Happy Harry Potter post day! Although I’m finding it hard to be too excited, because SIRIUS! 
I don’t cry a lot during the Harry Potter series. I’m kind of tough on Harry, because he has a lot of faults (which are good because they make him more realistic, but man they can be frustrating) and I generally don’t get too choked up over a lot of the things in these books. Kids are pretty resilient. But I CAN’T STOP CRYING during chapters 35 through 37. Sirius was definitely one of my favorite characters, and the only chance at having an adult family member that Harry really had left, and OHMYGOD IT’S TOO SAD. The first time I read this book, I was depressed for about a week.
But let’s talk about some other stuff first.
- The Grawp chapter is so boring. Stupid Grawp. Good for Hagrid and everything cause it’s sweet that he has a brother, but duuuuude I just don’t care about Grawp. He’s just filler, really.
- Why didn’t Harry and Ron ever drop Divination? Is it because they figured that if nothing else, it’s easy credit because they can just bluff their way through it?
- I forgot that Umbridge was the one who sent dementors after Harry! *If the centaurs did rape her… well I can’t condone rape of course. But I also wouldn’t really feel that badly for her. I really wish they would’ve just killed her off.
- I like how the D.A. is the young, present-day version of the Order of the Phoenix
![:-)]()
- Soooo chapter 32, and Harry has the Sirius vision, and Hermione explains EXACTLY why Harry should chill the hell out and think before he acts, because that vision probably wasn’t real, and UGH I GET SO MAD AT HARRY HERE. Mad a lot of people actually - Dumbledore for not explaining to Harry the exact reasons why he was supposed to take Occlumency and that there was a risk of Voldemort abusing the link between them, Snape for not being less of a dick during those lessons and not trying to get Harry alone ASAP to tell him that Sirius was really okay, Kreacher for being such a crappy little thing and for no one realizing how dangerous he was, and Harry for not even TRYING to learn Occlumency and then for rushing headfirst into this situation that leads to a bunch of people putting their lives in danger because he’s an idiot. I think one of the most upsetting things about Sirius’s death is that SO MANY THINGS could have prevented it, and it was a bunch of little mishaps that lead to it. And in a way, JK is genius because deaths that shouldn’t have happened and don’t make sense happen every day in the real world, but man it hurts when it happens to Sirius. But I’m getting ahead of myself again…
- The showdown between the D.A. and the Death Eaters! How awesome was it, because they’re so young and still kicked a lot of ass? AND we see more of Bellatrix, who I hate but kind of really like because she’s insane.
- So when the Death Eaters come up on the D.A. members and try to get the prophecy, Harry asks (pretty sensibly I think) why Voldemort didn’t just show up and get it himself. And they say “Oh yeah he couldn’t just walk in here and get it, that’d be ridiculous” except they’ve all been hanging out in the Ministry of Magic for what, at least 15 minutes? and no alarm has gone off or anything. I really do think Voldemort could’ve popped in and grabbed that prophecy with no problem and been out again, probably in about 5 minutes or less. That’s a weak plot hole, J.K.
- Then this happens and… *SOB*
- Dumbledore fights Voldemort and that was a pretty fun battle to read about, and then when Fudge shows up and is all shocked to see Voldy, Dumbledore orders him around and he’s just such a badass there. I love seeing him just shut Fudge down, because he’s a massive idiot.
- But then Dumbledore and Harry are in his office and I CRY SOME MORE because Harry’s grief is so raw and it’s just too tragic. And then Dumbly goes on about a whole bunch of stuff that he should have told Harry earlier, INCLUDING that the prophecy basically says it’s going to have to come to a battle-to-the-death between Harry and Voldy. I think this is the first book I really actively remember reading and discussing with my sister Heather, about what the prophecy would mean for the next books and whether or not Sirius was really dead (cause we just could not believe it).
- Aww, near the end Harry FINALLY remembers the 2-way mirror and it’s just more salt in the wound
![:-(]()
- And Luna shows up in her awesome weirdness to comfort Harry and we all just love her, right?
Sooo yeah. That last section was probably the most depressing in the entire series. It’s bumming me out just writing about it. This is probably one of the very few times that I’m a big ol’ crying mess instead of the relatively cold-hearted reader you’ve all come to know! Seeeee, I do have a heart. Siriusly.
Until next week!
~Sarah
* Thanks to Kayleigh for linking to that article earlier.
