My Summary/Review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Unless you want the 5th book spoiled, don't read this if you haven't already read it. Feedback on the summary/review would be nice. Any comments of mine in the summary and review will be in brackets, [like so].

Summary

The book starts with Harry, as usual, back at Privet Drive. He is rather morose, as the Dursleys are suspicious when he wants to watch the news, so he must hide in the drought-stricken [I know how that is!] flower garden to listen. None of the letters he has received from Ron, Hermione, or Sirius give him the information he longs for, so he is rather peeved at them. Dudley gets attacked by dementors, which Harry is able to chase off with a Patronus. He gets a letter from the MoM (Ministry of Magic) saying he is expelled and will be tried in August, then one each from Sirius and Mr. Weasley telling him to stay in the house, and lastly, another MoM letter saying he is NOT expelled, merely suspended, but he will still have to attend a trial. A short time later, Harry is taken to Sirius's house, which serves as the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, a group of people led by Dumbledore dedicated to fighting Voldemort. The Weasley family (excluding Percy, who has sided with Fudge), Sirius, and Hermione are also staying at the house. Hermione and (to everyone's shock) Ron are made prefects, but Harry is comforted when he learns that his father was not a prefect either. [I'm wondering how James made head boy if he wasn't a prefect, as Hagrid says Lily and James were head boy and girl in the first book...] We learn some of Sirius's family history, which is rather dark, as his name suggests. He is from one of the old pureblood families rather like Malfoy's (they generally dislike Muggles, Muggleborns, etc). Harry's trial goes somewhat well - he is allowed to return to school because he was using magic to defend himself, though it is obvious that many Ministry members, Fudge & Percy included, are disinclined to treat him as they did before. Once back at Hogwarts, it is discovered that one of these members, Dolores Jane Umbridge, is to be the DADA teacher since Dumbledore was unable to find a teacher before the school year started. She is also acting as a spy within the school, getting the Ministry to quickly enact "Educational Decrees" which give her nearly supreme power as "High Inquisitor." She also sits in on lessons, grading the teachers' abilities. Her lessons merely involve book reading, resulting in the formation (mostly by Hermione) of a group of students being taught DADA by Harry (who is dragged in somewhat against his will). They decide to name themselves Dumbledore's Army (or the D.A.), which is helpful after they are discovered. Umbridge also has an Inquisitorial Squad of students (ironically, they are primarily Slytherins) who act as her eyes and ears among the student body. Ron makes Keeper of the Gryffindor team, though it doesn't seem to do much good when unauthorized meetings of 3 or more people are banned. The team does get to play again, but Harry and the Weasley twins are "banned for life" by Umbridge after George and Harry beat up Draco. (Ginny takes over Harry's position as Seeker.) Hagrid is mysteriously absent until nearly halfway 'til Christmas, when he shows up very bruised. He tells Harry, Ron, and Hermione that he and Madam Maxime tried to get the giants support for Dumbledore, but were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Harry is having surges of emotion from Voldemort, culminating in dream-visions. He has one just before Christmas, in which Mr. Weasley is attacked by a snake and Harry feels he IS the snake. When Harry and the Weasleys visit Mr. Weasley at St. Mungo's, they also see Gilderoy Lockhart again, and Neville, who is visiting his parents. After Christmas, Harry begins taking lessons from Professor Snape to try and prevent Voldemort from breaking into Harry's thoughts. During one of these, Harry learns from a pensieve that his father was indeed arrogant and cruel to some, especially Snape. Eventually, Harry starts having visions of Voldemort torturing Sirius in the Department of Mysteries, so he goes to rescue Sirius, but it turns out to be a trap, and Sirius ends up dying. :'-( Also, Fudge and lots of other Ministry people see Voldemort and finally admit that he is back, and that Harry and Dumbledore aren't losing their marbles, but only after Dumbledore duels with Voldie, which is a really cool scene. Harry also finds out that in the end, either he or Voldie must be killed by the other before the other can live. (I'm sorry about the very end of this, but school's started again, so I'm really pressed for time, and my summary WAS getting a bit long-winded...)

Review

The book was very funny. Morbidly so in some places, but the humor kept the mood from being too depressing. Everyone should read this book because it's really good. And exciting. And dramatic. And Hermione and Ron belong together. And because Harry is hopeless with women. (Teehee! ^_^) And the book is kind of dark. But it's still funny. And this is a crappy review, so you'll have to read the book yourself to know what it's like. So there. X-b
By the way, did anyone else almost instantly think of Cobra Bubbles from Lilo and Stitch when J.K. Rowling described Kingsley Shacklebolt, or was that just me?