I really enjoyed this one, which kind of surprised me because everyone I know who has read this series multiple times told me this was their least favorite. Well, it's not mine. I loved it. Things really started to heat up in the last book and this book hits the ground running with a dementor attack. And the hearing at the Ministry of Magic is excellent because I had so much appreciation of Rowling's attention to detail as Harry and Mr. Weasley make their way down the levels of the Ministry to the proper floor and each department on each floor is called out as they descend. Rowling had to think of each and every one of those departments and it just boggles my mind. I have no idea if they just sprang into her brilliant head or if she had to sit down and painstakingly think of various uses for a Ministry of Magic but, either way, I was thoroughly impressed. I was also impressed by the inter-office memos which are just pieces of parchment that fly about the building because owls left droppings everywhere. Rowling had to think of that! Of course birds are messy but Rowling had to take the time to think about that fact, apply it to the situation, and come up with a solution! She's amazing!
I also loved reading about the Order of the Phoenix and Harry hanging out in Sirius's house although it was weird that the book is almost half-way through before Harry ever actually gets to Hogwarts. I think that's a sign that Hogwarts is no longer a major player in this series. Despite the fact that the series was designed to have seven books, spanning seven years, all of which are supposed to be Harry's education at Hogwarts, this is the first book where Hogwarts really takes a back seat. Even with their impending O.W.L. exams Harry's mind is more and more on Sirius, the Order, and Voldemort, and who can blame him?
Besides, Hogwarts this year is actually not fun thanks to the tyrant Dolores Umbridge. I love her. She is just so evil. She's the villain we love to hate and she makes it so easy by being just unbelievably despicable every chance she gets. I love that she surrounds herself with little pink doilies and porcelain plates with kittens painted on them because it contrasted so sharply with the black hole where her heart should be. You would expect someone who surrounds themselves with pink frills to be soft and cuddly but Umbridge is most certainly anything but. I also took great delight in watching Umbridge go head to head with McGonagall. DON'T MESS WITH MCGONAGALL! SHE WILL DESTROY YOU! I think the best part was McGonagall utterly ignoring Umbridge despite her little coughs. It showed so clearly that she just could not care less what Umbridge thought or did and that was, of course, the best way to piss off Umbridge and watching Umbridge squirm when there was nothing she could do about it was thoroughly satisfying.
Poor Harry and his extra lessons with Snape. No one deserves such a cruel fate. But I love the history that we get here, both on Snape and on Harry's father. It makes me feel sorry for Snape but it still does not excuse the way he treats Harry. Dude needs to learn to let things go. But this is a huge moment for Harry. He had idolized his parents (the poor guy had never met them and they had died saving his life from the Biggest Baddest Wizard of them all, of course he idolized them) and here we get to see that James, at least, was not everything Harry had thought him. He was, in fact, no better than Dudley, picking on Snape because he and his friends were bored. It is easy to excuse their actions. They were, after all, only teenagers and teenagers will do stupid things but, as Harry points out, he is a teenager and the thought of doing what his father did without any provocation whatsoever horrifies him. That's rough.
Harry is extra busy this year. On top of his extra lessons with Snape, Harry also takes up teaching a group of students Defense Against the Dark Arts due to the utter uselessness of Umbridge's lessons. I think this is excellent for so many reasons. 1) It's a deliberate snub to Umbridge and it made me proud of them that they pulled it off for so long without getting caught, 2) It's necessary. Dude, Voldemort is back. It's time to suit up already! 3) Harry appears to be a good teacher and, in the year when they're all starting to think about what they want to pursue as a career I wonder why he doesn't consider teaching because he also seems to enjoy it.
Finally, Cho Chang. Aw, Harry's first crush. I enjoyed reliving all of those wonderful/awful moments awkward teenagers go through in these situations. I especially liked how utterly clueless Harry is here because, as a girl, I could see exactly what Cho was doing and why, but I could also understand Harry's confusion and watching him try to blunder through it all was highly amusing. I particularly loved Hermione trying to explain Cho's side of things to Harry and where he had gone wrong and his response of utter incomprehension. The whole situation is such a perfect example of the differences between boys and girls, so I give Rowling major points for successfully capturing the attitude and mistakes of a typical teenage boy.
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