Another Harry situation

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Chapter 36

Another action-packed chapter for us to digest and consider the outcomes.

We know Dumbledore can stand toe-to-toe with Voldemort.

We know how utterly scared Voldemort's minions are of him.

We know Harry is this nemesis of Voldemort's that he just can't conquer.

And we know Voldemort is positively angry over what transpired at the Ministry of Magic.

• He didn't get the prophecy.
• He knows the opposition is committed to his demise.
• And he knows his return is no longer a secret.

What's a mean, old, Grinch-of-a-wizard to do?

Retreat, regroup and adjust to the new reality. The full force of the Ministry will be against him. Hopefully his spies will all be rooted out and sent to Azkaban or into hiding.

For the Order, they will mourn Sirius, wonder about the prophecy and also adjust to the new reality. At least Dumbledore, Harry, the Order and the DA will have Hogwarts as a safehouse.

And while Fudge still has the title, it's clear Dumbledore is in charge of the good guys. And Umbridge will get stuck behind a desk somewhere out of the way. It was a pretty good day when you think about it.

Busting out

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Chapter 33

Does this mean The Dunderheaded Secretary and High Instigator is out of the story? Has she been carried off to Centaur-land forever? We can only hope. Although, I do enjoy musing about her.

Props to Hermione for leading Umbridge into the forest. My first thought was that she was headed to Grawp. I was kind of half right because his appearance allowed them to break free. Now it's time to fly to the Department of Mysteries and save Sirius.

That is the next question. Can this top-ranking platoon of the DA save Padfoot from Voldemort? I have no idea. I've heard some characters begin to die. Is this the beginning of that? Or does Sirius survive?

I do suggest getting out of the forest and staying out. The Centaurs (I'm even afraid to call them half-breeds) would not be happy to see them.

So from here, it's save Sirius, reassemble the Order and, I suppose, find a way to convince the Ministry that Voldemort is alive. I'm guessing at some point that will happen and all magical people not aligned with Voldemort will live in fear again.

Enjoy the flight.

Time to be close-minded, I think

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Chapter 28

Didn't take long for the High Instigator to become the Headmistress. We have as many educational decrees as we have chapters in this book. Time to order a new ream of parchment and another batch of quills.

And while it's illegal for students to form the DA, it's OK for Her Majesty to form the Inquisitorial Squad, which is just a fancy name for tattletales. Fortunately, Fred and George are roaming the castle spreading their special brand of mayhem. They are quite clever, and now that they don't care if they get in trouble ... a distinct advantage for the good guys.

What a terrible and obvious interrogator the inquisitor/instigator is. Could she have been more obvious with the tea, no doubt laced with some sort of truth serum, and her impatient and direct questions. Seems old Mad-Eye's influence on Harry had some purpose. I think Fudge will one day regret sending Umbridge to Hogwarts. She is devious but ultimately not smart enough for those of the Order.

Not sure what to make of Harry's trip into Snape's Pensieve. We already knew that Snape didn't like Harry and that James Potter had something to do with it. Now we know why. It served to get Harry out of Occlumency lessons. Will that be good or bad? No doubt Harry's dreams and the Voldemort factor in them will continue. Is that good or bad?

As Dumbledore left at the end of the previous chapter he warned Harry to close his mind. "You will understand," were his last words to Harry.

Dumbledore is probably right. He always is.

Back from Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Chapter 26

Yes, it's been almost two years since I have posted my thoughts on the Harry Potter series. I have been held prisoner in Azkaban on trumped-up charges. But I have been released. I can't reveal the circumstances because of the non-disclosure agreement the Ministry forced me to sign. I did, however, visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando upon my release. No Azkaban attractions there, thankfully, but it was a good time. If you are a Harry Potter fan (and I presume you are), it's worth the trip. Now back to seeing how this all turns out for Harry and his friends:

Harry's tell-all in the Quibbler caused quite a stir and got the delivery owls' feathers up. And the High Instigator got her feathers predictably ruffled. She doesn't want to believe that the cover-up is worse than the crime, or in this instance, worse than the truth coming out, perhaps, too late. Or somebody at the Ministry is blackmailing her.

Harry sees more through Voldemort's eyes though I'm not sure what it all means. Perhaps I should, but my memory of previous events is muddled from my Azkaban confinement.

Any way, I don't understand why Harry seeing these things as Voldemort is a bad thing. If he is seeing things accurately, wouldn't that be good for the Order and the DA? But maybe it's just a dream meant to confuse Harry. Maybe it's the result of a Voldemort spell. Again, maybe I'm forgetting something that would help me understand better.

Any help to clear this up for me would be appreciated, but only if it's something previously revealed that I have forgotten.

Back to the High Inquisitor, it was good to see Dumbledore was prepared for her firing of Trelawney. This Firenze chap sounds interesting. I expect he will be more thoroughly introduced in the next chapter.

Head games

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Chapter 24

My first question about this chapter titled "Occlumency" was how to pronounce it. Thanks to the knowledgeable Potter Heads I live with, I think I have it down now.

I understand that growing up with the Dursleys and being orphaned so young makes Harry less than trusting of adults. He has formed the DA with fellow students, and the only adults he seems to trust his life with are the Weasleys (Mrs. Weasley is a maternal figure) and Sirius (an obvious father figure). He wants to trust Dumbledore with his life, but the old wizard keeps Harry in the dark a little too much for Harry's liking.

It's time for Harry to get over this hate for Snape at least a little bit. Dumbledore evidently trusts Snape, so Harry ought to think about that. Would Dumbledore let Snape get inside Harry's mind if he didn't trust the greasy-haired one? This could be a slippery (or greasy) slope of trusting Snape too much, but my bet is that Snape has reformed his evil ways.

I don't know how this story ends, but I can't help but postulate that Snape will be a key figure in the outcome.

Anyway, it was unexpected to learn that Harry was getting inside Voldemort's mind, not the other way around. There is no explanation as to how this happened, but it must have something to do with the graveyard incident.

And what lies behind the door to the Department of Mysteries? Hope I find out before the next book.

Giants, footprints and Dolores, oh my

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Chapter 20

Ol' Hagrid can' help but tell his story, and thats wha' we love abou' him. The deep secrets he thinks have been entrusted to him only last until his little cloaked friends come for a visit. Getting him to spill the beans is about as easy as getting Dudley to eat dessert.

Quite a tall (pun intended) tale Hagrid had to tell about his visit to the "Land of the Giants" with his girlfriend. I get the idea that the brain of a giant is disproportionate to its size. Not sure what an alliance with these big, dumb idiots will do for either side unless there's a spell to stop them killing each other. Giant-on-giant crime seems to be a real problem in remote mountain valleys.

But nothing, it seems, is too remote for the High Instigator not to shove her uninvited nose in to. I think Harry and friends should tie our fake-smiling friend up in the invisibility cloak after stealing her wand and casting a spell that ties her tongue in a knot. I assume there's some kind of chandelier in the Great Hall they could hang her from indefinitely. No one else would know she's there, and it can be their giant secret. Just don't tell Hagrid.

But I'm dreaming.

I supposed her highness will go on inquisiting and instigating against the D.A.

She's a mean one (kinda like the Grinch).

p.s. Anybody know where I can get a good dragon steak? Sounds like good eatin'.

The rebellion grows

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Chapter 18

This is a long book, so I hope all of this stuff about Quidditch and Harry's infatuation with Cho is leading us somewhere. Otherwise, can we cut to the chase?

Geez, I'm starting to sound as whiny as Ron. Anybody know an anti-whining charm? Wave your wand in my general direction if you do.

I guess I should've learned a long time ago that these side stories usually add up to something later. Dobby showed up again and provided a place for the clandestine class to operate. So thumbs-up to Dobby.

Little Ginny Weasley is beginning to show herself as a clever one. She came up with the name Dumbledore's Army, a stroke of genius. And she was doing well with the disarming charm. She might have a real future in the D.A.

Maybe she's been watching and learning from Harry's cleverness, which was again proved by the reminder that he beats Voldemort - not with some incredible spell - but with simple things like a disarming charm. Zacharias Smith didn't see it coming any better than V did. He's looking for a silver bullet that will vanquish Voldemort. The answer lies in lots of knowledge, common sense and resourcefulness that you can use to adapt to any situation. Voldemort wants to be grandiose, so use that against him with simple things. He doesn't see those things coming. Attack when he expects you to run, and his anger will handicap him.

If Harry's students apply themselves in this class, the Army will grow in strength.

You don't know how pleased I was to see the Marauder's Map back in use. For Harry, he should carry that with him like I carry my wallet, keys and cellphone. It is one of his greatest resources, and my favorite prop.