‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix‘ is known for being a vast novel that incorporates a wide variety of plot lines into a complex web of events, all leading to an apt climax – The battle for Harry’s self. When Harry and Dumbledore are faced with Voldemort, the latter tries in vain to possess Harry, only to be thwarted by Harry’s will and determination to remain his true self. This book is, therefore, a celebration of the self, and even the rebellion that students undertake against the draconian measures of the ministry is a way to remain true to their selves.
This book contains a lot of interesting quotes that go on to have a deep impact both within the series for plot purposes as well as on the readers with whom these quotes resonate.
Empathy
Just because you have the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn’t mean we all have.
Hermione Granger
These lines were spoken by Hermione Granger to Ron Weasley when she is talking to both him and Harry about how Cho Chang must be feeling. After Harry kissed Cho in the Room of Requirement during Dumbledore’s Army session, Hermione and Ron were excited to know how it went and therefore ask him to tell them what happened. He claims that Cho cried a lot while she kissed him. To this, Hermione responds by claiming how she must be feeling really bad after Cedric Diggory died and how she must be feeling guilty after kissing Harry because she is not sure if she should move on with her life.
Furthermore, Hermione also claims that Cho has been crying a lot in the ladies washroom. She tries to explain what Cho must be going through. To this, Ron responds by saying that he couldn’t even imagine that one person can be thinking all this and going through something this complicated, to which Hermione retorts the aforementioned lines.
Hermione exhibits empathy by making sense of the feelings that Cho must be going through without really talking to her. It is considered an essential human trait to possess, and in this book, there are several instances of a strong exhibition of empathy.
Neglect
Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike.
Albus Dumbledore
These lines are told by Albus Dumbledore to Harry Potter after their battle against Voldemort in the Ministry of Magic. After Sirius is killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, it is actually found out that Kreacher, the house-elf of Sirius, betrayed them by talking to Narcissa Malfoy. Harry is enraged with Kreacher. However, Dumbledore points out kindly that although it is Kreacher’s fault, it is also Sirius’s fault in that how he treated his house elf ultimately led to his death. This enrages Harry even further, but Dumbledore keeps his calm and explains that the reason Kreacher is so bitter and miserable is probably because of how he has been treated by Sirius.
He then states the above-mentioned lines and elaborates on how being outright disliked usually isn’t as harmful as neglecting and ignoring someone. Without showing affection and being very dismissive of someone, we tend to cause a lot more damage to them psychologically than we would if were being hateful.
Expectation
“You’re a prefect? Oh Ronnie! That’s everyone in the family!”
“What are Fred and I? Next door neighbors?”
Molly Weasley
These lines are spoken by Molly Weasley and then by George Weasley as a response to what she says. Molly Weasley is thrilled to find out that Ron has been chosen as a prefect and suddenly claims that this makes it everyone in the family, forgetting that Fred and George were never prefects. In response to her comment, George responds by asking what they are supposed to be, if not family. Although this is a really funny exchange between mother and son, it goes without saying that their playful and fun behavior disqualifies them from certain expectations that the Weasley parents would have from their other children.
It is a normal thing for parents to expect great things out of their children, but at the same time, it is sometimes very tempting to expect way too much out of growing children with their own dreams and aspirations. This moment and quote signify that expectation subtly but enough to eventually serve as a testament to how the Weasley brothers exceed expectations by building their own joke shop.
Youth and Old Age
Youth can not know how age thinks and feels. But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young.
Albus Dumbledore
These lines are uttered by Albus Dumbledore. They are in response to the situation where Dumbledore realizes that he has been expecting Harry to behave in a particular way that is optimal for him but is actually forgetting that Harry is a young teenager and has his own ways of doing things. Dumbledore claims that while young people couldn’t possibly understand how an old man loaded with a vast amount of life experience thinks, it is very wrong of this old man to forget what it was like when he was young himself and expect actions that are in unison with his requirements from a teenager.
FAQs
Who were the members of the First Order of Phoenix?
Albus Dumbledore was the leader of the Order of Phoenix, and the phoenix in reference is Fawkes, the phoenix that accompanies him. Other major members of the Order of the Phoenix include his brother Abeforth Dumbledore, Mad-Eye Moody, James and Lily Potter, Arthur and Molly Weasley, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Frank and Alice Longbottom, Elphias Doge, and Dedalus Diggle. Several other members existed.
Who are some of the death eaters?
Death Eaters are the followers of Lord Voldemort. The most important death eater, at least during the events of the Order of the Phoenix, is probably Bellatrix Lestrange. Other important members include Lucius Malfoy, Augustus Rookwood, Avery, Rodolphus Lestrange, Severus Snape, Barty Crouch Jr, Walden McNair, and Antonin Dolohov.
Who is Luna’s father?
Luna Lovegood’s father is Xenophilus Lovegood. He is the editor of Quibbler, a magazine that publishes outlandish articles about various different aspects. However, he is very helpful to Harry and publishes Harry’s interview, where he lays out the entire story of what happened on the night Cedric Diggory died.
