Order of the Phoenix -- Part 1

Location: OotP page 570
Pages Read: 2388, 1712 to go.

Order of the Phoenix.... hmm. Not my favorite in the series. xD It's a great read, and tons of important and interesting stuff happens in it, but I think Jo went a little over the top. GoF made you want to keep reading because it was so exciting, and there were all these little mysteries...everything just kept your attention. This one has the mysteries, but in my opinion, it kind of drags on a bit in places. It's probably my least favorite, not including books 1 and 2, because it's DEFINITELY more interesting than those. :P One redeeming qualities: this is the first book that doesn't make an effort to re-introduce concepts and characters. x)

That's not to say that there's not fun stuff to talk about!!

Observations:

• “Dumbledore’s got a shrewd idea,” said Lupin, “and Dumbledore’s shrewd ideas normally turn out to be accurate.” That is the amazing thing about Dumbledore – quite often, he doesn’t have proof of something, but he can see the bigger picture. He knows how the human mind works so well that he can usually predict what someone’s going to do and how he should deal with situations.
• I love this line. After finding out Ron is prefect and not Harry: “No,” said Hermione, blushing harder than ever, “no, it’s not…Ron’s done loads of…he’s really…” LOL. Loads of…what? Really…what? She couldn’t think of anything he’s done or a redeeming quality about him. That’s so funny. Brings us back to the role of Ron in the trio…he has no obviously outstanding qualities, so he sometimes seems useless.
• So, if anyone has ever heard of Cog’s Ladder (it’s a model for group development), I would say that this book definitely represents Stage Three. Harry’s always being selfish and having a go at Ron and Hermione, and they confront him about it; at the same time, Ron and Hermione are constantly bickering, and Harry tells them to shut up. Stage 3 is where some conflict or power struggle occurs, and it helps the group figure out their roles. Jo might be familiar with Cog’s Ladder, because according to that model, they *had* to go through some sort of conflict in order to reach the higher levels of group dynamic, where they can work together seamlessly to defeat Voldemort.
• Another wise quote from Sirius: “Yes, but the world isn’t split into good people and Death Eaters.” This is an important theme in this book – the Ministry isn’t necessarily evil, they’re just choosing the easy path instead of the right, hard path, so they’re getting in the way of good being done.
• After the kiss: “He returned to the common room half an hour later…” HALF AN HOUR!! I never noticed that/realized what that implied. Way to go, Harry! xD

Lots of good foreshadowing!

• Mr. Weasley says: “If Dumbledore’s out of the way – well, You-Know-Who will have a clear field.” Foreshadowing… I’m pretty sure other characters say this in this book as well; really shows the impact of his death.
• Moody says: “Found it last night when I was looking for my spare Invisibility Cloak, seeing as Podmore hasn’t had the manners to return my best one…” So there are good and bad invisibility cloaks! Hmm. Also, on Fred and George’s Headless Hats, Hermione says (in reference to an “Invisibility Spell”): “…I’d imagine the charm wouldn’t have a very long life though…” Both of these quotes suggest that invisibility-related objects shouldn’t last forever – clearly, there’s something special about Harry’s, and Jo has set us up for that.
• Scrimgeour is mentioned. On the morning of Harry’s hearing, Lupin says to Tonks: “What were you saying about Scrimgeour?”
• While cleaning the drawing room, it describes a bunch of things that they found in some cabinets: “…also a heavy locket that none of them could open…” (Page 116 US hardcover). Then, two paragraphs later: “Several times, Kreacher sidled into the room and attempted to smuggle things away under his loincloth, muttering horrible curses every time they caught him at it.” BAM! There’s the locket, and Kreacher got it.
• During Snape’s inspection: “Do you have any idea why Dumbledore has consistently refused to appoint you [to the Defense Against Dark Arts job]?” asked Umbridge. It just occurred to me why! He wanted to keep Snape around, and he knew the job was jinxed. Then he lets him have it in book 6 because he knows Snape’s probably going to have to kill him.
• Dumbledore uses his silver instrument, and a serpent comes out of it. “Naturally, naturally,” murmured Dumbledore apparently to himself, still observing the stream of smoke without the slightest sign of surprise. “But in essence divided?” ….then the snake splits into two snakes, coiling in midair. Hmm! This obviously has to do with Harry being a Horcrux, but what *exactly* does he mean by “in essence divided?” My thoughts… This is the moment when Dumbledore discovers the nature of Harry and Voldemort’s connection. Harry’s soul and the piece of Voldy in him are connected and fused together in a way, but they’re still divided in “essence”; the nature of Harry’s soul hasn’t been changed into a Harry-Voldy fusion. Harry is still a separate person from Voldemort, and while the souls are connected, they are still two different souls in one body, not a Harry-Voldy hybrid, if that makes sense. This is important because it means the piece of Voldy’s soul in Harry can be killed while Harry’s soul survives, which is what happens in book 7, thanks to Lily’s blood protection in Voldemort. Since Harry’s soul and the piece of Voldemort are “in essence divided,” you can kill one without harming the other. If the souls were “in essence united,” Harry would actually have to die and stay dead. xD Any other thoughts/theories on what was meant by “in essence divided”?
• On Harry being a Horcrux: There is SO MUCH in this book about that. Multiple times, when feeling Voldy’s thoughts and telling people what’s going on with Voldemort, “the words came…as though a stranger was speaking them through Harry’s mouth, yet he knew they were true.” This supports the “in essence divided” thing. He’s not the one saying it, there’s something else in him that’s like a stranger – it’s separate from who Harry is, yet he can know what it feels as though it was a part of him.

More to come! Next post, I'll analyze Harry/Ginny, Sirius and his death, and more Horcrux stuff. Should be a good time.