That's true. It's distinct, for sure.

And funny too. Really, that's all it is for us. We quote his reading of "Buboo Tubers" about once a month.

So I'm up to the endless cleaning section in Order of the Phoenix, and my thoughts so far are as follows:

-- JKR really likes the punctuated-equilibrium method of characterization, doesn't she? All of a sudden (only a month after the last book) the kids are difficult adolescents, and Harry's spending all his time stewing with rage. To be fair, this isn't unjustified given the trauma he experienced at the end of the last book, but he'd been traumatized before without reacting that way. I guess it's meant to be a combination of adolescence and trauma, but it doesn't feel totally organic to me.

-- Jeez, are we meant to dislike Molly Weasley quite so intensely here? She's become shrill and domineering, pretty much a one-note domestic character. And yes, justified by her concern, but there's not much nuance there.

-- This is the first book that really shows the lack of a strong line-edit. The argument between Sirius and Molly about whether to tell Harry anything goes on and on and on, and it doesn't really need to. As does the scene where Harry yells at Ron and Hermione for not telling him anything over the summer. It's rather repetitive, especially on audio, where you can't really skim.

-- Dumbledore comes off very badly in the way he's bogarting information. In hindsight, you can kind of see why he's being so cautious, because too much information about the prophecy or Dumbledore's theories about the relationship between Harry & Voldemort might make Harry act in a way that would interfere with Dumbledore's plans, but it's so manipulative and high-handed.

Of course, that's the point. Again we have an adult institution, the Order, which is going to fail Harry. And which is already failing to protect him, educate him, or provide him emotional support.

-- I'd forgotten most of the family connections between Sirius and all those Death-Eaters.

-- Speaking of family, apparently JKR said that James' parents died when James was young; has anything ever been said about Lily's? It just seems unlikely that he has no family living other than Petunia, especially given that James and Lily married so young.

Speaking of family, apparently JKR said that James' parents died when James was young; has anything ever been said about Lily's? It just seems unlikely that he has no family living other than Petunia, especially given that James and Lily married so young.

Petunia mentions their parents in the first book -- she says they were always so proud of Lily, so that implies that they were alive at least through Lily's first few years at Hogwarts. I guess we're meant to assume that they died some time before Harry was born, or at least before Lily and James died.

This is the first book that really shows the lack of a strong line-edit.

Isn't that the first book they didn't translate? (Which I assume is because of compressed editing time and not a sudden feeling that Americans would know what a jumper was).

'Suela, I'm in agreement with your post. I have nothing else thoughtful to say. I really felt, at the time reading OOP that it needed one good round of edits. It is better than GOF, which also needed a good editor, but it is almost as if her editor quit after book 3, never to return.

I guess we're meant to assume that they died some time before Harry was born, or at least before Lily and James died.

Which, you know, that's pretty traumatic, really: they're both orphaned by the time they're 19 or 20? Jeez. And Sirius has run away from his family, and so forth.

Which does make me wonder: doesn't it cost money to go to Hogwarts? If Sirius is cut off from the Blacks, who's paying his school fees? I assume there must be some, because it's clear that one of the reasons the Weasleys are so stretched is the cost of sending every single kid to school.

Which does make me wonder: doesn't it cost money to go to Hogwarts? If Sirius is cut off from the Blacks, who's paying his school fees? I assume there must be some, because it's clear that one of the reasons the Weasleys are so stretched is the cost of sending every single kid to school.

I don't think there's tuition, but there are uniforms and books and various other things. When Hagrid takes Harry to Gringott's the first time, they take out money to buy his supplies, but nobody mentions then or in the acceptance letter that there are any school fees.

What Hil said about tuition. That's the impression I always got.

I don't think there's tuition, but there are uniforms and books and various other things.

Right, okay. In which case, where's the money to run the school coming from? Do we assume that the Four Founders established a foundation? Actually, that might work, and would also work to explain why there is still a Slytherin House: the trust requires it, and if they tried to break the trust, they'd lose funding for the whole place.