The Order of the Phoenix Re-Read: Chapter 6

[slowfox]

I think Harry sums up the previous chapter quite nicely, really:

"Well, they didn't tell us much we couldn't have guessed, did they?"

On the one hand, I like this: I think that huge infodumps of new information courtesy of characters engaging in frankly unrealistic bouts of exposition feel like cheating (the Three Broomsticks scene in PoA springs to mind), and obviously Harry needs to be brought up to speed. But given the length of OotP, did we really need a whole chapter devoted to telling Harry what he could've already guessed?

I do like that Molly and Sirius' contretemps is still lingering on:

They were both speaking in carefully light, polite voices that told Harry quite plainly that neither had forgotten their disagreement of the night before.

The Twins' observations on Mundungus are great:

"I love hearing Mum shout at someone else," said Fred, with a satisfied smile on his face...

"The idiots are letting her get into her stride," said George, shaking his head. "You've got to head her off early otherwise she builds up a head of steam and goes on for hours..."

Then we have the introduction of Kreacher, who reads as sinister and disturbed. Obviously, Kreacher has a fairly important role to play later on, but I was wondering about this bit:

"I thought it might be that," said Sirius, casting a disdainful look at the opposite wall. "She'll have put another Permanent Sticking Charm on the back of it, I don't doubt, but if I can get rid of it, I certainly will. Now go away, Kreacher."

Was the 'go away' bit sufficient leave for Kreacher to leave Grimmauld Place? Or did the permission have to be more explicit than that? Either way, it seemed that you'd have to be awfully secure in the knowledge that Kreacher wouldn't betray the Order to have him kicking about the place.

Was anyone else frustrated that, during the great big Tapestry Conversation, Sirius mentions Harry's paternal grandparents, but Harry never really expresses much interest in them? Who were they? What did they do? Where does all his money come from?

It does make sense, I s'pose, that all the old families are interbred 'n all that. Care is taken to play up both Regulus and Bellatrix, although the importance of the former doesn't become apparent for a loooooong while. Speaking of which, they do of course find a locket that none of them could open in one of the glass-fronted cabinets.

JKR seems to associate emotions with the stomach:

He felt as though a brick had dropped into his stomach when Mrs Weasley turned to him during dinner on Wednesday evening and said quietly, "I've ironed your best clothes for tomorrow morning, Harry, and I want you to wash your hair tonight, too. A good first impression can work wonders."

And the chapter closes with Harry learning that Dumbledore had been at Grimmauld Place, but hadn't been in touch with him, making our poor Boy Who Lived feel even worse.

Again this felt like quite a slow chapter, although we did have the Tapestry of Backstory to add some depth. The dreams are mentioned again, too:

Despite the fact that he was still sleeping badly, still having dreams about corridors and locked doors that made his scar prickle...

Comments

[slowfox]

I s'pose that confirmation of what you suspect is at least a step up from simply suspecting it.

Originally, I thought that the Potters must surely all have been wiped out as part of the whole prophecy bit, and that there was something significant to being a Potter (Heir of Slytherin, or something) that meant that he was an inherent threat to the Dark Lord (even if that would go against the whole choice vs abilities thing that the books try to spin). But instead all we learn is that yeah, Harry's dad had parents and... er, now they're dead.

Frustratingly token, Harry's family backstory...

And you'd have thought that Harry would wear wizarding robes - although they did have to blend in, he and Arthur, on the tube ride to the Ministry. On the other hand, you'd assume, wouldn't you, that since Wizards don't know how to dress like Muggles, then Ron and the rest of the Weasleys would have wizarding clothes to hand, and they'd think Harry odd for wearing jeans to the Ministry. Doesn't quite all add up, that part...

[cesy]

The "Wizards don't know how to dress like Muggles" also doesn't fit in with most of what we see in the films - the Weasleys all wear normal clothes at home, the Hogwarts pupils wear normal Muggle casual clothes when going into Hogsmeade, etc. And their school uniforms appear to be normal school uniforms with "robes" being like academic gowns, which implies that wizarding robes are also gowns, with normal clothes worn underneath. I don't know how all that can be reconciled with the strange descriptions at the Quidditch World Cup.