Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapter Notes

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Chapter 34: The Department of Mysteries

• Flying on something you can’t see must be terrifying. Though it is interesting that among their little group exactly half of the people can see the Thestrals: Harry, Neville and Luna. And the fact that they have seen Death creates a special kind of bond between them, and it will later also set them apart from the others once they enter the room with the Veil.

• Also, remember in book 2, when Harry and Ron travelled with the Flying Ford Angelia to Hogwarts and were spotted by Muggles everywhere? Nobody can tell me no one saw this group flying all the way from Hogwarts to London, especially when they land right in the middle of London. Also, can Muggles who have witnessed someone dying see Thestrals as well? Or are they only visible to Wizards/Witches? And what about Squibs? We know for example that Muggles can’t see Dementors and but Squibs can see them.

• “Half a dozen badges slid out of the metal chute where returned coins normally appeared. Hermione scooped them up and handed them mutely to Harry over Ginny’s head; he glanced at the topmost one, Harry Potter, Rescue Mission.” – First of all, I need such a badge. Second, apparently everyone can get inside the Ministry, at every hour? Shouldn’t there be some kind of security? Like those children simply walk into the Department of Mysteries like it is nothing (though perhaps the Death Eaters made sure they could, disabling any kind of security spells beforehand).

• “Harry felt sure there ought to be a security person there, sure their absence was an ominous sign, and his feeling of foreboding increased as they passed through the golden gates to the lifts.” – I mean even Harry notices the lack of any kind of security to be a bit… odd. Like it is way too easy to get inside the Ministry.

• “‘Let’s go,’ called Hermione from halfway up the stone steps. ‘This isn’t right, Harry, come on, let’s go.’ She sounded scared, much more scared than she had in the room where the brains swam, yet Harry thought the archway had a kind of beauty about it, old though it was. The gently rippling veil intrigued him; he felt a very strong inclination to climb up on the dais and walk through it.” – We can only speculate about the Veil, but I guess that if Harry had indeed walked through it I think he would have died and passed through on the other side. At least that is what I always thought would happen. And there is of course the fact that Harry is drawn to the Veil, that he wants to walk through it. The Veil is a metaphor for Death, so one could interpret this as Harry’s suicidal ideation. I don’t think Harry actually wants to die, however he has been through severe trauma (and is about to experience more) and he acts rather reckless when it comes to his own life, always ready to risk it to save others. Death and loss and grief are constant companions in Harry’s life. He is surrounded by Death and he is drawn to it.

• Among the group Harry, Luna, Neville and also Ginny seem to be fascinated by the Veil. Only Ron and Hermione are scared of it and get the others back to the circular room. Harry, Luna and Neville of course have witnessed Death, whereas Ginny almost died in her first year at Hogwarts. They have all experienced Death in some way or another, which would explain why they are drawn to the Veil. Both Luna and Harry can hear voices behind it, both have lost parents, someone very close to them, that they long to see (or hear) again. After Sirius’s death Harry feels isolated from the rest of the world, like nobody could possibly understand how he feels. Death sets him apart, as well as the others, and it is seen in how different they react to the Veil.

• I really really want to know how the whole prophecy thing works. Say some seer makes a real prediction then what? Trewlaney herself didn’t even remember what she said that one time in book 3 when she made another prediction. So is it up to the one hearing the prediction to go the Department of Mysteries and tell them what they heard one so they can make a record? Does a glass sphere appear every time someone makes a prediction? If only the people the prophecy is about can touch it how can you even move them? Are those people, who have prophecies about them, informed? Like do you get a letter once you are off age, that you can visit the Ministry and listen to the prophecy made about you anytime? And then of course there are so many prophecies that are unspecific who they are about, most likely until the moment until they become true and who even relabels them if you can’t touch them? And are there other ways to listen to them without destroying them?