| Harry Potter and the Order
of the Phoenix, the latest installment
in J. K. Rowling's enchanting series,
has us all enthralled. It is a completely
different Harry that we encounter. The
Harry Potter we have all come to love
changes drastically in the fifth book.
He makes new friends, loses control
of his emotions, and just has a really
awful time.
At the beginning of the Order of the
Phoenix we return to Privet Drive with
Harry and his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon,
and foul little cousin Dudley. He has
been stuck there for what seems to him
an eternity, with no contact from the
his world or his friends, except cryptic
messages that tell him nothing about
what is going on and when he will be
free to leave his Uncle's. When he was
last at Hogwarts, he witnessed a terrible
thing; Lord Voldemort's return and Cedric
Diggory's death, and now nobody will
tell him what is going on. His days
are filled with "mounting tension...and
the question of why nothing had happened
yet."
While staying at the Dursley's, a terrible
event occurs; dementors appear on Privet
Drive and attack him and his cousin.
What could be worse than a near death
experience with your cousin than being
blamed for it by your guardians? Oh
yeah, receiving a letter from the Ministry
of Magic pretty much saying hey, you’re
expelled and you must attend a hearing
at the Ministry of Magic for performing
a Patronus charm!
Fortunately for Harry, members of The
Order of the Phoenix come to take him
into hiding. Unfortunately, his stay
gets off on the wrong foot. He arrives
to find that the Weasleys, Sirius, different
members of the Order, and Hermione have
all been there for the better part of
the summer. When he is left alone with
his two best friends we see just how
upset he really is about this. Ever
since he began Hogwarts, Harry had a
hard time, constantly dealing with Voldemort
and risking his life, but he had always
kept his frustration pent up. Well,
upon meeting with his friends, his stored
anger unleashes itself, as he goes into
a yelling rage. After all, who wouldn't
be just a tad bit furious after spending
an entire summer in solitude? Harry
is extremely upset that everyone but
him seemed to have been clued in over
the summer and he screams out his feelings:
"You've still been together!...and
I've handled more than you two've ever
managed and Dumbledore knows it."
However, Hermione and Ron seem to have
been expecting it and take it really
well.
After getting a basic idea of recent
occurrences, it is finally time for
our favorite trio to return to school.
Harry made it through his hearing and
was extremely relieved to be returning.
That is, until he meets the new Defense
Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor
Umbridge, who he had met at his hearing.
As if it isn't bad enough that she looks
like a toad and refuses to teach actual
magic, but she actually believes Fudge’
s story that Harry is mad, and calls
Harry's story a bunch of lies.
Well, we've seen Harry's anger before,
but this time it is really bad. After
all, he is the one who was there and
saw Voldemort’s return, and she
tells him and the class that he is a
liar, and that the world is safe! Well,
he rightfully decides to clear up the
subject a bit in front of the class,
and we all knew where that would lead....detention.
Only, this detention is cruel and unlike
any detention we have ever seen. Harry
must write lines, but with a special
quill that Professor Umbridge provides.
He must write "I will not tell
lies", however the quill does not
require ink. Instead, the ink is provided
from his very own blood, and gouges
into the back of his hand . This does
not constitute as a regular detention.
And then after debunking his story and
punishing him, Umbridge goes after the
teachers, putting them on probation.
Even worse, she takes over Dumbledore's
job. Luckily for us, the teachers put
up a good fight and the headmaster's
office seals itself against her. |
