in Hogsmeade must be as expensive if not more so then Diagon Alley. They'll have to wait a few years, until they start making a profit.

And why would they open a shop right next to Zonko's? Thats heavy competition. I would put mine waaaaay over on the other side of town.

[Arathorn]

Originally posted by Elf Girl
But even so, they're not made of gold. They've already spent 'a good bit' of the Triwizard money, and premises in Hogsmeade must be as expensive if not more so then Diagon Alley. They'll have to wait a few years, until they start making a profit.

And why would they open a shop right next to Zonko's? Thats heavy competition. I would put mine waaaaay over on the other side of town.

Why shouldn't they open a shop next to Zonko's in Hogsmeade? Hogsmeade has less people going there than Diagon Ally so it might even be cheaper. They're biggest clients are from the school and they would be the "alternative" jokeshop to Zonko's since they've been inventing their own stuff.

And besides, it's Fred and George. ;)

[Elf Girl]

Well, we'll see. (In another 3 years, most likely! A pox on JKR!)

I just realized, if it takes her another 3 years, I will be the same age as Harry when the next one comes out.

[Tanoliel]

I used to be the same age as Harry & co. Then she took ages writing...and now I'm not.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Harry's going to try --and maybe succeed-- in going behind the Veil and talking to Sirius. I think S is going to "come back" in some way--because that part of the story is in desparate need of closure.

bat

[Fimbrethil]

Well I don't think Sirius is coming back but like I said before I think mirrior has some sort of significance. But you are right Tano she does need to give some closer on that.

[Elf Girl]

Odd. I thought the Veil thing was very conclusive. To me it was clear that the Veil was Death, but I suppose I could be wrong.

[Tanoliel]

I'm not saying that the Veil isn't Death (I agree with you, more or less, on that one)...it's just that there isn't any feeling of closure or anything. The actual death scene is so sudden and so unemotional that it's hard to believe he's actually gone; and Harry will be, if he isn't already, very wrenched around by that...it just needs closure of some kind.
I think it would be nifty if there was some way of going through the Veil, or looking through it, to talk to people who'd gone through.
At any rate, I expect the Veil to figure into future books.

tano

[Fimbrethil]

I don't really see what the 6th book is going to be about though. I mean we know whats going on and the escaping from Vlodiemort thing is getting old. Not that I don't enjoy the books but the whole reason Voldie was after Harry was becasue of the profecey(sp?) and now that we know what that is the only thing left to do is kill Voldie or Harry or both which ever way J.K. wants to go.

[Tanoliel]

Maybe the next two books will be dedicated to Harry getting a little more character.... :rolleyes:
He was fairly one-dimensional before...now he's just one-dimensional in the angry dimension.

Argh. :)

There's also the whole Neville story--which I am personally rather happy about. I'm glad Neville's coming along--I like that kid.

So do you think it will take till book 7 for voldie to die? Otherwise book seven would be almost pointless...but I agree, Fimbrethil, the running and chasing is getting sorta old.

tano

[Arathorn]

I think Harry and Neville will have a more personal relationship since they now share a hatred for Bellatrix.

Harry : "I am Harry Potter Montoya. You killed my godfather. Prepare to die. I am Harry Potter Montoya. You killed my godfather. Prepare to die.I am Harry Potter Montoya. You killed my godfather. Prepare to die...." <ad nauseum>

[Tanoliel]

He's got two, though:
Harry (To Voldie): I am Harry Potter. You killed my father (and my mother, and you tried to kill me...). Prepare to die.
Harry (To Bellatrix): I am Harry Potter. You killed my godfather (and a whole bunch of other people...). Prepare to die.

I still think it would be very anticlimactic and very, very beautiful if Neville killed Voldemort.

Ooh. Maybe they'll both do it somehow.

Interesting...

[Fimbrethil]

Originally posted by Arathorn
I think Harry and Neville will have a more personal relationship since they now share a hatred for Bellatrix.

Ahhhhhh...I never thought about a Harry/Neville thing! Oh,go read the Harry is gay thread.

Anyway I'm glad someone agrees with me.

[Patooti]

Just read the book again...

I must say I agree with the little emotional effect from the 'death'... But after re-reading again, I came to the conclusion that it was precisely the way it should happened...

IMHO his death is potrayed perfectly, one moment he was taunting his opponent, the next BAM :(

This is what happens in a war, you won't know when you're going to ... ah... 'hit the dirt' :D And I think Rowling captured the moment brilliantly, Harry's disbelieving rage, his mind racing for explanation, a certain touch of acceptance...

And did anyone wished that this part was also told from the others POV? I for one really want to see the expression on Lupin's face :( He's lost his friend again, but he still has the right mind to restrain Harry... awww.. poor wupin

[Arcala]

Y'know, Arathorn, if you were quoting form The Princess Bride, you forgot the Hello! part. Like: Hello! I am Harry Potter Montoya. You killed my godfather. Prepare to die...

But then maybe that would just be a waste of time.:D

[Eowyn, Lady of Rohan]

lol :D ;) I like that!

I can't believe Sirius died! It's awful. I think J.K.'s gone to far with Cho & Harry's romace, though.

[eowyngirl14]

i remember reaing HP #5 on the plane on my way to sweden on the 22 and i cried when Mrs Weasly sees Ron's dead body as the boggart. the stewrd was like, 'Are you okay?' and my sister was just like 'make her stop' to my mom. it was funny. its amazing how much you can read on an 8 hour plaine flight!:D :D

i just started rereading Order of the PHeonix because i was reading so much fanfiction that i was getting confused of what actually happened and what people made up to happen (ya their is a difference somewherei nthere)

[Eowyn, Lady of Rohan]

Oh dear. I almost cried when sirius dies. :(

[eowyngirl14]

Originally posted by Eowyn, Lady of Rohan
Oh dear. I almost cried when sirius dies. :(

i was getting over my jet lag in sweden when i read that part. it was might time for everyone in sweden though, so i woke up my best fiend Sara, and cried to her for like 2 hours about how mean and unfair it was to kill him off. (she had already read it ofcoarse, otherwise she would have killed me for giving it away...)

i could read the book for a whole day after that becyase i was so mad at JK Rowling and at Harry for being such an idiot. :( :mad: :)