OK, what is missing from OoP and Thestrals

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 69074

Hicken: 

> And what is with the scene from the Divination lesson, when 
Trelawney told Umbridge, that she was hired by Dumbledore sixteen 
years ago? I at least didn't guess, that this information will be 
that important to the plot. 

Speculation out here was pretty rampant that Trelawney's first 
prediction had something to do with V'Mort going to the Potters. I 
have to admit, I wasn't that shocked at that.


> Or the family tree of the blacks. We learn that Narcissa is Sirius 
> cousin. And then Kreacher went to her. Although I didn't trust 
> Kreacher, it still came as a surprise, that he went to Narcissa 
> Malfoy of all people, at least for me.

Yeah, but since I'd guessed that Sirius wasn't really being tortured, 
the plot machinations as to how V-Mort accomplished that weren't all 
that thrilling to me. 

 
> And maybe the biggest twist of them all. Dolores Umbridge asking 
> Dumbledore at Harrys hearing, if he thinks, that someone from the 
> ministry sent the Dementors after Harry. When I read it the first 
> time, I thought she was just angry because of what Dumbledore said. 
> But it was her, who sent the Dementors after Harry.


If this is the biggest twist, then the twist is certainly lacking in 
the book. Anyone could see that Dolores was a sadistic nutball. When 
I read she sent the Dementors, I said, "Yeah, figures."

Now, when I read that Moody was really Crouch Jr., I nearly hit my 
head from jumping into the air.

Here's how the twist could have happened, and yeah, I'm presuming to 
criticize JKR.

Don't make such a big deal about Occlumency and Legimency. Snape, 
Lupin, Sirius and D-Dore are all telling Harry to study it and we are 
told that V-Mort might reverse the flow and start using the 
connection.

And we're supposed to be shocked when he actually does? Talk about 
foreshadowing.

I'd have cut all that stuff out entirely and come up with another way 
Harry could have seen into Snape's head to get the "Snape's worst 
memory" effect.

That way, V-Mort being able to use Harry like that is a total 
shocker. We'd really think Sirius is being tortured, just like we 
thought Moody was a good guy, Sirius was a bad guy and ANYONE but 
Ginny was opening the Chamber.

As it stands, the biggest twist for me was Neville being part of the 
prophecy. That was neat, but not on the level of the other books.

Darrin