Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapter Notes

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Chapter 23: Christmas on the Closed Ward

• “He felt dirty, contaminated, as though he were carrying some deadly germ, unworthy to sit on the Underground train back from the hospital with innocent, clean people whose minds and bodies were free of the taint of Voldemort …” – Sam Winchester, is that you? Seriously though this reminded me a lot of Sam’s storyline in the early seasons of Supernatural, after he learned that he had been fed demon blood and had powers and felt unclean. Many people compared that particular storyline with a coming out story. How Sam felt wrong, unnatural, isolated. How he had to come to terms with who he is. It is similar with Harry, who is afraid because of his connection to Voldemort, afraid what it might make of him, what it says about him, and how it isolates him from those around him. Harry can’t help his connection with Voldemort, but he eventually learns to use it for his own advantage. He also accepts that he has a dark side (see his use of Unforgiveable Curses).

• “I’m the weapon, Harry thought, and it was as though poison were pumping through his veins, chilling him, bringing him out in a sweat as he swayed with the train through the dark tunnel. I’m the one Voldemort’s trying to use, that’s why they’ve got guards around me everywhere I go, it’s not for my protection, it’s for other people’s, only it’s not working, they can’t have someone on me all the time at Hogwarts … I did attack Mr Weasley last night, it was me. Voldemort made me do it and he could be inside me, listening to my thoughts right now –“ – And this is yet another theme that has been very prominent on Supernatural: the lack of agency, of control over your own body and mind. Consent in the Wizarding World is a rather delicate topic: from love potions to Veritaserum to the Imperius Curse, consent can be taken away in various forms. Harry is rather often the victim of this kind of violation. Last year alone Myrtle spied on him while he was naked, Snape threatened him with Veritaserum and Voldemort used the Imperius Curse on him. Soon Snape, and later Voldemort will read Harry’s mind without his permission. I always find the violation of consent a crime that especially women experience a lot (often in everyday situations) and I already wrote before that while Harry is a male character he often becomes the victim of violent acts that are usually experienced by women.

• “There was only one thing for it: he would have to leave Grimmauld Place straightaway. He would spend Christmas at Hogwarts without the others, which would keep them safe over the holidays at least … but no, that wouldn’t do, there were still plenty of people at Hogwarts to maim and injure. What if it was Seamus, Dean or Neville next time? He stopped his pacing and stood staring at Phineas Nigellus’s empty frame. A leaden sensation was settling in the pit of his stomach. He had no alternative: he was going to have to return to Privet Drive, cut himself off from other wizards entirely.” – So, Harry is afraid he might be a threat to the people around him, the Weasleys or his friends at Hogwarts and his solution is… to return to the Dursleys? Like, doesn’t matter if Voldemort might attack them? He did not think this through at all.

• “‘You know,’ said Phineas Nigellus, even more loudly than Harry, ‘this is precisely why I loathed being a teacher! Young people are so infernally convinced that they are absolutely right about everything. Has it not occurred to you, my poor puffed-up popinjay, that there might be an excellent reason why the Headmaster of Hogwarts is not confiding every tiny detail of his plans to you? Have you never paused, while feeling hard-done-by, to note that following Dumbledore’s orders has never yet led you into harm? No. No, like all young people, you are quite sure that you alone feel and think, you alone recognise danger, you alone are the only one clever enough to realise what the Dark Lord may be planning –’” – The older I get the more I can relate to Phineas Nigellus (he might be my new fave). Teenagers are just the worst!

• Do Hermione’s parents actually like her daughter? She spent most of the summer at Grimmauld Place and now Christmas as well. I know she needs to be there for plot reasons, but still. I don’t think she has seen her parents for more than a week this year. (It is also possible Hermione finds excuses to get away from her parents, perhaps because they were never really close or she feels that they don’t understand her life in the Wizarding World.)

• “‘Well, that was a bit stupid of you,’ said Ginny angrily, ‘seeing as you don’t know anyone but me who’s been possessed by You-Know-Who, and I can tell you how it feels.’ Harry remained quite still as the impact of these words hit him. Then he turned on the spot to face her. ‘I forgot,’ he said. ‘Lucky you,’ said Ginny coolly.” – Perhaps one of Harry’s biggest flaws is that he is often so focussed on his own pain that he forgets that others suffer as well. We already saw this last year when he learned about Neville’s parents and realized that not once in four years he had asked Neville about them. We see it here, Harry nursing his own pain, refusing to acknowledge that the others might want to help him. And I just love how Ginny acts around Harry, how unafraid she is and how she voices her opinion, no matter if Harry wants to hear it or not (unlike Ron who is actually afraid to say something wrong). Harry needs someone like her, someone who tells him off whenever he acts stupid.

• “‘Thanks for the book, Harry,’ she said happily. ‘I’ve been wanting that New Theory of Numerology for ages! And that perfume’s really unusual, Ron.’” – That is the same as to say someone’s food tastes… interesting.

• I always loved Arthur Weasley’ love for all things Muggle, how he thinks of them as special in their very own way, and his curiosity for their inventions. Of course he would be open to try out Muggle medicine. But also think of all the Muggles that could be healed with magic. I wonder if the DNA of witches/wizards and Muggles is different. If there are certain Muggle illnesses a witch/wizard can’t get and the other way around (say Muggles could not get Dragon Pox).

• “‘Er – how are you, Professor?’ said Ron, sounding slightly guilty. It had been Ron’s malfunctioning wand that had damaged Professor Lockhart’s memory so badly that he had landed in St Mungo’s in the first place, though as Lockhart had been attempting to permanently wipe Harry and Ron’s memories at the time, Harry’s sympathy was limited.” – It has never been mentioned if there were any kind of legal consequences for Ron or the Weasleys because of this. Was Ron responsible for his malfunctioning wand? Would this be classified as a danger to others? Is this considered as self-defence as Lockhart had tried to take away their memory in the first place? But then Harry had only protected himself against the Dementors and almost got kicked out of school. This isn’t about whether Lockhart deserved what he got, Ron still damaged his memory beyond repair.

• That whole meeting between Harry and his friends and Neville and his grandmother is just painful. I don’t think that Neville is ashamed of his parents. But he doesn’t want anyone’s pity (not more than he already gets) and there is no way to casually bring the topic up. There is of course the fact that none of his friends ever asked, and perhaps he had assumed that at least the Weasley children would know, as Neville’s parents and what happened to them is well known. Mr and Mrs Weasley, if they know, had their own reasons no to tell their children. It was upon Neville to tell them, for him to choose the time and place, and it was taken from him, and even added conflict with his grandmother, as she misunderstood the reasons why Neville hasn’t told anyone.