Harry Potter and the First-Time Reader, Part 2
Dedicated to my twin, my fellow Ravenclaw.
These last three books were a wild, emotional rollercoaster. I also read them within the span of a week, and I was up until 1 or 2am reincarnating the “I don't need sleep, I need answers” meme from The Big Bang Theory.
—SPOILERS AHEAD. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.—
Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Wow, okay, Order of the Phoenix was full of emotions—mostly anger and hatred. We follow Harry as Voldemort has fully returned and is seeking to cause chaos in the world. I loved how this book was much more character-driven than plot-driven. In fact, there were times I didn’t like the plot; but I loved the character development of Harry. I loved that he was angry and was beginning to crack and did crack. I know if I was in his position, I would be close to losing my own mind. He definitely has a right to be angry, and reading about how he cracks here and there throughout the book was amazing.
Part of Harry’s anger stems from Professor Umbridge. Oh boy, I don’t think I have ever hated a character more in my life. I hate her more than Voldemort. While she’s not a Death Eater (a follower of Voldemort), she throws Hogwarts into disarray under the orders of the Minister of Magic: Cornelius Fudge. (I knew he was no good!) Seeing her strip away every good thing from Harry drove his actions and made him such a great character.
Like I said, the plot didn’t capture my attention as much as the characters themselves or the setting of Hogwarts did. As fifth-years, Harry, Hermione, and Ron have exams at the end of the year called Ordinary Wizarding Levels (or, O.W.L.s) The results of these examinations help steer students in their final two years at Hogwarts in what subjects they should take to prepare for the workforce after Hogwarts.
With all the studying that the Golden Trio do, it really got me wondering about which classes I would enjoy the most and which ones I would do well at. I think I would enjoy Charms and Transfiguration. Potions would interest me, but I don’t think I would do well with Snape for a professor. Potions is kind of like baking: I can do it if I’m left to my own devices with instructions, but if someone is standing right there telling me what to do or watching me like a hawk, I fall apart. I’m not particularly interested in Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, or Divination. I think I would like learning about the history of magic, but if the class was anything like Harry described it—with a ghost droning on monotonously for an hour—I don’t think I would enjoy it. Lastly, I think I would enjoy Defense Against the Dark Arts, but I don’t know if I would be any good at it. And I know I would be hoping that I would never have to put into practice what I was learning.
However, just because I wouldn’t want to have a reason to use my knowledge of DADA doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have fun learning it. One part of the plot that did interest me was Dumbledore’s Army (D.A.). Professor Umbridge was the new professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, and she “taught” by making her students read their textbook, and that’s it. No spells, no practice, no nothing. So, Hermione came up with the idea that Harry should secretly teach his own DADA class, since he’s survived Voldemort five times in his life. About twenty-five students showed up regularly, and it comes in handy later when Harry, Hermione, Ron, and others have to fight Death Eaters.
Favorite quote: “Are you feeling all right?” Ron asked, staring at her in disbelief. “Now you mention it,” said Hermione happily, “d’you know… I think I’m feeling a bit… rebellious.” (Chapter 28: Snape’s Worst Memory)
Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
For those who know me well, they know that I love a good villain. I love a complex villain, because I think that they make the best kinds of villains. I knew this book explored the full backstory of Voldemort and some of Snape’s past as well, so I was looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, however, I found Harry’s meetings with Dumbledore repetitive. I understand why JKR did what she did in writing it, but I sometimes found myself pushing through a chapter to try to get through it.
I will say that Voldemort’s past is fascinating to me. The result of a coupling under a love potion, Voldemort—born Tom Riddle, Jr.—grew to be a very powerful and a very evil wizard. I pity him to an extent. No one deserves to be an orphan, but I also believe that you as a person have a strong hold on where life can take you. And Voldemort allowed himself to be consumed with evil and to become drunk with the desire for power.
I knew when I started reading the series that Dumbledore was going to die at some point, but I didn’t know that it was going to be in this book. I thought he was going to die in the Battle of Hogwarts, which takes place at the end of the final book. But no, his death serves as Harry’s motivation to find and destroy the Horcruxes that Voldemort created, and also destroy Voldemort himself.
Favorite quote: “Have you any idea how much tyrants fear the people they oppress? All of them realize that, one day, amongst their many victims, there is sure to be one who rises against them and strikes back!” —Dumbledore (Chapter 23: Horcruxes)
Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Even though I knew that several deaths were coming, I still cried hard over this book; I lost count of how many tissues I used. I also read this book in the span of 24 hours, so the emotions compounded on one another. I honestly don’t know what to write about this book. I’m still sitting with the emotions of it and the conclusion. Maybe someday I can better articulate my thoughts.
My favorite part about Deathly Hallows is that we see who Dumbledore and Snape really are: not always good and not always bad but fully human. As we learned more about Voldemort, the more I think that he and Harry are definitely foils for one another—they mirror each other but in different ways. (It honestly would make for a great essay, now that I think about it.)
Reading the rest of Snape’s story was heartbreaking. The Battle of Hogwarts had my heart pounding in my chest. Whatever I was expecting, it definitely wasn’t that. The epilogue was fitting, I think. I had heard not great things about the epilogue before I started reading but I enjoyed it.
There are several main lessons that I take from Harry Potter. Sometimes, the story is more complicated than you think, and you should trust your instincts. You should also trust your friends and know that you can rely on them. And lastly, you should live a life filled with love, because a life without love is a life not worth living.
Favorite (serious) quote: “Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love.” —Dumbledore (Chapter 35: King’s Cross)
Favorite (humorous) quote: “The fact remains [Voldemort] can move faster than Severus Snape confronted with shampoo when he wants to.” —Fred Weasley (Chapter 22: The Deathly Hallows)
When it comes to Harry Potter, I have found that people seem to be interested in which book was your favorite. With some deliberation, I give you my list, from my favorite book in the series to my least favorite:
The Goblet of Fire
The Deathly Hallows
The Prisoner of Azkaban
The Order of the Phoenix
The Half-Blood Prince
The Chamber of Secrets
The Sorcerer's Stone
With the books now read, I am ready to go on this wild journey again as I watch all eight Harry Potter movies! Check out next week’s blog post for my writings and rambling about them!