We're a quarter of the way into Order of the Phoenix, and SO MUCH is happening already.
Dudley has friends (?); Harry continues to take Hedwig for granted (dude, at least let her eat her frog in peace); Moody advises against stowing one's wand in one's back pocket due to the possibility of blowing off one's butt cheek (which makes me think of all the times Harry tucked his wand in his FRONT waste band . . . HE-llo); someone finally hints at the fact that Ginny is kind of a bad ass ("Yeah, size is no guarantee of power. Look at Ginny."); Ron bites the heads off chocolate frogs RIGHT in front of Trevor (rude, Ron, really rude); the Sorting Hat proves that Hufflepuff is officially the only House without a superiority complex; and Rowling secretly wishes she were named Nymphadora.
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| No one is surprised, you dirty bird. |
We get to see a lot more of Mrs. Weasley in this part, which is fantastic. But she's stuck with the job of Den Mother to all these unruly witches and wizards, in addition to caring for the actual children and cleaning the Noble House of Black. She puts on a brave face, but the cracks start to show when Sirius wants to involve Harry in the doings of the Order of the Phoenix. And just in case that wasn't clue enough of her distressed mental state, the Boggart cleared up any remaining confusion by posing as one dead loved one after another and reducing Mrs. Weasley to a sobbing, ineffectual-against-a-Boggart mess. What a dick move, Boggart.
ALSO kind of a dick? Kreacher. He's gone completely batty after years of isolation in that awful house, his only company the unpleasant portrait of Mistress Black and the mounted heads of his fellow house-elves. But lest you feel anything akin to sympathy for him,
Kreacher fixed him with a watery stare and said, "Master must do as Master wishes," before turning away and muttering very loudly, "but Master will not turn Kreacher away, no, because Kreacher knows what they are up to, oh yes, he is plotting against the Dark Lord, yes, with these Mudbloods and traitors and scum. . . ." (p. 118)
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| FILTHY HOBBITSES. |
Also, Kreacher was caught snogging his dead master's trousers. That seemed important to mention.
I know everyone will probably be talking about Luna and Umbridge this week. I can't REALLY talk about Umbridge because I stopped reading right before her big chapter, but I am interested to know how one wears a cardigan sweater OVER a robe.
And as for Luna, well . . . I'm just so glad she's finally here and WHY HAVEN'T WE BEEN FRIENDS WITH HER SINCE SECOND YEAR? Now I can finally get going on this Neville/Luna ship.
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| Anchors aweigh! |
It bugs me that for the last two years, Mrs Weasley has just gone by herself to Diagon Alley to get everyone's school crap. I mean, REALLY. Could she not at least have taken a couple of redheaded teens to help her? (I get that JK was just bored with writing Diagon Alley scenes, but STILL.)
ReplyDeleteThat really had nothing to do with your post, I just had to put it out there. LUNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Let it out, Laura. Let it allllll out. *pat-pat*
ReplyDeleteYes - the cardigan over the robe!! The sleeves would be so bunchy! No wonder she's so horrible all the time.
ReplyDeleteI love your summaries so much oh man. So funny, you is. And I'm glad a bunch of us have mentioned the pants snogging because WHAT? How does one even?
AND she's wearing a headband, which everyone knows cause horrible headaches. All Umbridge really needed was a wardrobe intervention.
ReplyDeleteYou'd think Harry would just KNOW better than to stick his wand down the front of his pants. I mean really now.
ReplyDeleteI know we're supposed to feel bad for Kreacher BUT HE IS THE WORST. Stupid trouser snogger. (Adds insult to mental bank.)
Seems that Ginny's known about Luna, which just goes to show we should have been paying more attention to her the whole time because Ginny is AMAZING.
Think, if someone just gave her a makeover this whole book could have pretty much been avoided.
ReplyDeleteIn light of Moody's information, the wisdom of stowing your wand ANYWHERE on your person is debatable.
ReplyDeleteALLLLL ABOARD. Hot damn, Neville, I will be your Luna.
ReplyDeleteI love how Ginny becomes more and more excellent as this book progresses. She's just there, doing badass things and saying badass stuff.
I'm having uncomfortable feelings about lots of these characters. Bill, Lupin, Sirius, NEVILLE. WHAT ARE THESE FEELINGS I'M FEEEEEELING?
ReplyDeleteRe: Hufflepuff, I felt kind of sad for them in the song when it said Gryffindor/Slytherin/Ravenclaw chose specific kids for their houses and then Hufflepuff said something like, "I'll take who's left." HAVE SOME STANDARDS, HELGA.
ReplyDeleteI love Luna so much, she's just the perfect little brainy weirdo.
ReplyDeleteAt one point in book 6 I thought JKR was going to push for a Harry/Luna relationship and after I got over the initial shock, I was kinda in. Although it seems like I am the only one who ever picked up on those vibes.
I think that makes you an official Harry Potter fanatic. Welcome!
ReplyDeleteOh noooo...I think Luna is way too good for Harry. I would not approve.
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Well that's ONE way to look at it. I guess I saw it more as Helga opening her arms to the outcasts. Hufflepuff is full of orphans and dreamers and cookie lovers.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post. I’m emailing this to my friends.
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