Daniel Shellenbarger’s Reviews > Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix > Status Update

It occurs to me that V's entire plan hinged on Harry not having access to a member of the Order. Sure, they knew D had fled but did they know McG had been taken out? If so who told them and how with the Ministry carefully watching the floos and owls and (presumably) desperate not to let it be generally known that they'd near-murdered a teacher? Yet that's the only thing which would explain the timing of their ploy.

One of the disturbing questions that's never really addressed in Harry Potter is the moving paintings and photographs. It really seems like the people in these things have the personalities, intelligences, etc. of whoever they're based on, so... are they somehow stealing a part of a person's soul when they make this "art" and trapping it forever. Call me crazy but this seems like a bad thing to me.

Hooray, Mr. Weasley has been attacked! That means we're away from Hogwarts and Malfoy (seriously, he is so awful in this book, little jerk should've been expelled) and Umbridge for a couple chapters!

eugh, detention with Dolores, always a low point in the series

Harry Potter and the book where bad stuff happens and the well-meaning adults just make things worse (I'm looking at YOU Dumbledore). Also, what exactly is the line at Hogwarts for punishments? You CAN'T transfigure children into animals but you CAN make them mutilate themselves with cursed quills and force them to imbibe regulated substances. The Hogwarts HR manual has got to be interesting reading.

been reading this off and on when I need an emotional break from Strength of the Few

The last 30% of this book would've been unbearable if Fred and George hadn't declared war on Umbridge, it's such a dystopian nightmare otherwise