The Order of the Phoenix Re-Read: Chapter 32

[slowfox]

Montague's still ill, after his brush with the Vanishing Cabinet a couple of chapters back. Since we know that the OWLs have been going for at least a fortnight, and that Montague's parents turned up at school a week after he was first found (p598, UK hardback), that puts him in the Hospital Wing for at least three weeks' solid treatment. Gryffindors can have patchy ethics, at times :-/

Ron and Hermione are (correctly) sceptical that Harry's vision was a genuine rendition of conditions as the stood within the Department of Mysteries:

"I dunno, Voldemort used an Invisibility Cloak or something!" Harry shouted. "Anyway, the Department of Mysteries has always been completely empty whenever I've been -"

"You've never been there, Harry," said Hermione quietly. "You've dreamed about the place, that's all."

Ron volunteers to distract Umbridge by reporting that Peeves is smashing up the Transfiguration department, which is interesting because it tells us that Hogwarts has a Transfiguration department! Is that a grand way of saying 'McGonagall's classroom', or are there more staff?

Hermione and Harry break into Umbridge's classroom - seemingly not to entertain the notion that there might possibly be more advanced wards and the like guarding the place beyond a locked door. Kreacher flat out lies (we later learn) to Harry - at least Dobby was constrained to tell the truth, from a certain perspective, so you can understand Harry taking the House Elf at his word at this point.

Predictably, Umbridge catches Harry and Hermione, and the Umbridge Youth snare Ginny, Luna, Ron and Neville. And then Draco's sent to summon Snape.

Snape has never been quick to demonstrate willingness to accommodate Harry's wishes in the past (Crouch before the Third Task springs to mind), and one does wonder how he's going to respond to a request from his most hated pupil that his most resented adversary is apparently in grave danger...

Surely Umbridge didn't pour the entire bottle of Veritaserum into Harry's tea during their last chat? So who else has she been interrogating, we wonder? Besides, if three drops were enough, wouldn't it have been simpler by far to spike the Gryffindor's breakfast juice, and then have the benefit of truth from the entire house of Courage?

Whilst it's obvious that Umbridge isn't in her right state of mind when she's winding herself up to Crucio Harry, I wonder if the others present in the room realise the precariousness of their own positions in this venture? As Umbridge rightly notes, "What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him,", but one's moved to wonder how exactly, Umbridge is going to ensure that Cornelius continues to remain in blissful ignorance when she's about to cast an Unforgiveable before multiple witnesses?

Anyway, Hermione's Inner Slytherin rushes to the rescue once more as she hatches a cunning plan... I dislike the scheming that Hermione's been engaging in, but that's for the next chapter. I do, however, give her points for the way in which she gets Umbridge to discard the protection of the Umbridge Youth by suggesting that they might use 'The Weapon' on her, once they'd seen what it could do...

It's clear, now, that the 'adventure' part of Book V is going to be the 'rescue' of Sirius from Voldemort's clutches within the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic. I still feel like observing, however, that there's been an aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawful lot of set-up to get us to this point!

Comments

[slowfox]

n Umbridge's case, there's an equal number of people ready to uphold her word - her Inquisitorial Squad.

Yes, but look how quick she is to be turned by Hermione's weasel words that Malfoy's not to be trusted with a glimpse of The Weapon, since he might turn it upon Umbridge for his own gain. Surely Umbridge wouldn't want to let a bunch of Slytherins hold that kind of secret over her? Can you imagine the scope for blackmail when she's standing for election as the next Minister?



My impression of Umbridge is that she is not necessarily a particularly talented witch.

We never really see her actually do any spellwork herself, do we? Nothing notable, anyway...

So she's not particularly talented, just ambitious... although ambitious to what end? Does she merely wish to be 'Fudge's Most Loyal Servent', or has she a bigger gameplan in mind.