The Order of the Phoenix Re-Read: Chapter 26

[slowfox]

It's clear that the Gryffindors, at least, know that Harry's been interviewed by Rita Skeeter, even though Luna's quite, quite vague as to when the article itself is going to be published. I do sort of wonder when Harry told Neville and Dean about the interview, given that they're talking so freely about it in the Great Hall.

Even in the depths of Gryffindor despair after the abject match against Hufflepuff, the Twins are still good value:

"I haven't even got the heart to take the mickey out of him," said Fred, looking over at Ron's crumpled figure. "Mind you... when he missed the fourteenth -"

He made wild motions with his arms as though doing an upright doggy paddle.

"- well, I'll save it for parties, eh?"

Ack! Brain scrub time... I misread this:

He tried for a moment or two, but the thought of Snape on top of memories of Umbridge...

Ick! Snape/Umbridge. Not a pretty ship. *shudder*

Back on topic, why is Harry still dreaming about the door in the Ministry? Does this mean that Nagini's slithering around the place on a nightly basis looking for a way in? Because surely the Order would be on the lookout for snakes after what happened to Arthur. Or is it just indicative of Voldemort's obsession? We know (now) that Voldemort can project images into Harry's head, so mebbe the whole corridor thing is just trying to prime Harry's curiosity (and clearly, on past form, that's going to need a lot of stoking), without actually meaning that Nagini's left Voldemort's side on these excursions.

The following morning sees Harry in receipt of masses of fan mail. Y'know, I'd always figured that as The Boy Who Lived, Dumbledore must've put some kind of protection spell on Harry so that he wouldn't be bothered by fan mail and the like. Evidently not.

Umbridge takes it well, promptly announcing Educational Decree Number Twenty-Seven: Any student found on possession of the magazine The Quibbler will be expelled.

It's about this point in the story that Cho's PoA/GoF persona dies a horrid death:

[Cho's] hand was in his and she was breathing in his ear, "I'm really, really sorry. That interview was so brave... it made me cry.

He was sorry to hear that she had shed even more tears over it...

Actually, maybe it's the previous chapter, and that tea shoppe place. Whatever, it doesn't seem like the cute girly of PoA anymore. Woe.

A proper dream, in which we learn, courtesy of Rookwood, that Malfoy placed Bode under the Imperius Curse in an attempt to retrieve the... as yet unidentified thing that Voldemort's seeking.

Anyway, Hermione then deduces that Bode was killed before his memory could recover sufficiently for him to work out that he'd been under the Imperius Curse. And from there they leap to the conclusion that Malfoy also cursed Podmore.

Harry's having another bad week, and doesn't want to talk to Ron and Hermione about it:

...he didn't want another telling-off from Hermione. He wished very much that he could have talked to Sirius about it, but that was out of the question, so he tried to push the matter to the back of his mind.

Agh! Mirror! *sigh*

The Occlumency lessons have been going for two months, now, and Harry's really not picking things up terribly well. He does manage to effectively deploy a Shield Charm that catches Snape off-guard, but I thought this was all a mental thing. Is Harry supposed to sleep with his wand, and cast spells whilst dreaming?

When Snape gets his revenge for Harry's besting him, we're rewarded with Harry's vision actually making it through the locked door. But before we can learning anything more on this, screams from above interrupt, and Snape and then Harry leave the dungeons to witness Trelawney's dismissal, and Firenze's appointment.

Of course, Umbridge being Umbridge, I can't see her liking the appointment of a non-human teacher very much :-P

Comments

[aome]

I'm not really sure HOW Harry is experiencing the Dept of Mysteries, if it's through Nagini or what. You'd think that Voldemort himself would be able to experience it through Nagini, and wouldn't need Harry as his aerial for this purpose. Because you have to imagine that someone is continuing to guard that door every night, and yet Harry begins to penetrate beyond the door without any sense that anyone else is around - as he might have, had he been envisioning it through Nagini. It almost seems more like a true Sight of some kind. Think of when he witnessed Frank's death in GoF - although he observes the snake's presence, he does not seem to see the death through the snake. OotP is different, though, in that he is experiencing something that has not yet happened, but something Voldemort wants to happen.

I feel like Cho really isn't the same girl for much of OotP as she was for the prior two books. Perhaps the biggest change is actually the night she kisses Harry - but bursts into tears and asks about Cedric first. :P

I love the sacking of Trelawney - not so much the sacking itself, but this begins the turning point where, despite all the depressing stuff going on, things start to go against Umbridge. With much delight on the part of nearly everyone. :D

[slowfox]

You'd think that Voldemort himself would be able to experience it through Nagini, and wouldn't need Harry as his aerial for this purpose.

Oh, I don't think that the link is Nagini -> Harry -> Voldemort. I think that because Voldemort's consciousness is being sent out to Nagini, to do the controlling, Harry's picking up an echo of the signal or something.

The PoV in that opening GoF chapter's a bit weird - Harry's certainly not Voldemort, nor is he Nagini either. I haven't got the book to hand, but since we get a whole load of backstory in that chapter, I'm assuming that it's a completely independent PoV for the chapter, which is then tied back to Harry's scar hurting at the end because Harry experienced the chapter from Voldemort's PoV, rather than the PoV presented to the reader.

I love the sacking of Trelawney - not so much the sacking itself

Well, indeed, because after all, she does seem to be a pretty lousy teacher. Would you be happy with her teaching the girls, after all? :D

[cynthia_black]

I'm really not clear, even now, after all seven books, whether Snape was trying to help or hinder Harry in those Occlumency 'lessons'. Rather too conflicted a character.

I like Harry's *real* dream of Neville and Professor Sprout waltzing to Professor McGonagall's bagpipe playing :-D

[slowfox]

I'm beginning to wonder if Snape's demonstrating loyalty to Voldemort, under Dumbledore's instructions, by weakening Harry's mental defences. This would explain why Lupin insists it's vital that Harry continues with his lessons, as otherwise they risk Snape's detection as a mole!

Could Dumbledore be that manipulative? Sirius, certainly, would never stand for it, but then maybe only a select few know The Truth...