Order of the Phoenix Spoiler Thread

DWAlphaGam · #1 06-22-2003, 11:35 AM

WARNING: This is where the people who already read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix can discuss what they thought about the specific events in the book. If you haven't read it yet and you don't want to know what happens, don't read any further. If you do, don't complain about it because you were adequately warned.

carnation · #2 06-22-2003, 11:54 AM

I liked it a lot--but dang, Harry is angry. Rightfully so, but if I were an author, I wouldn't put so much of it in a book-- it gives the reader a negative mood.

Sirius' death is kinda glossed over...I didn't want anything descriptive but I was thinking, "Huh? Did he die?"

DWAlphaGam · #3 06-22-2003, 12:14 PM

Geez, I don't know where to start. A lot of stuff happened in that 870 pages.

The biggest shock in the story was, of course, the death. We all knew it was coming, but I definitely was still surprised who it was. I really thought for most of the time that it would be Hagrid or possibly Dumbledore, although Dumbledore isn't really a logical choice because he has to be around to explain things to Harry. Thinking back, there were definitely signs that it would be Sirius, especially when Harry was leaving to go back to school and he kept wanting to say something to him but wasn't able to. This is defintiely something that will affect Harry deeply in the next 2 books. ETA: I just saw carnation's post, and yes, it was glossed over a bit. But I think JKR wanted the reader to react the same way that Harry did; he thought that maybe it didn't really happen at first, and it took awhile to sink in (and at the end, I don't think it had really fully hit him yet).

Speaking of death, one thing that kept bothering me was that Harry was not able to see the thestrals until now. Shouldn't he have been able to see them the whole time because he witnessed his parents' deaths as a baby? Or do you have to be conscious of and able to comprehend the death in order to see them? hmmm...

I enjoyed the Cho storyline. I think it's about time Harry got together with someone, and it helped keep the mood a little bit lighter at times. The reactions of Harry, Ron, and Hermione were hysterical after the kiss, especially Harry's horror when he thought that it was possible that Cho was crying because he was so bad, LOL. JKR did a great job of capturing all of the adolescent reactions and emotions. Cho gets around, though, doesn't she?

It's hard to say if Harry will end up with Ginny or Hermione, but I think it will probably be Ginny, especially if Ron has anything to do with it. I think the line where Harry compared Ron and Hermione's interaction with Mr. & Mrs. Weasely may be a bit of foreshadowing.

Neville certainly showed why he's in Gryffindor in this book. It was nice to see him finally succeeding at something. It was also nice to see a little more character development with him when they showed him with his parents at St. Mungo's. The twist at the end, where it could have been either him or Harry that could defeat Voldemort, was very interesting. I think that Neville will figure prominently in the final battle.

Dumbledore's final speech to Harry was very touching, and I think it's exactly what he needed, even if he doesn't want to listen right now. Anyone who thought that Dumbledore was possibly going to turn evil has been proven wrong. I don't see him surviving at the end of all of this, though.

I think that's all for right now. I'm going to go back and reread the book a little more slowly. I hope that book 6 comes out a little more quickly than this one did!

midwesterngirl · #4 06-22-2003, 12:36 PM

As unpleasant as Snape is,I was sad that he was treated so badly by James(Harry's Dad) and his friends.Nobody deserves that.I was glad that Harry's mom stood up for him.
I have to agree that Cho sure gets around.I think it will be Ginny that Harry gets together with.Hermione will eventually get together with Ron.I almost said hookup but that is maybe a tad too strong a phrase.

fire1977 · #5 06-22-2003, 02:24 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by DWAlphaGam

Speaking of death, one thing that kept bothering me was that Harry was not able to see the thestrals until now. Shouldn't he have been able to see them the whole time because he witnessed his parents' deaths as a baby? Or do you have to be conscious of and able to comprehend the death in order to see them? hmmm...

Because he didn't really see death until Cedric died.

I was so depressed after Sirius died. Unfortunately, I think it had to happen to enable Harry to kill Voldemort.

I also felt bad for Snape.

So what questions do we still not know the answers to?

Beryana · #6 06-22-2003, 04:04 PM

I want to find out how Harry and the gang did on their O.W.L.s

I really liked the book! The beginning was a little slow but I could definitely understand why Harry was so angry. I also think JKR handled Sirius' death wonderfully. My jaw personally hit the ground as well as I cried (Sirius is my favority character. . . . ). I think that Harry is going to get with Luna - though Ginny is definitely in the top three

I also interested to see how Snape and Harry resolve their issues. . . .

Sarah
going back to read it again slower. . .

texas*princess · #7 06-22-2003, 04:40 PM

whoa! 870 pages?? Didn't that book just come out like a day ago? and people are already done reading it?! wow!

I never got into the HP series.. but I think it's cool how people are so intruiged by it that they read all 870 pages in like a day!

OUlioness01 · #8 06-22-2003, 04:46 PM

i cried when mr weasley was hurt because i really thought that he was giong to be the one to die after harry's dream that wasn't really a dream. sirius's death really didn't affect me as much as mcgonagall being hurt or mr weasley getting hurt, i think it was becasue i had seen how he was kinda mean to snape when they were in school and everything.
i was so proud of neville in this book! i've always liked him, he's just a sweet honest guy and he really showed his true colors in the way he worked so hard to master the new DADA spells he was learning.
anyone else confused about what dumbledore was telling harry at the end? i thought he would tell him a little bit moer than he did AND i was trying to figure out what dumbledore meant by saying that his relationship with harry was more than that of headmaster/teacher to student. did i miss something in the book?
what was with aunt petunia knowing more about the wizarding world than she showed before? i'm beginning to think she knows a lot more than she lets on.
this thread is such a relief. i don't know anyone else besides GCers who have finished this book!

Magnolias · #9 06-22-2003, 05:04 PM

I thought that the concept of death as being just on the other side of the curtain was great.

Beryana · #10 06-22-2003, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by OUlioness01
anyone else confused about what dumbledore was telling harry at the end? i thought he would tell him a little bit moer than he did AND i was trying to figure out what dumbledore meant by saying that his relationship with harry was more than that of headmaster/teacher to student. did i miss something in the book?

I think that the relationship was more than just headmaster/student because of everything that Harry has gone through. He cares for Harry more than most other student - especially since he knows the entire profecy. Because of the profecy (and D knowing only how much V knows of it. . . ), D knows that Harry has to be protected because if Harry dies then V will not be able to be killed. . . .

Quote:

what was with aunt petunia knowing more about the wizarding world than she showed before? i'm beginning to think she knows a lot more than she lets on.

I think she knows more because of the letter D left with Harry when they dropped him off. I am curious to know what exactly what was in that letter. . . I'm also sure that P knew more from Lily than she lets others know (out of jealousy?). I'm also going to hazard a guess that Lily isn't completely muggleborn (an grandparent, great-grandparent, aunt, uncle, possibly even a parent. . . ).

I also wanted to add to my previous likes (cuz I just realized it!) about of the D.A. members are actually helping to fulfill the Sorting Hat's request for everyone to join together to fight V.

I'm all for a more indepth discussion of the book as I too don't know all that many people around here who are into HP (other than my dad, but I'm not loaning him my book until I read it another 2-3 times!)

Sarah

SDTSarah · #11 06-22-2003, 05:19 PM

I was so upset that Sirius died. Actually, I think I would rather have it be Hagrid. It's just like...how much more can you put Harry through?!

I was a little surprised by Harry's anger. It's understandable, but shocking. I was also a little pissed at Dumbledore...I think it's the first time he seemed a little weak, and that's scary to me. I'm still a little confused about the ghost thing and the "fight" sequence in the Department of Mysteries...but I guess I'll go back and read more carefully.

TigerLilly · #12 06-22-2003, 05:56 PM

I was so sad when Sirius died! My favorite character... Won't Harry ever get true family? It was sweet when the Order of the Phoenix people met Harry at the train station, though, acting like a little surrogate family.
Unfortunately I had forewarning about who would die...CNN had a little news segment on Saturday morning, and something was said about the character who dies having been introduced in the third book. I was thinking, dangit! You just revealed who's going to die for everyone quick enough to pick up on that!
I was intrigued by the idea of death being just beyond the veil, too...I'd like to know more about what that archway is and what purpose it serves.

sugar and spice · #13 06-22-2003, 07:57 PM

I just finished this morning.

Three words: I LOVE DUMBLEDORE.

The death: I had read online that somebody was going to die and that it was going to be a hard scene for J.K. Rowling to write. So naturally, any time that anyone was in danger, I started freaking out: "Oh no! Mrs. Weasley is going to die! Mr. Weasley is going to die! Neville is going to die! Dumbledore is going to die! McGonagall is going to die!" When Sirius was the one that ended up dying, I was pretty unaffected. I've never really liked Sirius all that much, and he was especially obnoxious in this book, so I was a little disappointed . . . I wanted a death that I could start bawling at.

I really like how Ginny has turned into a little vixen with all her boyfriends

although I have to admit, I would like to see her and Harry together at the end of the series. I think this book was a push for us to see Ginny as more grown-up and not just as "Ron's little sister" anymore.

Ditto on the thestrals -- why couldn't Harry see them before? I suppose you have to really witness death and internalize it, not just see it . . . but it would have been nice if Rowling had covered that. Also ditto on Neville . . . I liked how the prophecy could mean either him or Harry, and I agree that he'll probably feature heavily in the final battle.

Kreacher freaked me out!

Two things I didn't see coming AT ALL: Ron being a prefect instead of Harry, and the fact that Harry's dad was a little bit of a jerk (at least at age 15).

I liked the Dumbledore vs. Voldemort scene at the end, but I thought the battle scenes as a whole dragged on too long and the end was somewhat anticlimactic -- especially after the battle scenes in Goblet of Fire, which freaked me out to no end after I read them the first time.

As a whole I was a little disappointed by the book.

I thought the set-up was great -- with the dementors attacked Harry and Dudley, the Dursleys having to come to grips with the magical world, and the whole Order of the Phoenix thing . . . but the rest of it left something to be desired. I think Rowling is starting to suffer from "Anne Rice syndome," where as her books have gotten overwhelmingly popular, her editors are afraid to edit her anymore because they figure she knows what she's doing. I don't think that this book was as "tight" as the first three. I do love how each book has gotten progressively darker, though, and am looking forward to the next book to really start getting into the whole "Voldemort is back" thing.

I'm sure there's a bunch of stuff I forgot to mention, so I'm sure I'll be back to this thread multiple times.

Beryana · #14 06-22-2003, 10:31 PM

Just another note that I wanted to add (I can't wait until Leanne gets online so I can discuss with her!): Tonks rocks!!!

Since Sirius will not be around for the rest of the series, I'll definitely be following Tonks and all she does (mind you, my heart will still pine for Sirius. . . .). I can imagine the look of horror on the Dursley's faces if she shows up at their house during the summer (well, and also at Kings Crossing. . . ).

Sarah

OUlioness01 · #15 06-22-2003, 10:59 PM

i'm rereading it now and i just noticed something....anyone else's book more "british english" than the others? mine says things like jumper instead of sweater and stuff like that....it's kinda cool but all my other harry potter books has the more americanized version of english.