The Inevitable Harry Potter 5 Discussion

Well, at least in some parts of the world, it’s June 21, and people have already started reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I envy those of you with plenty of free time to do so… in the interim, we’ve thoughtfully provided this big open forum for you to discuss this book. At 900 pages or so, has Miss Rowling put together a better book, or just a bigger book? And how many American readers will recognize what “Ordinary Wizarding Levels” exams are supposed to represent?

20 replies on “The Inevitable Harry Potter 5 Discussion”

      • Re: Off-topic disclaimer

        So what *was* the punchline for that joke?

        That’s the sad part. There wasn’t one. Kevin (the culprit has been positively identified, and he confessed) just picked a couple of things at random.

  1. I give it an ‘A’
    …per the discussion of O.W.L.’s on page 311. It was good, but a
    little long winded — I think it could have been a 600 page book instead
    of a 900 page book. Rather a lot of “no one understands” whining that
    I was really hoping was due to, and in fact at one point it was hinted at,
    someone feeding Harry drugs or that it was his link to “Lord Thingy” ;-)

    But no, Harry was just acting a lot like I probably would have at that
    age, under the circumstances (the angry part, not the hero part, though
    he’s really not much of a hero in this book). I was close enough as it
    was.

    It is a very dark book — bad things are happening at Hogwarts, and it’s
    not fun to see them happen, and actually, that’s another disappointment.
    One can find parallels to some of the directions current political events
    are taking in Hogwarts, but it essentially takes a superhero with a band
    of loyal followers to set things right, which doesn’t give readers a
    sense of empowerment to set things right that they see are wrong in the
    real world. Granted, I doubt J.K. Rowling had any political agenda at all
    in mind writing this, but I would still have liked to see a stronger moral
    stance on getting every day people to not accept injustices. Perhaps I’m
    still just as hot-headed as Harry though, as I think one of the morals of
    this book could be “fools rush in”.

    To some extent, there was a bit of fight in a couple of the characters,
    but having them essentially turn into terrorists, albeit a realistic
    turn for these characters, is probably not a good example (not that anyone
    would consider them a good example in the first place ;-) ). At least
    the stuff they pulled was more in the prank category than dangerous, and
    they were careful not to interfere with the students exams…

    The DA would have been a good place to organize a response, with some
    backing from the Order, but it would have been a far different book, and
    probably not relevant to the overall story arc she’s working on. I did
    expect the DA to figure more significantly in the ending, though, rather
    than just providing plausibility for some of the actions in it.

    It’s possible that this book is just setting things up for the next one,
    as the centaur prophecy certainly indicates more is coming, but on the
    other hand, the ending appeared to wrap too much for that prophecy to
    come true without a lot more bad stuff happening. On the third hand, with
    everyone on the wrong side in this book, this ending was needed to keep the
    bad guys from having too strong a hand.

    One good thing is that we do learn various things about several characters,
    but even so, in a book this thick, we should have learned more than we did.
    A lot of what we learn about Harry is only at the end. One of them, at
    least, is why he keeps getting sent back to the Dursley’s by people who
    should know better and care.

    Overall, it just felt like a slow ramp to a quick ending.

    Even so, it was a good read and I can’t wait to see where she goes with
    it…

    Sooo, when’s the next one due? (yes, I know there’s no set date)

    • Re: I give it an ‘A’
      I’m worried that JKR is starting to suffer from “King Syndrome” — where the author gets so popular (read powerful) that no editor is brave enough to edit her.

      The Stand is a prime example on King. Try reading the unedited version…

      A good book is as much a product of a quality editor as it is the author. (in my opinion)

      -jhon

    • Re: I give it an ‘A’
      I really want to find out what happens. Although I thought it was really sad that Sirius is gone, I also think that Harry needs to go through this in order to be the person he has to be in the end. Can’t wait for the next one.

  2. I can’t believe she did it!! (Spoiler)
    I really can’t believe she made Sirius die!! C’mon he’s one of the most favorite characters in the book. I’m really down….i knew someone had to die but Sirius!!! If someone thinks he/she knows what was going through Rowling’s head please tell me i can’t think of just one answer :(
    I found the book really great …but i really can’t reason out the Sirius part………so many things left behind like proving he was innocent or Harry going to stay with him during Summer……..it’s so unfair!!
    Lol by now you’re thinking i’m stupid but……..

    • Re: I can’t believe she did it!! (Spoiler)
      Aaah but that’s precisely the point – Sirius died senselessly, because Harry made a mistake, and because Dumbledore made a mistake. They both have to live with that, and I think coping with that is going to take Harry quite some time, and will push him further into the position he needs to be in to face Voldemort and win.

      I did find it kind of disappointing though, as the death’s been very hyped but I don’t consider Sirius a truly major character. Maybe JKR does, because she’s presumably done a lot of character development work on him and thus knows him a lot better than we do, but I certainly don’t! I’d far rather they hadn’t said someone dies.

      Dolores Umbridge was quite scary, but that whole thing was done very well. Although I don’t understand why Harry and Lee put up with what she made them do in detention. I’d have been hexing her ears off after half an hour.

      I really can’t believe she made Sirius die!! C’mon he’s one of the most favorite characters in the book. I’m really down….i knew someone had to die but Sirius!!! If someone thinks he/she knows what was going through Rowling’s head please tell me i can’t think of just one answer :(
      I found the book really great …but i really can’t reason out the Sirius part………so many things left behind like proving he was innocent or Harry going to stay with him during Summer……..it’s so unfair!!
      Lol by now you’re thinking i’m stupid but……..

      • Re: I can’t believe she did it!! (Spoiler)

        Well yes Actually after hearing the first reading she made, she answered to a question regarding the sudden death she replied that’s what she wanted i.e to show that death is unexpected…….but still I think that there’s more about the veil he fell into.

        I think that she’s going to write about it in the coming book. What do you think? Maybe she’ll make Sirius revive :) hehehe HOPEFULLY :p

    • Re: I can’t believe she did it!! (Spoiler)

      I really can’t believe she made Sirius die!! C’mon he’s one of the most favorite characters in the book. I’m really down….i knew someone had to die but Sirius!!! If someone thinks he/she knows what was going through Rowling’s head please tell me i can’t think of just one answer :(
      I found the book really great …but i really can’t reason out the Sirius part………so many things left behind like proving he was innocent or Harry going to stay with him during Summer……..it’s so unfair!!
      Lol by now you’re thinking i’m stupid but……..

  3. One thing I’m still REALLY unclear on
    (spoilers, but if you’ve read this far you already saw ’em more than once)

    How exactly DID Sirius die? Did he just fall through the veil between This World and the Next, from which None May Return, or was he dead when he went through? Clearly I need to go back and re-read that section, but WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?

    • Yeah, it is still unclear though…(SPOILER)
      I’m really upset Sirius had to die too, it makes everything else seem pointless, rescuing him in the 3rd book and building up Harry’s hopes of a home with him. But we still do not know anything about the veil. When they first enter the room, they hear talking behind the veil but J K Rowling never goes into more description than this, surely Harry would have asked Dumbledore or someone about it at the end but maybe it will be explained more in the next book.

      Maybe, there will be a way to bring Sirius back, it seems strange. At the end of the book, where Harry sees the package Sirius gave him in case Snape was giving Harry trouble, he seems to get his hopes up and we think that it may not be the end. But then it is and Luna gives her kind of “dreamy” speech about hearing the voices behind the veil, I just wish they’d stop Sirius dying and let someone else die, there MUST be a way to bring him back, I just hope JK gives out more information in the next book about the veil.

      Also, I thought Neville would have had a bigger part to play at the end, I was under the impression he might crack and kill Bellatrix Lestrange with some burst of strength because of the curse she performed on his parents and tortured them with but..he didn’t. He still had a fair part to play though.

      I still think it was REALLY REALLY unfair of Sirius dying, let’s hope this some way to bring him back…:(

  4. Never mind…
    Actually pretty clear that it was a direct spell to the chest, wasn’t it?

    • Re: Never mind…

      Actually pretty clear that it was a direct spell to the chest,
      wasn’t it?

      Yeah, but Bellatrix shouted “STUPEFY!”, which is only a
      stunning spell, he was just unconsious as he fell
      through the arch.

      By the way, that arch freaked me out.

  5. (SPOILER) – Speculation about the series’ future

    Now that I’ve finally finished my copy, it’s clear exactly why
    Voldemort was always so afraid of Dumbledore. It seems that,
    as long as Dumbledore is on the side opposing Voldemort,
    Voldemort cannot win. This gives me the distinct impression that
    Dumbledore will not survive the series. I expect that he won’t
    make it through the end of book six, leaving the path open for
    Voldemort’s big stab at returning, and the set-up of the final
    confrontation. I also expect Professor Snape to finally gain the
    Defense against the Dark Arts job in Harry’s seventh year, when
    Professor McGonagall takes over as Headmistress.

    • Re: (SPOILER) – Speculation about the series’ future

      Well even i agree with you when you say that Dumbledore will not survive.

      About Snape maybe you’re right I don’t know if you saw the first reading of J.K Rowling but when she was asked about the character of Snape she told them

      that Dumbledor have his reasons to not making him Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher due to his past and

    • MAYBE he’s not that good as we might think.

      Mmmm quite interesting can you think why she said it? ……

      • Re: (SPOILER) – Speculation about the series’ future
        mmm does anybody know anything about Aberforth (?) Dumbledore’s brother?

        • Re: (SPOILER) – Speculation about the series’ future

          mmm does anybody know anything about Aberforth (?)
          Dumbledore’s brother?

          I can’t really remember. It was something about a goat.

      • Re: (SPOILER) – Speculation about the series’ future

        Dumbledor have his reasons to not making him
        Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher due to his past
        and

      • MAYBE he’s not that good as we might
        think.

        Mmmm quite interesting can you think
        why
        she said it? ……

      • Well since I’m a Snape fan…

        In the “Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them” by
        Newt Scamander, one of the books J.K. released for
        Comic
        Relief, there’s a note in the margins, supposed to have
        been made by Harry, about how Snape incorrectly
        described the Kappa as being more often found in
        Mongolia when it is clearly “…a Japanese water
        demon…”. Not spectacular, but maybe she was just
        trying to make a very small point, or a hint…?

        -But there’s the description in Phoenix about how his
        hand is ‘flying across the page’ and he’s written way
        more than anybody else…was it compared to James
        Potter’s test? I can’t remember…the book’s 3 feet away
        but I’d have to stand up to get it so I’m not going to
        bother.

        -Maybe it’s just there’s no one good enough to take over
        Potions after Snape. Though that’s a little boring for
        J.K.

        -Maybe, J.K just needs to bring a new character into
        every book, and exploits that ‘jinxed’ thing about the
        job.

        -Maybe Snape would go too far in DADA classes, try
        and teach students stuff Dumbledore wouldn’t approve
        of, just tempted because he needs to show off? Maybe
        he’s just too good.

        -We know he was a Death Eater so we know he’s a
        good fighter, or maybe…he decided to quit because he
        felt he wasn’t good enough, or maybe he had a grudge
        against another Death Eater…or maybe it was for a
        woman. I can’t get the thought of Snape being so bitter
        and twisted over a broken heart out of my head.
        Aww…

        Anyway, I’m getting off the subject. We’re going into
        wishful fan-fiction territory.

        -Maybe this speculation is just a little too nit-picky. I
        wish she’d just write already, I read the whole damn
        thing in eight hours, leaving myself the largest
        possible wait until the next book. Although those
        idiots would have given the ending away.

  6. Ron in the Department Of Mysteries
    In the Department of Mysteries, when Harry meets up with Ron again, before Ron tries to hold onto a brain and is attacked by tentacles…what exactly is wrong with him? Was he hit with a spell? Why did he keep laughing? Just wondering, I finished the book last night during the “great blackout” over here in NYC.

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