Genre: Fantasy
Series: Harry Potter #5
Page Count: 870
Publication Year: 2004
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Summary: Harry needs a hug.
Some of the book was familiar but mostly I remember that when I first saw the movie I was so disappointed. I watched parts of the movie after I finished reading it this time and they left out A LOT. I can definitely see why the film roasted my socks.
The plot kicks off with Harry and Dudley being attacked by dementors—I legit didn’t suspect it was Umbridge who ordered the attack—and after the brouhaha that ensues, Harry eventually ends up at Sirius’ house. He learns some stuff from Sirius and Co., almost gets expelled, meets the scourge of Umbridge, gets thrown off the Quidditch team, starts an underground fight club, saves Mr. Weasley, fails to keep Voldemort out of his head, takes some exams, gets duped by Voldemort, watches his godfather die, and finds out that it’s not about the journey, but the enemies you made along the way. Yay!
There is so much other stuff that occurs but I’m gonna leave most of it untouched. Since this is so far my second least favorite HP book, let’s get right into my dislikes.
This book feels long. I wasn’t tired of reading it but it didn’t grab me like the others and it took well over a month to finally finish.
The lack of communication kills me. When a story relies on the absence of helpful and informative conversations, I hate it.
I understand Dumbledore’s desire to not heap more burdens and danger on Harry’s shoulder, but surely he could see that Harry’s curiosity and excessive bravery would land him in even more danger if he’s not properly warned and prepared. I don’t care how young Harry is, a responsible adult would see that Harry won’t stay put and should therefore be told just how dead he or his friends will be if he goes off a-wandering. I appreciate Dumbledore’s apology, but it’s a little late.
If, going forward, Harry doesn’t remember to press for answers from Dumbledore or use the items at his disposal, what was it all even for?
I have three things I want to touch on regarding the magic. One: How is Harry able to see things in the Pensieve that Snape wouldn’t know? That makes absolutely no sense. Two: Why do these kids not know the magic to fix a broken nose/ankle? Forget making an eggcup do cartwheels and learn some basic first aid. Three: Why on earth does the Department of Mysteries exist? I feel like everything in it should be destroyed. Cast it into the fire! Isildur!!! ahem Sorry, wrong story.
The way teaching is approached is quite troubling. Half the stuff they learn seems utterly pointless. When would you ever need to transform an animal into an item? (Are wizards so poor that they have to go into forests to find furniture candidates? I’m picturing someone zapping a deer into a couch and it is…kinda disturbing.) Or why do you need to chart the movement of the planets? Divination is 99.99% rot. Snape hates three quarters of his students. And to top it off, Dolores “theoretical knowledge is sufficient” Umbridge declares that the point of school is getting through your examinations. It doesn’t seem fair that in addition to nearly dying in every book, this is the best education Harry could get.
I do love how the other teachers could not respect Umbridge less and go out of their way to pile conflict on her plate.
Harry, bless his heart, has had it rough. He does still have likable moments but for the most part he’s angry, surly and snippy. I get it, and yet I want to slap him. He needs someone to talk to (like Sirius) who can help him see reason and the bigger picture, because as it is, his emotions are out of control and it has to stop. I feel his hardship, but he needs to check his attitude at the door. Let’s not forget his stubbornness and selective amnesia. And the fact that people think Harry is intelligent boggles the mind. Honestly, his brain is the densest material on the planet.
One thing that bothers me about Harry and Ron is their refusal to take notes during class and to study/do homework in a timely manner. I hate that they continually turn to Hermione for the answers when they should pay attention in the first place. How do they expect to learn anything if they don’t pay attention? I like that Hermione is taking her lessons seriously (perhaps too seriously) and I wish the boys would try as well.
The Harry/Cho “romance” is painful. She could not be more annoying and I’m glad Harry doesn’t care about her in the end. I am surprised by Ginny. She seems like a chill person and I thought it mature of her to say she’d moved on from Harry. I’m curious to see why she changes her mind.
Aside from her obsession with house elves, I really like Hermione. She is extremely useful and smart and a powerful witch. I love that that girl still bears the mark of Hermione’s jinx.
I still think Snape is a butt, but glimpsing the trauma he suffered at the hands of Harry’s dad does soften my dislike a smidge. And this exchange with Sirius is gold:
“If I hear you’re using these Occlumency lessons to give Harry a hard time, you’ll have me to answer to.”
“How touching,” Snape sneered. “But surely you have noticed that Potter is very like his father?”
“Yes, I have,” said Sirius proudly.
“Well then, you’ll know he’s so arrogant that criticism simply bounces off him,” Snape said sleekly.
I wish we could’ve gotten more between them in the movies.
I don’t want to talk about Sirius because his death just…just…it hurt. I think an undervalued reaction to his death is his great-great-grandfather’s brusque, “I don’t believe it.” The emotional implications of that statement—probably missed by most kids—hit home like none of Harry’s raging did.
I’m proud of Neville’s growth. Seeing his loss and his fight to become a better wizard is so touching.
Umbridge is intolerable. End of discussion.
The dialogue seems more British now, with phrases like “take the mickey” and “come off it” popping up. I like their idioms and I’m glad the editors didn’t change it.
I still can’t believe vampires are mentioned in every book and we never get to meet one.
I rarely ever talk about the themes of a book, but it warrants a mention here. I think the theme of the whole series is injustice. It’s something a lot of kids can relate to and it may be part of why these books have endured. The injustices include: Harry’s parents die, he has to stay with the Dursleys, he was deprived of a magical upbringing, he loses loved ones and allies, his fame makes him an outcast, and it turns out that he was marked for death from the beginning of his life and he’s the only one who can fight Voldemort. It’s not fair that he should have to overcome so many obstacles, and the pressure of that reality has finally reached him. His life hasn’t been fair on multiple levels and seeing him press on, despite the horror, is an admirable stance to take in a kid’s series.
Like I said, there’s a lot of stuff going on now and it’s making for a more enjoyable story. It’s obvious to me now why this series is reread with such frequency. I’m not going to do it anytime soon, but I’m excited to read the final books.
“The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure. Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, to be perused by any invader.”
Check out my rating here.
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