The Order of the Phoenix Re-Read:Chapter 13

[slowfox]

Does Ron's character assassination start in OotP, or does the decline start later on? We get told repeatedly in this book that the boy only thinks with his stomach, which is a bit disappointing:

She slammed down her own knife and fork: Ron looked longingly at his half-finished apple pie but followed suit.

Although having said that, as their younger brother, I really wouldn't want to have to deal with the Twins:

Ron rose halfway out of his chair, hovered uncertainly for a moment or two, then muttered to Harry, "She's got it under control," before sinking as low in his chair as his lanky frame permitted.

Actually, the character interaction in this section is great. I really liked Hermione's return:

"Thank you for your support, Ron," Hermione said, acidly.

and then Ron interfering with the house-elves' hats:

Ron waited util she had disappeared through the door to the girls' dormitories, then cleared the rubbish off the woolly hats.

"They should at least see what they're picking up," he said firmly.

After Care of Magical Creatures, Harry and Co bump into first Ginny, then Luna leaving the greenhouses. Luna gives her spiel about believing Harry, Luna mistakes Lavender and Parvati's ridicule of her ... original earrings, and then Hermione leaps in.

"D'you mind not offending the only people who believe me?" Harry asked Hermione as they made their way into class.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Harry, you can do better than her," said Hermione.

Nonetheless, Ernie then steps up to declare his faith in Harry's version:

Ernie might be pompous on occasions like this, but Harry was in a mood to deeply appreciate a vote of confidence from somebody who did not have radishes dangling from their ears.

Umbridge's detention is evil. I do wonder if the writing ever wears off from Harry's skin... doesn't he reference it much later on somewhen? But presumably there's some kind of charm that'd restore things. If it genuinely was after midnight when Umbridge releases Harry, then that raises the question of when curfew's set in the school (although he could try arguing that a detention necessitated this lateness), but as a side issue to the consequence that Harry's just spent seven hours straight writing lines. *boggles*

We discover that Ron's aiming to join the Gryffindor Quidditch team as Keeper, and Ron, for his part, learns the true nature of Umbridge's 'lines'.

But what's this bit all about?

She moved acrross him, stretching out her short ringed fingers for his arm. And then, as she took hold of him to examine the words now cut into his skin, pain seared, not across the back of his hand, but across the scar on his forehead.

Comments

[aome]

We later find out that Harry remembers the event that Voldemort was "happy" about something at the moment Umbridge grips Harry's hand. But I no longer remember in the timeline what that event was, which made V so pleased.

No comment on the detention. Ever since I was reading that at 2am (jet-lag from China), and had to spoil Will a little because if I hadn't shared it with someone I was going to have nightmares. Ugh, ugh.

I think Ron has often thought with his stomach, being a growing teenage boy and all - I remember in ... GoF, I think? Where Ron is moaning with hunger as he waits for Dumbledore to finish talking. I do feel for him, faced with the idea of having to discipline his big brothers (who are plenty headstrong as it is). And I like that he uncovers the knitted stuff so they're not hidden anymore.

I'm disappointed in Hermione's disparaging remark about Luna. Yes, she appears to be nuts, but it's awfully judgmental of Hr.

[slowfox]

I'm a bit disappointed in Hermione, too, with regard to her disparaging remarks about Luna (although I'll turn a blind eye to her comments about Pansy, earlier). I also agree with Ron that the house-elves should at least know what it is they're picking up, and feel that it's somewhat devious of her to hide the hats.

I know that Ron's often mentioned the food and stuff, but it does seem to get intrusive as we roll onward, and his particular brand of humour, so evident in the first books of the series, seems to dry up as the tale progresses.

[cynthia_black]

Ron is definitely the growing teenage boy here :-)

You're right, the character interaction in the Common Room is good in this exchange - I like that Hermione's worst threat to the Twins is that she'll tell Molly!

Yes, the detentions really are evil. But it's here we really start to see what sort of evil she employs: it's the insidious, but cruel kind that puts on an 'it's for your own good' face and rules by fear. The WWII parallel would be that if Hitler = Voldemort, ie. the public view of evil/ethnic cleansing, then Umbridge = the SS ie. those who kept the populus in line and in order by stealth.

However, JKR muddies the waters, deliberately I think, with the part about Harry's scar hurting when Umbridge touches his arm. Even though Hermione provides the right answer, that it's just a coincidence, we're not supposed to find out too quickly who is on whose sider here.

[slowfox]

then Umbridge = the SS

Well, that becomes even more explicit with Malfoy's goons operating in the equivalent of the Hitler Youth later on... by then the WWII parallels are starting to lose some subtlety.

JKR muddies the waters, deliberately I think, with the part about Harry's scar hurting when Umbridge touches his arm.

Just like she deliberately misdirects with that business about 'the weapon' back at Grimmauld Place. Because we've been schooled to pay careful attention to the little details throughout the story (I'm thinking particularly of GoF here), I find it a bit disappointing that we get these rather blunt markers deliberately thrown down to push us off the scent...