Thoughts on Revisiting Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix: Part 1

Hello Bookworms!

I’m still Pottering along with the Estella Society’s Potter Binge and thank goodness for that. Even when things get rough for Harry, these books are basically a cheering charm for my soul. That said, Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix is when we enter Harry’s massive teen angst phase and man alive, this boy is a bit of a mess. Without further ado, I give you my disjointed thoughts on revisiting Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, Part 1. Spoilers abound, but if you haven’t read these books you probably won’t read this post so, whatever.

• Oh there you are, teen angst Harry. Nice (ish) to see you again.
• Mundungus Fletcher is described as bandy-legged and ginger… Are we SURE he’s not Crookshanks’s animagus? (I kid, obviously. But it is sort of amusing to imagine Dung as a human version of Crookshanks.)
• If you’re a Squib, are you allowed to use magical objects that other people have bewitched for you? That would be a consolation prize, at least, for an otherwise muggle-like existence.
• TONKS! You are adorable.
• This has been bugging me for a while now, but why all the handshaking? Like, Lupin sees Harry for the first time in a year and is all “let me shake your hand like we don’t actually have feelings.” I hug the children of my dear friends ALL THE TIME and usually give them a big fat smooch on the cheek to boot. Granted, the oldest of them is 7, but still. Prepare yourself, Jack, Crazy Aunt Katie is going to be hugging you until forever. Are British people just less huggy? Is it a guy thing? Teen angst Harry needs more hugs, guys, and Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, and Hagrid can’t be expected to do all the hugging. (So far, the only three Harry huggers I’ve noticed. But big props to Hagrid who apparently doesn’t buy into non-sentimental machismo.)
• Molly schools Sirius when it comes to parenting. She may have hit below the belt a wee bit when she scolds him for going to Azkaban, but he wouldn’t have been there were it not for his impetuous behavior. She’s the only real mother figure Harry gets and dagnabit, she’s good at it. Loves him like one of her own. She only wants what’s best for him, and he IS only FIFTEEN. #TEAMMOLLY
• UMBRIDGE IS A SADISTIC MONSTER! She should have to write THAT a zillion times with her nasty quill.
• Percy Weasley! You are the world’s biggest git.
• Neville wanting to beat the crap out of Malfoy after his nasty crack about St. Mungos makes me want to hug him. I want to punch Malfoy too, Neville. Of all the fictional characters I’ve wanted to punch in my time, he’s quite high on the list.
• Oooh the side effects of Fred and George’s snackboxes. Butt boils. That’s commitment to the craft, right there.
• If you follow me on twitter, you’ll likely have realized that my nickname in high school was Katie Belle. My middle name is not Belle, it just sort of became a thing as such things do during high school lunch hours. In any case, I have a special affinity for Gryffindor seeker Katie Bell. (No E, mind. Bell is just her last name. Of course my ACTUAL last name is also a first name- the world is a confusing place.) This girl has it rough. Peeves poured ink all over her head. She gets a weird eyebrow curse from a Slytherin (giiiiiirl, I feel you on that one. Without wax I’d have the eyebrows of Sam the Eagle from the Muppets.) AND she’s going to end up getting cursed by a necklace? This poor girl!
• Lifetime. Quidditch. Ban. UMBRIDGE!!!!!!! YOU ARE EVIL!!!!!!!! ::Shakes fists toward the heavens::
• And now Hagrid is back, and we must pause. Simply too much still to come!

Whew, what a ride! I know Harry’s “nobody gets me” stuff gets a little annoying, but that’s what I love so much about Rowling’s writing. I didn’t attend Hogwarts and I’m (depressingly) a muggle, but all those adolescent feelings are so perfectly depicted. We all had those days at 15. Jo’s special magical ability is bringing it back to life.

What is the moment in the HP books that most reminds you of your adolescence and/or teen hood? 

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