Harry Potter

[framlingem]

Right. Woke up this morning, went to the dentist, and proceeded to settle in for a five hour session with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I must admit I rather liked it, especially that moment at the beginning when I found out Mrs. Figg is a Squib and not just a nutter, and thought "Holy cow, Gramarye was RIGHT!" I've also got to confess to a certain fondness for two of the new characters, as personality-wise, I'm a blend of Tonks and Loonie Luna. Granted, my mother reads the "National Enquirer" and not "The Quibbler", but my mother is very much a muggle.

If, for some unfathomable reason, someone chose to do a literary analysis of this book (unfathomable because, in the first place, who would WANT to do a literary analysis, and second, Harry Potter should not be ripped to shreds like that), they might want to comment on the heavy dose of foreshadowing.

My own quibble is about the mirror. Harry, whatever faults he may have, is not stupid. Sirius gave him rather clear instructions on what the package was for, and Harry. Never. Opened. It. This seemed somewhat contrived, and if she included it for a bitter scene at the end, it could have been done much better, methinks.

Regarding Cho: Harry may not be stupid, but he certainly can be an idiot, can't he? Enough said.

Regarding Umbridge: I loved this character. She's well-named, as are most of the characters in the Potter universe. Umbrage...oooh... And she's so deliciously reminiscent of some of the world's best repressive regimes. She was even recruiting stormtroopers for a while there, and the propaganda and censorship was so... so... not evil, but... fanatic? oppressive? I'm not really sure which adjective to use here, so I'll just leave it. My mental picture of this woman is the secretary from Monsters Inc. - the one who turned out to be a secret agent?

Regarding Quidditch: Three cheers for Ron. And Ginny. And poor beleaguered Angelina. She's got really big shoes to fill, and she didn't exactly have textbook conditions, and Umbridge kept changing the size of her feet. I would have liked an Oliver Wood cameo, but I can live in ficcy dreams of what he's doing off in Puddlemere instead, I suppose. Poor Ron - I know that feeling, when you can't seem to stop anything, and everyone on your team keeps ENCOURAGING you, and even though it's a TEAM sport, you can't help but feel guilty.

Regarding Snape: I think I may actually manage to like him. I certainly understand him a lot better now. It is not fun to be alone and unwanted.

Regarding Sirius: I am really, really, severely annoyed with Ms. Rowling. She shut the poor man up in a house he hated for the better part of the year, with an insane house-elf and abusive pictures for company. There is certainly fic writable about him. I believe I may *gasp* write one of them. So much for not getting sucked into HP fandom. And then, if that wasn't enough, she kills him. A hero's death, yeah, like Ganner Rhysode's in the Star Wars universe, even if he didn't know he was going to die like Ganner did. And he died for something which was something he obviously thought worth dying for. Sir Nicholas became a ghost because he was afraid to die - maybe Sirius didn't because he wasn't afraid to die. But no funeral, nothing, and what do you want to bet he'll leave no trace in the wizarding world other than the slander that was commited against him? On the other hand... there is a very, very slim chance that he isn't dead. Slim indeed, though. I know Ms. Rowling said that when she kills someone, they stay dead - but her Big Bad Guy (TM) came back from the dead. Or was Voldemort merely destroyed, or dissipated? Must reread to check facts.

Regarding the Weasleys in general: There was a moment at the end there when I though Ron was going to die. Blood doesn't normally make bubbles in the corner of one's mouth unless one has something popped on the inside. I couldn't decide whether to be relieved that he wasn't dead, or furious that Sirius was. Molly Weasley almost broke my heart fighting that Boggart, and Ginny seems finally to have been given the credit she's due, as a very capable and tough and complex young lady. When she reminds Harry that she's been possessed by Voldemort, that was just SO cool. Fred and George rock. I could hear the trumpets as they flew out of Hogwart's. Percy... oh, Percy. Think for yourself, why don't you. Learn to create your own opinions instead of self-importance and worshipping of authority. It'll serve you so much better, and you'll be a bigger person for it. And maybe not so much of a git.

Regarding fandom: Right, I'm in. Does anyone (ashkitty dear, this would mean you, even though I know you're an H/D fan. And I'm already reading 'Legacy of the Light') have any good Sirius fics for me? Plot and character-driven ones, lemons optional as I'll skip them anyway? Charlie Weasley would be cool, too. And I'm all for Quidditch. If there is violence, that's all to the good. Thank you.

Comments

[ashkitty.livejournal.com]

I don't actually...go to FictionAlley (http://www.fictionalley.org) and you can hunt by character, though.

And yes, Fred and George rock.

And welcome to the fandom. Be sure to pick up your pennants, shipper badges, and World Cup tickets. ;)

Re:

[framlingem.livejournal.com]

I just did the hunt by character on FFnet out of desperation. Egads. Thanks very much for the link.

Thanks for the welcome. GO RAVENCLAW! As for World Cup tickets... I'd write in a Canadian team, but I just KNOW it'll be Mary-Sue-ish, so I won't. Because, you know, I'd have to put myself on it.

[framlingem.livejournal.com]

Er... how exactly does one hunt by character? It doesn't seem to say in the FAQ.

*hugs you because you're nifty*

[ashkitty.livejournal.com]

Go here:

http://www.fictionalley.org/fictionalleypark/

Scroll down to the little google symbol and there are all of the different ways to search for fic. :)

Re:

[framlingem.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[quiva.livejournal.com]

I know some _really_ good Sirius fanfic. But it's slash. Email me if you want recs. to those.

Re:

[framlingem.livejournal.com]

Oooh, do send me stuff :) Haven't you figured out yet I like slash? Silly Quiva. :p

(Tell me it;'s Sirius/Lupin, and not Sirius/Snape like I keep stumbling across!)

Re:

[quiva.livejournal.com]

Well if you want a long read and an amazingly dark and lovely characterization of Sirius go to http://www.smeg.ws/rpg/rpg.html It's long, but stick with it. Warning though, it's a WIP.

Red Moon Rising is also good http://www.behindthemasks.com/dawnatello/harrypotter/quiz/

and this site http://ailei.bacchae.org/ is the page of one of the writers of the Double Cross. Ailei ROCKS!

That should get you started...

Re:

[framlingem.livejournal.com]

Thanks! As soon as I'm finished with the one I'm reading now, I'll mosey on over there.

*salivates over ficcyness*