harry potter book club: the order of the phoenix

Happy Halloweeeeeen!

I have to confess... I've been dreading rereading this book. I've tried my best to shut it out over the past decade. I've only watched the movie once. It's probably a good idea for me to finally face my demons and accept that this book is, in fact, an integral part of the Harry Potter universe. And it really does have its merits. In truth, my memory had shut out anything good or interesting about this entry and chose to cling only to death and Umbridge. That's not a very good place to be. (But Death and Umbridge would be a pretty grand name for a band or a bar or a collection of angst-filled poetry).

So here I am, doing my best to start fresh and view this book as another work of art from Rowling. Spoiler alert: I think I failed. Cue lots of sarcasm and vaguely-masked despair.
Let's dive in. God help us.

Peculiar Petunia
Why am I so fascinated by Petunia? I want to know so much more about her. I think this book is the first time we (and Harry) appreciate her as his mother's sister, and as someone who grew up around, but just outside of, the wizarding realm. What must that have been like? The Dursleys are so intentionally ignorant of Harry's heritage that it's easy to forget that Petunia shares the same DNA. Which, as it turns out, is the reason why her home is such an integral part of Harry's protection - her blood, Lily's blood, seals that ancient magic that Lily produced when she sacrificed herself for her son.

Focusing on Petunia's past really exposes her jealousy, insecurity, pettiness, and fear. When she speaks up after the dementor attack and reveals her knowledge of exactly what the terrible creatures are, it's this fantastically polarizing moment. She mentions hearing the term told to her sister by that "horrid boy", who we assume to be James - and then she receives a raging Howler, REMEMBER MY LAST, which casts her in such a mysterious light. Who is she, really? How much energy does it take for her to pretend on a daily basis that she is normal? Does she ever grieve the loss of her sister, or has she been so truly embittered that she is content in being rigidly callous and average? There's a part of her that recognizes her role in protecting Harry, and is willing to continue doing so. I want to believe that she cares for him in some strange, small way.

The Order of the Phoenix

This is the good stuff. While we're stuck on the outside of the Order along with Harry and the rest of the students for quite a while, being introduced to the Order and its members and catching snippets of their activity gives us a glimpse of the first wizarding war - and what life was like for the few loyal members of the Order back then. It's a harrowing recollection. I understand Harry's shock and dismay when Mad-Eye shows him that photo of the first Order. What a terrible and tragic snapshot of good people whose lives were so completely destroyed. Seeing them in their young and hopeful state is rather jarring. 

I can't really ever get over the tragedy of the Longbottoms. Harry has known about them for a while, but it's almost a relief when they all run into Neville at St. Mungo's and discover the truth about his parents. It's such an important piece of who he is. Neville is so pure and good and true. When his mother wanders over and gives him a gum wrapper, and his gran tells him to throw it away, and he tucks it into his pocket... this is what evil has done. Harry is not the only child left parent-less from war, and he won't be the last. Neville has suffered just as much, if not more, but he has no fame nor recognition. He could have been the one marked by Lord Voldemort as his equal, but he wasn't. He is left to be ordinary, but still lives a life marked by it cruelly.

Visiting Grimmauld Place also reveals even more of Sirius Black's dark past, and the macabre mess of the house succeeds in reflecting their tense circumstances. It's quite a fitting club. For me, one of the saddest moments in the entire series is when Harry finds Mrs. Weasley desperately trying to get rid of a boggart that is taking turns changing into each of her family members' dead bodies. A book clubber pointed out that Rowling is rather clever in the way she personifies human emotion. Dementors as depression, boggarts as fear. I think the usage of such monsters in a scene like this is incredibly poignant. Boggarts are so intimidating because they personify fear in such a physical, public manner. Others are suddenly capable of seeing your most intimate fear on display. In this case, these visions are no passing nightmare - the war is coming, and tragedy and death become more and more likely every day. Molly is eventually saved and comforted by Harry, Sirius and Lupin - who assures her that they're more prepared, and that this time is different. But is it? 

Let's take a break with some:

Spot-On Quotes About Adolescence

Hermione: Oh, stop feeling all misunderstood.

Phineas Nigellus: Has it not occurred to you, my poor puffed-up popinjay, that there might be an excellent reason why the headmaster of Hogwarts is not confiding every tiny detail of his plans to you? Have you never paused, while feeling hard-done-by, to note that following Dumbledore's orders has never yet led you into harm? No. No, like all young people, you are quite sure that you alone feel and think, you alone recognize danger... 

George: Hello, Harry. We thought we heard your dulcet tones.

Ron: One person can't feel all that at once, they'd explode. 

Hermione: Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have! 

Harry: I DON'T CARE! I'VE HAD ENOUGH, I'VE SEEN ENOUGH, I WANT OUT, I WANT IT TO END, I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!  

Dumbledore: You do care. You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it.

It's Hard Being Famous

To keep from crying or breaking something, I tried to laugh every time someone thinks Harry is crazy or lying. After a while I started getting a little light-headed from the effort. Good thing I didn't make it a drinking game. 

I'm very torn between empathizing with Harry and wanting to smack him upside the head. He can be such a dunce. Drama queen supreme. But at the same time, I don't blame him for being frustrated. I get it. Yes, he's a complete moron when it comes to girls and he always takes out his anger on the wrong people. His temper is right on the surface at all times and he's pigheaded and stubborn. But I can't deny that this year is just one giant suck fest. Reading this book I'm constantly flip-flopping from championing Harry and wanting to cheer on his team, to echoing Phineas Nigellus like, THIS IS WHY KIDS BE DUMB.

I had to take a break to do some some serious yoga after Harry's court hearing in the beginning because I was so tensed up during that entire chapter. Fudge is so infuriating, I can't even. In truth, this whole book is comically terrible. Like those movies that are made to be stressful, like Due Date or One Fine Day. I hate those. This is Harry's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. He saw Voldemort return, but is then forced to endure an entire summer with zero information about it. No one will tell him anything, and no one even believes his story in the first place. Not even his friends at Hogwarts, like Seamus (and his no-good mother). People straight-up stare, point and whisper. Rude. 

Dumbledore takes a very different approach, choosing to absolutely avoid Harry at all costs. No help, no guidance, no communication. And listen - I'm a big supporter of Dumbledore. I really am. I think he's boss, and I want him to always be right. But I think he messed up here. I know he was busy working things out in his own way, but Harry deserved a little more from him. It wouldn't have taken a whole lot. It's a small consolation that he admits this in the end.

With Dumbledore giving him the silent treatment and Hagrid mysteriously missing, Harry's left needing a new teacher friend - so he's gifted Dolores Stubby-Fingers Umbridge. Hem, hem. She uses him as a carving station for her creepy-as-crap blood-sucking quill. How is that not a dark magic item? How does she justify using this? She also definitely attempts to use an Unforgivable Curse on a student by the end. Like. What? Oh, and don't forget, Harry is also banned from Quidditch for life. And his first real crush happens to be still tragically confused and in love with her dead boyfriend, who died beside/because of Harry. (Ugh, Cho).

The good news is that Harry has a special mind-bond with Voldemort, and is able to save Mr. Weasley's life by warning the others after having a vivid snake's-eye view of the near-fatal attack. (Shocking twist: it takes a while for anyone to believe him about this. Quick, take another shot). But that mind-bond is kind of a beezy, and undoubtedly dangerous, so he's forced into anti-Voldy lessons with his other bestie, Severus Snape. Those lessons go so well that he sees another mind-bonding vision of Sirius being tortured, goes to save him, realizes it was all a trap (but don't worry because Sirius comes to save Harry from trying to save him), and then Sirius actually dies because of it. He gets tangled up in a flood of whispering silk and then he dies because...well. I don't actually know. It's very vague. I think he dies because of the crappy thread count? We've all been there. 

Ok, so good luck ever being happy again, Harry. This book is your personal pocket dementor. Mine, too.

Sirius Foreshadowing

I kept cringing throughout this book, because I felt like every time Sirius was present or mentioned, the text was pointing directly to his death. It gave me this dark heaviness in my chest. It's so easy to see it now that I know it's coming. Sirius is obviously depressed, and is continuously goaded and stung by comments and instructions from Dumbledore, Snape, Harry, the Weasleys...he's so lonely and dejected. Harry misses multiple chances to speak with him, he has things he wants to say but doesn't, he feels a strange foreboding about telling him goodbye...ugh. Don't go, Sirius. Please don't go. Stay with us and keep on singing God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriffs. 

Rowling fully explores Harry's grief in the wake of Sirius' death, which is both cathartic and the worst. I spent the rest of the series waiting for Sirius to come back from that freaking veil. Harry's denial was my denial. His hope, his countless disappointments as he runs out of options for how Sirius could still be with him somehow. He can't accept it, and as a reader, neither could I. It's cruel.

Knowing that Harry had that two-way mirror to talk to Sirius the whole time makes me crazy. CRAZY. He could have talked to him at any time, known that he was safe. Instead of taking the word of a deranged house elf. I'm also pretty sure I already told Harry to always listen to Hermione. She's always right, and she knew something was fishy about that vision. (Ok, and she also advised everyone to be nicer to Kreacher.) Why be so dumb, Harry? Why.

Anyone who knows me well (and also a collection of total strangers) knows that Sirius is my favorite Harry Potter character of all time. I haven't read this book since I first read it as a teenager and cried myself to sleep after Sirius died. I'm not sure why I felt such a connection to him then, but it's still there. Sirius and Lupin both represent something very important for Harry...they're walking connections to his parents, especially his dad. They're guardians, father figures. Reading it this time around, I cried for Lupin just as much as I did for Harry. I wanted to read more about him in this book. 15 years ago, he woke up one morning to find that all of his closest friends were either dead or imprisoned. He is given the great gift of discovering the truth and reconciling with Sirius, only to witness his death less than 2 years later. The way that Rowling layers the story, you can truly grieve for the young men they used to be... the best friends who lost so very much - of whom Lupin is now the lone survivor.

Aside:

There are some other pretty prime pieces of foreshadowing in this book. While they're cleaning Grimmauld Place, it's briefly mentioned that they find a "gold locket that none of them can open". Hmmm. The first time Harry sees Dumbledore following his vision of Mr. Weasley being attacked, Dumbles seems to have some kind of epiphany when Harry tells him he saw the vision through the eyes of Voldemort's snake. He pulls out one of his odd devices and says, "Naturally, naturally...but in essence divided?" He knows everything. He and Hermione need to co-lead the Order.

Occlumency and Other Frustrations

It's still rather baffling to me that Dumbledore would allow Snape to instruct Harry in something so vital without any supervision or follow-up. I understand that he trusts Snape, but does he honestly think he's fair and mature when it comes to Harry? Snape is straight-up messed up, ya'll. I must confess, reluctantly, that he does seem to be trying to help Harry in the beginning - the problem is that he's a jerk, and he takes every opportunity to hurt Harry in the process of that learning. Everyone and their mother knows that Snape hates Harry and does his best to make his life miserable. And visa versa. Of course this training failed. 

The information we gather from their time together is kind of a letdown, but it's not surprising. James was arrogant. Sirius was reckless and patronizing, and in a lot of ways, he still is. 12 years in Azkaban may have delayed his social maturity a tad. Not sure what Snape's excuse is. I'm about as far from the Snape Fan Club as I can possibly be, but I do have to say that his worst memory makes me cringe - and I'll admit that I understand why Snape and Sirius still hate each other. I get it. Those kind of grudges are hard to snuff out. Snape was bullied - it's true. But I stand by the fact that this grudge has absolutely nothing to do with Harry. We could go back and forth over who was more rotten as a teenager, but there has been an entire wizarding war in between then and now. Get over it, man. James is dead. Insulting him and telling his teenage son, who never even knew him, how awful he was doesn't really accomplish anything for anyone.

The fact that the memory bothers Harry so much tells us a lot. Harry isn't his dad. It's a shame that Snape never bothers to find out what kind of person Harry is going to be. I'm so glad Harry had the chance (thanks to Ginny - the thing about growing up with Fred and George is that you sort of start thinking anything's possible if you've got enough nerve) to speak with Lupin and Sirius about his dad. They have this wonderful moment of trying to explain, and own up to, their behavior as boys. I wanted more moments like this. I think it would have been quite natural for the three of them to spend time talking about James at length. As it is, we really only get this one small floo-powder conversation. As they say, James was a git but he grew out of it. His head deflated a bit and Lily did fall in love with him, and the true legacy of James is that he was a good man, a loyal friend, and he died protecting his family. 

Just Deserts

Things that make this book bearable: Umbridge being dragged into the Forbidden Forest by centaurs (half-breeds she fears and despises, oh justice). Fred and George leaving school in mayhem and fireworks, and Peeves saluting them in farewell. Dumbledore's Army. Every time someone tells Zacharias Smith to shut up. When Ginny says, "Well, that was a bit stupid of you, seeing as you don't know anyone but me who's been possessed by You-Know-You, and I can tell you how it feels" (and her burgeoning boldness in general). Neville's improvement and bravery. Luna Lovegood. When McGonagall tells Harry to have a biscuit. Rita Skeeter being blackmailed and bossed around by Hermione. The Quibbler. Nymphadora Tonks. This is the book that really brings the girl power. It's where I think people begin to have the greatest disadvantage by not reading the books - there are so many great characters that emerge, especially Ginny, that are barely skimmed in the movies.

It's satisfying at the end to finally get some answers from Dumbledore, even though his recognition that they should've been more honest with Harry comes way too late and at a very high cost. Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels. But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young. It's a great line. It's hard to see Dumbledore so vulnerable. I still cry when he admits that the greatest flaw in his plan was growing to care for Harry too much. But what a lesson to learn. Putting the truth above someone's temporary happiness is something we all struggle with, I think.

The best moment of the book, really, is when Fudge finally has to concede to Dumbledore and stop being a raging moron.

That about wraps up The Order of the Phoenix. As always, I could continue talking about this for eons! But I'd much rather hear your thoughts. THANK YOU for reading along! Share your thoughts below, but be careful of spoilers if it's your first time reading through this series, because there are bound to be a few. If you have read them/seen them before, please try to only respond regarding plot points from this book and avoid series-wide spoilers. 

I'm not sure when the next review will be up, but I'll make sure to announce it in The Harry Potter Book Club page! 

Half-Blood Prince is such a great book, and I can't wait to reread it. I think by the time the last few books of the series came out I devoured them a little too quickly...a lot of the details are hazy. I look forward to ranting about it with you all soon. Until then...

 

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harry potter book club: the goblet of fire

ALL ABOARD THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS!

Every year when September 1st rolls around, I feel a bit of a twinge that I am actually not magical in any way, shape or form. I am not on my way to Hogwarts. It's a tough thing to deal with every year.

Despite that, my Hufflepuff pride is strong and I'm ready to discuss The Goblet of Fire with you fine folks. So without any further ado, let's get started!'

Disclaimer: Goblet of Fire is the worst movie. It's awful. Truly. Especially Dumbledore. Please read this book. 

An Expanding World
Obviously, this book is much larger than the previous 3. I think the size of these later books can sometimes contribute to the hesitancy that some people feel when deciding whether or not to read the HP series. In my opinion, the more pages the better. I want the story to keep going and going. But I also think that in this book's case, the extra length almost serves as a line being drawn in the sand. Suddenly this becomes a more grown-up fiction. Larger page count, darker content, a war on the horizon. What did you think of the jump in page-length? Was it satisfying, or could some of the story have been trimmed down?

Goblet of Fire sets itself apart from the very beginning. Where the first three began in the home of the Dursleys, the silly selfish pigheaded home of the Dursleys, this one begins in the darkness of Tom Riddle Sr.'s parents' home. It's not in Harry's viewpoint, so it's immediately in sharp contrast to the often lighthearted summertime beginnings of previous books. It's incredibly unnerving and very confusing, since you don't quite understand its significance until much later. It features a very creepy Voldemort, a very pathetic Wormtail, and a poor murdered groundskeeper. It's a very dark segment. Especially when milking Nagini is mentioned. Blech.

Overall, Rowling is expanding her world, just as Harry's world is expanding in the story itself. He is becoming more aware of the international wizarding community, the Ministry of Magic, and the adult wizarding world as a whole. He's even meeting more Weasleys! New terms are introduced to Harry in this book, such as Death Eater and Auror, that have great significance to him moving forward. He's no longer a new wizard; he's in the thick of it, and he belongs there.

LOL this gets me every time.

Trusting in What You Know
Honestly, the adolescent bickering of the trio in books 4 and 5 has always really annoyed me. I just want to shake them. Snap out of it! This time around I tried to just allow myself to chuckle at it. Especially the dynamic between Ron and Harry. It's actually a fairly accurate depiction of friendship. Despite knowing someone incredibly well, we can still be waylaid by jealousy, or hurt feelings, or some other vulnerability. Harry's name coming out of the Goblet of Fire starts a whole new slew of drama for everyone.

If Ron had honestly sat down to think about it, he would have taken Harry at his word, as Hermione had. But this isn't the first time we've seen Ron sulk and/or use the silent treatment when he's angry with someone. In the last book, he was shutting Hermione out. We see him struggling with his identity in this book in a very real way. He hates being overshadowed by everyone in his life, and he hates being poor. His reaction to Harry being in the spotlight again was rooted in his own insecurities.

If Harry had taken Ron's bad attitude with a better perspective and listened to Hermione's counsel about why Ron was behaving that way, he could have responded with understanding and resolved it in a jiffy. But pride, jealousy, selfishness, etc. etc. Moral of the story, always listen to Hermione. Unless she's talking about S.P.E.W. again.

Who the Deuce is Dumbledore
This is very important, oh you Harry Potter movie-watchers. Dumbledore is not an angry man. In fact, when Harry's name comes out of the Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore is mostly silent. Unreadable. In the room where the champions gather afterwards, he calmly asks Harry if he put his name in. Does he shove Harry against a wall, spittle flying as he screams at him like a maniac? No. NO. He allows the rest of the room to argue, discuss, bicker. His voice is barely present as things are resolved and decided. This one scene is really indicative of his role in the entire book. We see him taking a step back from the plot. He's a thinking man. A twinkling-eyes man. Even in his encounters with wretches like Rita Skeeter, he is polite, smiling, bowing. He offers night caps and smooths things over like a good pair of Spanx.

Overall, Dumbledore seems to be much more perplexed and burdened in this book than ever before. For once, I'm doubting my theory that he always knows everything. It seems like he's truly hoodwinked here. Near the end we discover that he's been trying to figure things out, pondering over his Pensieve and piecing things together. He's definitely still been keeping watch over Harry, staying in contact with Sirius and biding his time, trying to solve the mysteries. But he was fooled by Mad-Eye, and was too late to stop the graveyard events. He knew the storm was coming, but didn't know how to act against it.

Even still, it's a great Dumbledore book. He unveils small hints about his theory on the connection between Harry and Voldemort - what does the connection between them, and the pain in Harry's scar, really mean? He also demonstrates a ferocity and power that we haven't yet seen from him.

At that moment, Harry fully understood for the first time why people said Dumbledore was the only wizard Voldemort had ever feared. The look upon Dumbledore's face as he stared down at the unconscious form of Mad-Eye Moody was more terrible than Harry could have ever imagined. 

There was no benign smile upon Dumbledore's face, no twinkle in the eyes behind the spectacles. There was cold fury in every line of the ancient face; a sense of power radiated from Dumbledore as though he were giving off burning heat.

I wanted to jump out of my chair and cheer for him, both here and later when he confronts Cornelius Fudge for being the biggest imbecile the wizarding world has ever seen. There is so much about Dumbledore's role in the events of this series that we can only guess at, but one of the most incredible bits that Rowling includes toward the end of this book is the "gleam of triumph" that Harry spots in Dumbledore's eyes once Harry reveals that Voldemort used his blood to resurrect himself. The answer to that bizarre, possibly imagined gleam of triumph isn't given until the very end of book 7. That's incredible.

I've had to stop looking at this because it makes me laugh SO HARD.

The Wonderful Weasleys
I think one of the tragedies of only watching the movies (other than DID YAH PUT YAH NAME IN DA GOBLET OF FIYAH?!) is that you miss out on some of the most wonderful characters of the series. The Weasley family is known and loved by anyone who has ever seen or read this story, but only the book-lovers truly know them. The movies cut out Charlie entirely (for shame), and so much of the Weasley character nuances are completely lost in the films. There are 7 Weasley children, so even the books can't quite spend enough time on each of them. But everything that's there is fantastic.

The Burrow is a brilliant place to be at the beginning of this book, when the entire Weasley family is together for the first time with Harry. I've always loved Bill. And can we just talk about the part where the champions are able to gather with their families before the final task, and Harry doesn't even bother going into the room because he has no family, and Cedric calls him in and says "they're waiting for you!" and Bill and Mrs. Weasley are standing there waiting for him? All of the feels.

I think Harry has always kind of wanted to help the Weasleys financially. He's always felt pangs of guilt and awkwardness when money issues are brought up, because he has so much and they have so little. While he has never quite known how to repay them for everything they've done for him, monetarily or otherwise, his decision to give the twins his winnings to start their joke shop is the best.

I also think it's the best that Dumbledore knows he can count on the Weasleys in the turbulent days ahead.

The Madness of Mad-Eye
Mad-Eye's betrayal has always been a very confusing twist for me, because I feel like I know Mad-Eye. I liked and respected him throughout the book, despite his quirks. He's this gritty, smart, attentive presence throughout the book, and when you discover that you never actually met the real Mad-Eye, it's very disorienting. His kindness to Neville, his ferret trick on Malfoy, his overall involvement in Harry's well-being. It's all tainted. I have no idea how I feel about the real Mad-Eye, because I don't know that guy. It's weird, feeling like I actually miss a psycho Death Eater.

Even knowing about his betrayal ahead of time, I still wasn't struck by much foreshadowing for it. When did you first suspect there might be something off-kilter about Mad-Eye? Or did you suspect him at all? I thought he was an incredibly well-disguised villain. His true accomplishment was the fact that he was able to hide his identity from Dumbledore himself. Dumbledore confided in him, called on him, and never seemed to guess that anything was amiss with the ex-Auror. That's somewhat comforting, because it suggests that the Moody impostor did his homework, and that his impersonation wasn't so far-off from the real thing - so perhaps we know the real Mad-Eye after all, in a roundabout way.

This kind of deception really permeates deeply. We see magical things that were previously used for simple mischief, such as the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map, used for murder and treachery. So many of Harry's well-intentioned actions turn around to devastate him. He's going to need a lot of therapy.

Hufflepuff Glory
Guys, I was really overwhelmed by the death of Cedric, and by pretty much the entire ending of the book. It just hit me really hard. I don't remember if I cried the first time I read it, but I was especially attentive to Cedric's character and to the small things about him that I maybe hadn't ever noticed before. One of the things that stood out to me this time around was when they were in the maze together, and Cedric decides he's going to give the victory to Harry. Harry is pretty shocked (and annoyed) by this. "He was walking away from the sort of glory Hufflepuff House hadn't had in centuries." But that's kind of what sets Hufflepuff apart, isn't it? It's not about the glory. It's about the loyalty.

Both Cedric and Harry hesitated and refused to take the Triwizard Cup alone, both urging the other to take it. They both recognized that their victory was only possible because of the help they had given each other, so they decided to take it together - as a team. Cedric's loyalty and fairness, and Harry's heart for others, is what ultimately led Cedric directly to his death...which I think is the saddest thing of all.

Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory.

The Overlooked
Neville Longbottom. I can't help but take a second to fully appreciate dear Neville. I adore the fact that Ginny goes to the ball with Neville, even though we all know she would have died to go with Harry. Neville is constantly under-appreciated and overlooked. He's the one that had the answer to gillyweed the entire time, but no one had bothered to ask him. His parents were tortured to the point of insanity by Death Eaters, but none of his friends had ever even thought to ask about them or why he was raised by his grandmother.

Like Harry, he has a past of similar horror and sorrow - arguably even worse - but it's something he has always silently lived with.

Things I Love
Percy is a total git, but I really enjoy the glimpse of humanity we see in him when he rushes out into the water, pale and panicked, to help Ron after the second task. He's not all bad, despite his best efforts to be obnoxious.

Fleur was totally checking out Bill across the room. She digs the long hair.

Everything about Sirius. I love he and Harry's relationship. We see Sirius taking on a much more authoritative, albeit restless and unorthodox, role in Harry's life. My favorite scene is when Harry is telling Dumbledore and Sirius what happened in the graveyard - when Harry tells them about the echoes of his parents coming out of Voldemort's wand, he looks around and sees that Sirius has his face buried in his hands.

Ron and Hermione! Oh, the tension. Harry didn't say anything. He liked being back on speaking terms with Ron too much to speak his mind right now -- but he somehow thought that Hermione had gotten the point much better than Ron had. 

The phoenix feather in Harry's wand is from Fawkes! I love that bird.

Mrs. Weasley set the potion down on the bedside cabinet, bent down, and put her arms around Harry. He had no memory of ever being hugged like this, as though by a mother. The full weight of everything he had seen that night seemed to fall in upon him as Mrs. Weasley held him to her. 

Sob.

Extra Questions:

1. Why do you think the Death Eaters chose the World Cup to come out of hiding for a bit of muggle torture? Why would they risk such a public display, when the Dark Mark still terrifies them so much?
2. Harry has been labeled a "great wizard" from the time he was a baby...does he deserve that title? Is he acting of his own free will or is his destiny pretty much set out for him, and manipulated around him, by others? Is he actually becoming a great wizard, or is he just lucky?
3. We see again and again that Harry is attentive and empathetic to others (he makes sure the other hostages are safe in the lake, he tells Cedric about the dragons, etc.) - what do you think about his ignorance of Neville's past, and his failure to ask Neville to help him in any of his tasks?
4. Does anyone else think that Snape owes Harry an apology for threatening him and accusing him of stealing from his office? Because he DEFINITELY owes one to Hermione for saying "I see no difference" after Draco hexes her teeth. Jerk.

I find it incredibly fitting that the ending chapter for this book is called The Beginning. It's the beginning of a lot of things. The characters are teenagers now. There are passions building, relationships complexifying. There has been murder, dark magic, the rise of an old evil. Of course, Harry has already dealt with sorrow and pain and danger - but witnessing Cedric's death is a real horror for him in a way that the death of his parents never was. It changes him.

"The Beginning" serves as a giant cliffhanger. We know now why Harry has to be sent to the Dursleys every summer - there's some kind of ancient magic invoked there by Dumbledore that protects him as long as he's there. But everything else (Hagrid's summer assignment with Madame Maxime, Snape's mysterious task, why Dumbledore trusts Snape so much, Hermione's decision to kidnap Rita Skeeter in a jar, how the Ministry will react/ignore Voldemort's rise to power, etc.) is left in the air. There's a hovering anticipation that will lead us directly into The Order of the Phoenix. 

THANK YOU for reading along! Share your thoughts below, but be careful of spoilers if it's your first time reading through this series, because there are bound to be a few. If you have read them/seen them before, please try to only respond regarding plot points from this book and avoid series-wide spoilers. Thanks!

Come back here on October 30th to celebrate Molly Weasley's birthday, and to discuss Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix! Go forth and read, my friends. And good luck - it's my least favorite book.

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harry potter book club: the prisoner of azkaban

It's finally here!

I'm so sorry for the delay in posting this. It has been a crazy month and I haven't been able to really sit down and pour out all of my thoughts. This is my favorite book in the series, so I'm feeling the pressure to thoroughly articulate my love for it in this review. I'm not really sure if it's my favorite because it's amazing all on its own, or if it's my favorite because of the impact these characters and storylines have on the rest of the series. I also can't forget to say a very belated birthday to Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) and Dobby, whom I previously said I would be dedicating this review to. If you missed our review of book 2, The Chamber of Secrets, hop on back and read it!

Let's get started.

Practical Magic
This is one of my favorite beginnings. Call me juvenile, but I find it rather gratifying that Harry inflates his horrible aunt and runs away. All things considered, Harry is incredibly tolerant of the Dursleys. Him losing his temper with them and getting the heck out of Privet Drive is kind of a highlight for me. His subsequent stay at The Leaky Cauldron is the absolute best because it's how I would love to spend every summer of my life. Wandering Diagon Alley, exploring the shops, buying loads of magical odds and ends and doing homework outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. That's the dream.

It strikes me again in this book that the Ministry's rules for underage magic use are kind of stupid. In the last book, Harry received an official warning of expulsion because Dobby performed magic at the Dursleys. Seems like their system could use some work. Harry technically should have been expelled for ballooning his aunt, but being the Boy Who Lived has its conveniences I suppose.

The Secret Windows

Rowling does a wonderful job of creating little portals in each book that link directly to the ultimate purpose and plot of the series as a whole. She includes little hints and character previews that I never noticed the first time around. One of my favorites to read was that of Cedric Diggory, who won't really be introduced until the next book. You can already tell that he's easygoing and likable. He tries to declare a rematch when he catches the snitch after Harry's dementor fall because he feels terrible about winning under such circumstances, and he's one of the first people to congratulate Harry on obtaining the new Firebolt as a replacement for his poor smashed Nimbus (was anyone else absurdly sad about that?). He's a classy fellow.

I'm constantly asking myself as I read these books -- are these links intentional? Perhaps she's retroactively creative, and takes little pieces from past books and makes them relevant to the future. Could she have already known the ultimate significance of the vanishing cabinet that was smashed in book 2, or was that just a coincidence? I'm constantly questioning both Rowling and Dumbledore. How much do you really know? Either way these tidbits are genius, and they make rereading this series all the more exciting. Now that I know the ending of each book, looking for the clever ways that she hints and foreshadows the truth is very fun.

The Slow Regard of Hermione

Hermione spends the majority of this book on her own, due partially to the stress of taking a bajillion classes and due mostly to her constant fighting with Ron. Harry is more or less stuck in the middle, but he's basically on Ron's side by default. They're 13 now, so this book is kind of the prequel to their teenage angst. Be passive aggressive, be stubborn, don't communicate. The keys to being a proper teen.

The fact that Hermione is keeping big secrets from the boys and is more or less alone for most of the book creates the best tension, though. She manages to keep her Time-Turner a secret and chooses to protect Lupin's secret as well (possibly out of spite). Her intellectual absence from the bulk of the story keeps the boys, and occasionally the reader, in the dark about a few things. It makes you realize how integral Hermione really is to the trio. There is a lot of fan appreciation for the concept that the trio are representations of Hogwarts Houses, despite the fact that they're all in Gryffindor. Ron is the Hufflepuff and Hermione is the Ravenclaw. (It's a little unfair there's no nod to Slytherin, unless you argue that Harry is both Slytherin and Gryffindor - there has to be someone in Slytherin that isn't awful).

There are multiple moments in which Hermione completely shocks, inspires, and impresses absolutely everyone. She mocks a professor, storms out of Divination, smacks Malfoy across the face. I love Lupin's appreciation for her intelligence, and I love when she startles Sirius by calling him "Mr. Black" in the Shrieking Shack. By the end of the book you realize she was completely on point the entire time, from trusting her cat to totally calling it that Sirius sent Harry that dang Firebolt.

The Cat's Meow
Let's be honest, Crookshanks is the bomb. Cats rule the magic world. Because there's also McGonagall, who is an Animagus cat, and no can argue that she's legit. Crookshanks, with his flat face and bottlebrush tail, can instantly tell the true character of another person/animal. He befriends Sirius Black even when he's in dog form, and curls up protectively on his chest when he's being threatened by Harry. Crookshanks saw right through the scrawny Scabbers and plotted his demise from day 1, despite the continual interference from the clueless trio. Crookshanks knows best, guys. Even Ron figures that out by the end, allowing Crookshanks to purr his approval of Ron's new owl.

I've gotta point out that this book features a great display of animal intelligence. Hedwig somehow finds Hermione on her vacation in France before Harry's birthday (how are these owls so incredible at finding people?) and as Hermione puts it, "I think she wanted to make sure you got something for your birthday for a change." Hedwig then shows up at the Leaky Cauldron right when Harry does, because she's the smartest and best owl in the universe. Then there's Buckbeak. I love that hippogriffs are so proud, and that they bow to display their trust in a person. Plus, any creature that pecks the crap out of Malfoy is a hero in my book.

I don't know about you, but I would have loved to see how Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class would have progressed without Malfoy's interference. It's such a bummer, because that first class was seriously cool. I think he could have been an incredible teacher if he maintained that confidence. As always, poor Hagrid. In any case, when I first read this book, I was equally relieved by the life saving of both Sirius and Buckbeak. They make an epic runaway pair.

Random Aside
I just have to mention the Quidditch Cup. And the fact that McGonagall actually takes a break from scolding Lee Jordan to shake her fist at Malfoy. Brilliant. For some reason I always tear up when they win and I just want to be there to see Oliver Wood's face. Silly, stubborn, absurd Oliver Wood. I think I love him.

Magical Artifacts

The Time-Turner kind of boggles my mind. Was this another Dumbledore dupe? I feel like Hogwarts leadership wouldn't just hand such a powerful device over to a third year student just because she wanted to sign up for every class available. Hermione mentions that McGonagall had to beg the Ministry and send a ton of letters for permission, but that's an awfully big advantage they're giving to her. Why wouldn't they just rearrange class times to allow Hermione to attend a few more crucial lessons? Certainly that would have been easier than throwing a 13-year-old into the dangerous throes of time travel. 

Unless Dumbledore needed someone who knew how to use it. Needed someone who was smart, good, driven and responsible to utilize the Time-Turner with Harry in case it needed to be used for the good of Sirius Black. For the good of justice.  I SEE YOU DUMBLEDORE. I see your little smirk when Buckbeak mysteriously disappears. Those twinkling eyes don't fool me.

P.S. WHY don't they use the Time-Turner more often? There are so many bad things that happen at Hogwarts. You could go back and hit Malfoy again, just for fun. Who knows, maybe they use it all the time and we just don't see it happening.

The Marauder's Map is undoubtedly the greatest achievement teenage boys have ever accomplished. I'm not really going to get into the questions of how they actually managed to create such a powerful and intuitive tool (and how they first discovered that tapping the witch statue's hump and saying "dissendium" opened a secret passageway) but I will ask this: how did Fred and George Weasley never notice that Ron was sleeping with a boy named Peter Pettigrew in his dormitory for two whole years??

This is a popular fan question, and it's a hilarious one to consider, but my best answer would be that Fred and George weren't really using the map that much at this point. They knew its secrets, and probably only utilized it when sneaking around. I doubt they ever used it to look at the Gryffindor dormitories. They were more concerned with which teachers were roaming the halls, and how best to manage mischief around the castle and beyond. They obviously felt confident enough in their own abilities to pass the map on to Harry, so chances are it had been a while since they had scoured it daily.

Moony, Padfoot and Prongs

have the power to rip my heart out every time. Anyone who knows me well knows that Sirius Black is my favorite Harry Potter character of all time, but I also adore Lupin. His presence is so gentle in this book even though he holds the key to so many of its mysteries. There are interesting subtleties in both Lupin and Sirius that I paid special attention to this time around. For instance, every time Harry mentions hearing the deaths of his mother and father when the dementors draw near, Lupin physically reacts. He pales or flinches or his hand slips off his desk. Harry has no idea that he's speaking and sharing these dementor-driven haunts with someone who lived life with his parents and loved them dearly. 

Lupin has an incredible line in this book that always hits me: 

Don't expect me to cover up for you again, Harry. I cannot make you take Sirius Black seriously. But I would have thought that what you have heard when the dementors draw near you would have had more of an effect on you. Your parents gave their lives to keep you alive, Harry. A poor way to repay them -- gambling their sacrifice for a bag of magic tricks.

I think the greatest struggle I have with this book is understanding why Sirius, Lupin and James would ever trust Peter Pettigrew with their lives. Perhaps he was a wonderful liar, or they simply overlooked the possibility of treachery because he worshiped them. Maybe it would be like thinking Neville was working for the Dark Lord; the thought just never occurred to anyone, why would it? It's difficult to really understand because we know so little of their time together as friends at Hogwarts, but it boggles my mind that they would never question such a sniveling, cowardly boy's loyalty. It's crazy to me that Sirius and Lupin both suspected each other before they ever suspected Peter. I wonder how that distrust started, and what possessed Sirius to put so much faith in Wormtail instead. Dumbledore himself had offered to be the Secret-Keeper for the Potters; why not go to him?

Of all the villains in the series, Peter Pettigrew is the most foul. We haven't come across Bellatrix or Umbridge yet, and they're both horrid as well, but I simply cannot stomach the vile cowardice of Peter Pettigrew.

The Shrieking Shack
I could probably talk for an hour just about the Shrieking Shack scene, which contains so much what-the-crappery. But I was especially interested in the subtext of the slow realization that Sirius is innocent. Right at the beginning, Ron yells at Sirius, "if you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!" The next line says that something flickered in Black's shadowed eyes. I wonder what that flicker was? Surprise, or possibly respect? Ron is hardly an imposing presence, but I'll bet you anything Sirius would appreciate and be impressed by such boldness from the scrawny best friend of Harry Potter.

Also, when Sirius is attacked by Harry, he says, "No, I've waited too long --" I have always thought that line was referring to the regret he felt regarding Harry... that he had waited too long to reach out to him and tell him the truth. But now I think he's saying I've waited too long to fail now! in reference to killing Pettigrew. He's pretty vague throughout this whole encounter and obviously a bit rusty at human interaction after being imprisoned for 12 years, but I now wonder what his thoughts at that point are. He obviously is obsessed with killing Pettigrew, but he has also shown that he cares very much about Harry. Which drive is stronger?

It was also very hard for me to not shout at Harry about Trelawney's prophecy. As silly as that woman is, she literally told Harry hours earlier that Voldemort's servant would escape that night. So yes, Harry, it kind of is your fault...but I suppose it's better to not be a murderer, and to have Wormtail owe you a great debt. That's a kind of special magic, like the love of Lily. As Dumbledore says, "the time may come when you will be very glad you saved Pettigrew's life." When Dumbledore speaks, ya'll listen up.

The Good, the Bad and the Snape
Snape. SNAPE. This might be my favorite book for the sole reason that Snape goes absolutely batty and embarrasses himself. It's pointed out a few times by various characters, but Snape simply cannot deal in this book. He's beside himself as soon as Lupin arrives. He just cannot let go of his school grudges. Even Lupin implores him, "you fool - is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back inside Azkaban?" The answer is yes, Lupin, and he would love to put you there, too.

We all know what it's like to have those formative moments as a young person. It's difficult to let those things go, especially if you were particularly mistreated or bullied. But keep in mind that Snape is behaving this way 16 years after school ended, and after a war. His great nemesis James Potter was murdered 12 years ago. He's gone. The power with which Snape clings to his hatred of James and Harry is pretty astounding.

While many may feel differently, I think Snape reveals himself here to be petty, immature, vindictive, and kind of insane. He shouts constantly at Hermione, spits all over the place, and won't listen to reason - even from Dumbledore. I kind of agree with Cornelius Fudge by the end, which is a first. "Fellow seems quite unbalanced...I'd watch out for him if I were you, Dumbledore."

The Ending
Does anyone else cry through pretty much the entire end chapter? Of course, Sirius being innocent doesn't do a whole lot of good when there's no proof. Pettigrew escapes. Even the power of the Time-Turner doesn't allow for them to reverse his escape (although I can't help but cringe every time Hermione stops Harry from interfering - just GET THE RAT!).

I find it to be rather interesting that in both this book and the last, one of the trio is out for the count. In Chamber of Secrets, Hermione misses out on all the action. She's petrified and never gets to see the Chamber of Secrets or experience that part of the adventure. Likewise in this book, Ron is the one restricted to the hospital wing while Hermione and Harry save lives and time travel. What a bummer!

The real heart-wrenchers for me, though, are when Sirius invites Harry to live with him and Harry says yes and Sirius smiles - a smile that transforms him back into the man that James knew. When Sirius tells Harry that he has been watching his Quidditch matches, and that he flies as well as his father did. When Harry is trying to protect Sirius from the dementors and keeps saying to himself, "I'm going to live with my godfather. He'll be alright. I'm going to go and live with him." When Harry thinks he sees his father across the lake. When he realizes his father is actually himself, and that his Patronus is a stag. When they rescue Sirius and barely have time to say goodbye. When Sirius says "you really are your father's son, Harry." When Lupin resigns, and Harry begs him to stay. When Dumbledore says, "Prongs rode again last night" (and pretty much Dumbledore's entire ending dialogue). When Harry mourns for the home he almost had with Sirius - because it would have been the next best thing to having his father back. And lastly, of course, when Sirius sends a new owl for Ron, with a letter and a note giving Harry permission to visit Hogsmeade on weekends. Gah. I just can't. It's too much.

Extra Questions:

1. Do you think Dumbledore is ever really in the dark? Both Lupin and Dumbledore say that he never knew about their Animagi powers while they were at school, and he seems genuinely surprised about Sirius's innocence - he even provided the Ministry with the proof that Sirius was the Potters' Secret-Keeper. But the convenience of the Time-Turner, and his little smile when Buckbeak is missing, and his vague amusement and twinkling eyes all make me want to call his bluff.
2. What would your boggart transform into? I'm genuinely curious about this for myself. I have no idea what would pop out of that old cupboard, which makes it all the more terrifying. It would probably be a shark. A floating shark, dear Lord.
3. Does Sirius deserve Snape's lifelong wrath? The prank Sirius pulled was neither funny nor safe, but nothing truly terrible happened and Sirius spent 12 years in Azkaban as an innocent man. Is Snape's grudge against all three of them still justified?
4. How many Quidditch deaths do you think they're hiding from the public? This game is so dangerous. They play in horrific weather, they have no way to stop people from coming on the field dressed as dementors/actual dementors, they don't seem to have any hex protection in place...

I think that might actually wrap up this month's discussion of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban! It's going to be impossible for me to review these books as they continue to get longer. I have so much to say, I can barely stop talking. I'm nerding out hardcore, I think. I need to reign myself in.

In any case, THANK YOU for reading along! Share your thoughts below, but be careful of spoilers if it's your first time reading through this series, because there are bound to be a few. If you have read them/seen them before, please try to only respond regarding plot points from this book and avoid series-wide spoilers. Thanks!

Next up will be Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and the review will be posted here on the blog on September 1st in honor of the first day of school at Hogwarts. That should give us all time to read, reflect, and review.

See you then!

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harry potter book club: the chamber of secrets

Welcome to the Harry Potter Book Club's discussion of The Chamber of Secrets! And a very happy birthday to the one and only Professor Pomona Sprout, who may very well be the unsung hero of this entire book.

(If you're new, make sure to jump back and take a look at our review and discussion of book 1, The Sorcerer's Stone.)

Let's get started!

A New Year...
a new debacle for Harry Potter. This debacle just happens to be a bizarre little orb-eyed elf named Dobby. Let's talk about Dobby for a second. I must confess that I can't help feeling incredibly frustrated with Dobby, as Harry does. While his intentions are pure and his little soul is desperately trying to help, he's quite exclusively a pain in the tuckus at this point. Blocking Harry's mail, smashing Petunia's pudding, sealing platform 9 3/4, trying to (not) kill Harry with a rogue bludger, giving him totally useless hints. What did you think of Dobby? Did you like him despite yourself?

(SIDE NOTE: So did no one else notice that insanely rogue bludger in the Quidditch match? I feel like maybe Quidditch should be a little more fail safe. Since every viewer is magic, how is it that Quidditch matches aren't constantly tampered with by the spectators in the stands? No one seemed to really notice, care about or put a stop to Harry's rogue broom in the last book, either. Considering what Harry has been through in only two seasons of playing, it's a mystery how the death toll is so low in the history of the sport.)

I think the biggest relief of Harry freeing Dobby in the end (awww) is that their conversations can be a bit more straightforward from now on; less head smashing.

Introductions
are especially significant reading these books the second time around. There are a few key introductions that happen in this book that are pretty momentous throughout the series. As we've already discussed, there's Dobby, who has a great arc throughout the series and does (spoiler alert) return to save Harry's life once again.

Then there's the Burrow. Is there anyone in their right mind who wouldn't want to live there? When Ron is first showing Harry around, and he's all self-conscious about it, and Harry's just like, honestly, this is the best house I've ever been in, and Ron's ears turn pink. Gah. Best friendship.

While we had technically already met Ginny Weasley, this book is basically her I have arrived party. Sure, she spends most of it it strangling roosters and putting her heart and soul into a dark and dangerous diary, but she gets better later. She's only 11, after all. Kids be kids.

Then there's Tom Riddle. This book provides us with the first of many glimpses into the origins of Lord Voldemort. It's chilling to see Harry so easily trusting Tom, allowing us to see firsthand how Voldemort manipulated and betrayed so many people even in his youth.

There's also floo powder, which LOL, Harry is the worst at using.

Gryffindors Are Brave
but they're also kind of brash and thoughtless. They plunge on without taking stock of all of their options. Sometimes it suits them very well and even saves lives - but other times, like when they steal an enchanted Ford Anglia and fly it into the school's Whomping Willow, it does not. This is seriously a perfect example of foolhardiness a la Gryffindor. I adore McGonagall's first bemused question to the boys: Why didn't you just send us a letter with your owl? Oh. Right. Well...I suppose that would have been an efficient alternative. I'm a Hufflepuff, so maybe I'm biased, but there's a difference between bravery and showboating. Them Gryffindors be crazy.

(SIDE NOTE: This book shows how Ron and Harry have influenced Hermione - that Gryffindor-ness is spreading. It's the first time we see Hermione actively and willingly pursuing rule-breaking. That Polyjuice Potion idea was all hers, and even though she ended up turning herself into a cat, we all love her more for it.)

The Blue Ford Anglia
wins the award for best character, by the way. Hands down. I love Ron's assertion when they come across the car again in the Forbidden Forest: the forest has turned it wild. Major props to Arthur Weasley for a Grade A enchantment on this car-beast that drives in and owns Aragog's entire family and whisks the boys, and Fang, to safety. I love this plot twist more than I can possibly say. It certainly saved Hagrid a lot of grief, because can you imagine how terrible he would have felt if his buddy Aragog and his chillins devoured Ron and Harry? I certainly hope the boys took the time later on to tell Hagrid please don't send humans to hang out with Aragog ever again. That conversation isn't in the books, but I imagine it happened and it was fierce. I also imagine a lot of high-pitched incredulity from Ron. Follow the spiders? FOLLOW THE SPIDERS?

Ultimately I don't know how the Anglia managed to adopt these heroic traits, but its apparent sentience is my favorite thing.

Mandrakes
freak me the heck out, guys. They're like regular babies, who grow up and get acne and throw parties in the greenhouses. You know they're mature when they start trying to fraternize and move into each other's pots! And then they're cut up and used for juice. Does this disturb no one else? Hm?

But okay. All of that aside, Professor Sprout has gotta win something, too. Maybe her and the Anglia are tied for best. Sprout is the one that single-handedly raises the freaky children of the soil and restores all of the petrified students to full health. She's a greenhouse boss.

Although it does strike me as incredibly fortuitous that Sprout happens to have a batch of mandrakes in progress at the beginning of a year when students are petrified and happen to be in need of mandrake juice (BLECH). Is it good fortune, or is it Dumbledore? That is the question.
Mmhmm. I SEE YOU, Dumbledore.

Oh, How the Tides Turn
as soon as you're a Parseltongue. It's amazing how quickly the student body decides to turn on Harry, despite his great deeds to the wizarding world (foiling Voldemort twice already in his young life) and the fact that he's only 12 and relatively new to wizardry as a whole. Rude. I do appreciate that the students that originally blamed Harry for the attacks came back and apologized later. I can respect that. Although Ernie Macmillan is still kind of a dummy.

Probably one of the biggest revelations at the end of this book is that Harry speaks Parseltongue because Voldemort does. Basically it's possible and very likely that Voldemort transferred some of his abilities and powers to Harry when he left him that lightning scar. It's a sliver of information that continues to chisel away at Harry (and the reader) as the books continue. What does this connection really mean? How far does it go?


Having Siblings Challenges You
to be a better person, but sometimes it's also just a challenge. This book contains a lot of sibling dynamics, most of them Weasley oriented of course because there are so many of them.

I cringed every time this book mentioned George and Fred teasing or purposefully scaring Ginny throughout her first year at school. She was having nightmares, and was increasingly distraught over the Chamber attacks (which, in hindsight, poor girl!). The Weasley twins weren't exactly helpful, even though they were ignorant of her real problems. I also cannot stand Percy. Where did he come from? How is he a Weasley? He's the worst.

A book clubber posted on our group page about how touching this particular passage was, when Ron helps Harry change into his pajamas in the hospital wing after Lockhart removes all of the bones from Harry's arm. I never would have thought of it this way, but she was right in saying that this is a very sweet scene. Growing up with Dudley as his single brother-like connection means that the support, kindness and closeness that Harry experiences with Ron, who grew up with a ton of brothers, means more to Harry than Ron would probably ever realize. Harry never had siblings or parents to help him change or care for him when he was injured (or rescue him from a barred window at the Dursleys). This demonstrates a degree of comfort with another person that he's never really known before. It's his first experience with brotherhood.

Lockhart the Grinning Villain
is one of the best examples of people that I love to hate. While his role is endlessly obnoxious, and I echo Harry's dread every time Lockhart shows up, I agree with another HP book clubber who said that he's a very weak, very frustrating person, but is also very funny and not totally unsympathetic. The revelation that he stole the heroic stories from other witches and wizards by wiping their memories isn't all that surprising. But the resulting twist with Ron's backfiring wand, which was broken at the very beginning of the book, is the best. I think Lockhart's end is rather fitting, and I giggle every time I think about him flying, witless, out of the Chamber on the tail of Fawkes the phoenix - Amazing! Amazing! This is just like magic!

Speaking of villains, this book has a lot of them. The obvious is Tom Riddle, an encapsulated 16-year-old Voldemort out to wreak havoc and attack muggle-borns. Then there's Gilderoy Lockhart, and the slimy Lucius Malfoy, who is arguably the real cause of the year's catastrophes. He's the one that owns the diary and sneaks it into poor Ginny's cauldron before school begins. SUPER satisfying to see him thrown back by his own unintentionally freed house elf at the end. His son Draco is equally terrible, rising to new heights of awfulness by targeting Hermione with cruel names and death threats.

(SIDE NOTE: how adorable/sad is it when Ron jumps to Hermione's aid when Draco calls her a mudblood? He ends up spewing slugs for the rest of the chapter for his trouble, but he still deserves a badge for kindness and courage. I lurv him.)

Draco is particularly nasty in this book. We also can't forget the eternally grumpy Argus Filch (how did he get a job there, though, really?) and the horrible Peeves the poltergeist.

For those of you who have only seen the movies, Peeves is new for you! I actually really like him, because he typically only shows up when something interesting is going on. He's not truly on anyone's side, which occasionally makes him an unexpected ally. I kind of secretly enjoy his antics.

BONUS: please tell me someone else noticed that Peeves happened to drop a very large black and gold vanishing cabinet over Filch's office? No spoilers for future books, but...that's how it was broken!!

Loyalty to Dumbledore
comes with some major props. For the most part Dumbledore is a grand mystery, and I always feel like he's just eternally winking because he knows everything but doesn't like to say so, but he always comes through when he's needed. I adore the relationship between Fawkes and Dumbledore. Who knows how they met or how long they've been together. I love the way that Harry meets Fawkes though -- the bird explodes into flame during Harry's very first moments in the headmaster's office. It's hilarious but was probably pretty terrifying for the poor boy. Sir, your bird exploded.

The appearance of Fawkes at Harry's time of need is incredibly important - so is the sword of Gryffindor, of course, because it finally answers the question that has been haunting Harry from the start: should he have been a Slytherin after all? But Dumbledore is king and always drops the wisdom. It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.

First of all I want to thank you. You must have shown me great loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you. 

Dumbledore

Hagrid Deserves Better
than a broken wand and a shattered reputation. I saved this point for last because for me, it's the most egregious. What strikes me is that Hagrid never tells Harry (or anyone, it seems) about what happened in his second, and last, year as a student at Hogwarts. He was wrongfully expelled, and he knows he's innocent, but he accepts his position at Hogwarts and Dumbledore's faith in him to be an acceptable trade off. Hagrid is a good man, but this is very hard for me to believe.

If you are born a wizard, how is it possible that the only chance you have of ever using your magic (which is a part of your identity, it's inseparable from you) is graduating from a magic school? I feel like being expelled shouldn't really be an option. And if it is, you should definitely be able to finish your education somehow. Surely there are tons of silly 11-year-olds that have gotten into trouble and been expelled, but is that really fair to doom them to an entirely magic-less existence?

In this book, this is the second time in 50 years that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened. The Ministry somehow still thinks that Hagrid is to blame, so he's sent to Azkaban prison. Of course the Chamber has nothing to do with him, and eventually the basilisk is killed and the mystery is finally solved for good. My first order of business would be to clear Hagrid's name, not only fetching him (with bowing and scraping and apologies galore) from Azkaban but also granting him a full pardon and giving him his wand back to finish school. He should have hopped right back in as a third year. He could have been Harry's classmate! Why did this not happen. 

Extra Questions:

1. What was your favorite twist? Moaning Myrtle, Ron's wand backfiring on Lockhart (and Dumbledore saying, Oh! Impaled on your own sword, Gilderoy!), Fawkes and the sword of Gryffindor, the Anglia saving them in the forest, Ginny Weasley opening the Chamber, Tom Riddle being Voldemort, slimy Lucius Malfoy owning the diary, Harry freeing Dobby...
2. Who's your least favorite character in CoS, and why? Gilderoy Lockhart, Draco Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, Moaning Myrtle, Argus Filch, Percy...
3. Why is Draco the worst? Does he honestly want Hermione dead, or is his bark worse than his bite? Did you ever really think he was the Heir of Slytherin?
4. How quickly did you connect the disembodied voice of the Chamber monster with Harry's ability to speak Parseltongue? No wonder no one else could hear it! Also, why couldn't Hermione have at least yelled BASILISK before running off to the library?
5. Do you think Dumbledore purposefully hires Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers that are evil and/or terrible? Maybe he knows they'll somehow challenge Harry to grow as a wizard. He does have a great sense of humor. He totally knows everything that's going on, I'm convinced. He can see through Invisibility Cloaks. I SEE YOU, Mr. Dumbles.

Well, I think that wraps up this month's discussion of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets!

Thanks so much for joining us. Share your thoughts below, but be careful of spoilers if it's your first time reading through this series, because there are bound to be a few. If you have read them/seen them before, please try to only respond regarding plot points from this book and avoid series-wide spoilers. Thanks!

The new review will be here on the blog next month, on June 27th, to celebrate both Dobby and the glorious Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom), who share a birthday.

See you then!

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