[HPforGrownups] Digest Numbers 2957-3065 OOP

[Brenda Wendelken]

No: HPFGUIDX 64274

I've just finished reading OOP and I am sitting here going through all the
Digests I have saved since last Sunday.  I didn't want to read any before
the book was finished, so I saved all of them in a special file.  I took my
time reading, taking five days to finish, so as to make it last a bit
longer.

I want to give a few first impressions.  My eyes are still red from all the
crying I did from page 807 until almost the end.  Every time they dried up,
another sad emotional part would occur, (i.e., visit to Hagrid, speaking to
Nick), causing my heart to break all over again. I just can't believe JKR
let Sirius be killed.  This is going to take some getting over.  I kept
expecting him to appear in some way, either through a painting, or through
that hexed mirror he gave Harry, or as a ghost a la Nearly Headless
Hick......but he is really gone, I suppose.   I wonder what or who is behind
the veil, though.

The Umbridge character was someone who really rechanneled the hate from
Snape to herself.   I kept wondering where Dumbledore was during all
this......yes, he had his reasons for laying low, and ultimately leaving
Hogwarts.   The Umbridge detention abuses were never discovered.   Suspended
from Quidditch for life!   Horrible old hag, as Hermione says.

Congratulations go to Ron for being more of a support and mainstay in this
book than the others, when it was Hermione who played that part.   A
prefect!  How terrific for him.  And on the Quidditch team, albeit a lousy
player 'til the last glorious match for him.  How brave was he during the
D.A. fights.

Happy to see Neville come into his own, finally.  Getting so good at spells
and curses, and defenses and shields as well.  Glad to see the information
on his parents is finally out in the open, and his gran was right, his
parents would be proud if they would ever become aware that their ultimate
conditions were sustained as the result of a death eater who never got the
information out of them either.  He should definitely not be ashamed of
where his parents are and why.   Wasn't he great during the battle with the
DA against the DE's.

Hermione played a less important role than in previous books.  Although her
support was always there, it didn't seem as important as Ron's this time.
She certainly did the job when called on to explain the workings of a young
girls mind after Harry's disastrous date with Cho.

Meeting old friends is always a cheery experience.   Seeing Moody, Lupin,
Sirius, Arthur and Molly and all the Weasley sibs, Dobby, and poor Gilderoy
Lockhart.  Someone wrote that they thought Tonks would make a good DADA
teacher.   I'm not so sure; I think that Moody would be better, even if his
age is somewhat against him.  He still has probably forgotten more than she
already knows.

Wonderful to have evil Lucius Malfoy in his proper place, Azkaban.   That
git Malfoy as a Prefect, was predictably annoying and vengeful.  I thought
the last episode on the  Hogwart's Express could have been more detailed so
as to enjoy the whole D.A. gang's revenge.

Poor Hagrid had very little to do in Book 5.  The relationship between the
three and him didn't feel as close as in the other books, when he finally
did appear.   As we now know, they really had no time for each other what
with the problems facing everyone.

I'm sure to have left out some really important characters, like their new
friend, Looney, whose name escapes me.  Book is put away until I can attempt
a second reading.