![[CLOSED] -The Harry Potter Book Club! Your Notes for Chapter 15 & 16 of The Order of the Phoenix!](https://img5.saketami.com/storage/4/qx/im/9a2cd0-019e8403-d5e6-7b21-bd0a-86838e41b320.jpg)
[CLOSED] -The Harry Potter Book Club! Your Notes for Chapter 15 & 16 of The Order of the Phoenix!
Added 2025-10-05 00:23:06 +0000 UTCTHIS PART OF THE BOOK CLUB HAS NOW BEEN COMPLETED! Thank you all so much for taking part! :)
Oof-Tee-Poof, everyone!! 👋
Here is a chance to get your comment read out in the next Book review video!
If you are reading along with the reviews, we are covering chapters "The Hogwarts High Inquisitor" and "In the Hogs Head"! So if you have any thoughts, opinions, comparisons or questions regarding these, please leave a comment below!
I do have to ask, try to keep them fairly short, like 4 or 5 sentences. That way I can cover more when making the video. Also try to keep them on subject and not referencing anything that we are yet to cover. Ideally, keep it to 1 comment each if you can (if you have more to say after commenting, you can edit it and add to it! :) ). These are just rough guidelines rather than rules, I want to be able to fit in as many of you as possible! :)
NEW FEATURE!! - As some of you may want to make a comment, but not have it replied to by others, you can now Message me your thoughts on the chapters by DM'ing me on here. If you do, please follow all the above rules, especially avoiding mentioning things in future chapters or books! Oh and please start your DM message with "Book Club -"!
To anyone that does reply to comments below, please make sure you are being friendly and respectful! A lot of tone and meaning can be lost in text, after all! If you disagree with someone on something, keep it polite and remember the golden rule in life - Sometimes you have to just agree to disagree! :)
Thanks, guys!! :)
Comments
It’s so stupid that Harry doesn’t recognise Susan Bones. Aren’t there only ~30 students in each year?!
Sandra
2025-11-02 23:11:59 +0000 UTCCongrats on your marriage!
Andrew K
2025-11-02 16:39:40 +0000 UTCHi Veggie! I missed the last few, gutted I didn’t get to talk about Mrs Figg and squibs, another time perhaps! How cool is Ginny? Zacharius smith kind of bringing down the good Hufflepuff name. Then again, I can’t talk, I’m Slytherin 😆 I Like Ernie, He’s pompous but principled. Why doesn’t Harry know Susan Bones when they’re in the same year! I guess the houses are more segregated than I thought - they did definitely have Herbology with the Hufflepuffs in year 2. Is there even enough time for all the teachers to teach every house in every year individually? That doesn’t make much scheduling sense if you ask me.
Garry (Not Jerry)
2025-11-02 12:55:17 +0000 UTCIf you’re using the phone app Should be a button with speech bubbles at the bottom of the Home Screen. From there you just click new chat and you should see veggie on the list of people you follow.
Garry (Not Jerry)
2025-11-02 12:31:06 +0000 UTCDid not know about Matt Berry but that would be amazing to hear!
Garry (Not Jerry)
2025-11-02 12:28:02 +0000 UTCHey Veggie, Im Glad i made it, i was very busy this month as i got married! I love the current State in the books, were so much has been established; As in Locations, so many different Characters, the Interactions between them. Also spells or enchantments of things or Buildings. I think one of the charms of the books now, is that the wizarding world has been established, e.g. it is as normal for the reader to learn News from the Daily Prophet, as it is for the Trio. Or Fred and George just bring there Talking about lessons. We‘ve been introduced to a wonderful world of magic throughout the First 4 books and now the Plot with everything established from the previous books can unfold 1000 times more dramatic and more powerful because of that. There is obviously so much more to learn, But it already feels as if we fully arrived in the story and everything that Happens, is Happening around us and the rules that have been established give a really good frame. Im trying my best to explain this feeling with words, sorry if it is a Bit confusing 😅 Edit: My Icon is a little hog from the Game sea of thieves as you asked last time :) All the best, Loving everything 💜
Bennet
2025-11-02 11:21:19 +0000 UTCThey might not have realized it was a Patronus. Learning how to do it isn't even on the Syllabus as far as we know.
S1lm4r1l
2025-11-01 20:42:19 +0000 UTC"Deeply sad" is hilarious.
S1lm4r1l
2025-11-01 20:41:02 +0000 UTCHi Veggie! I've just started a new study programme (mechatronics!), so just like Harry, I'm very busy. Luckily I'm having a much better time than Harry is at this point, but I unfortunately didn't have the time to really read the chapters. I do have a new Dutch fun fact though: The O.W.L. grades are: U - Uitmuntend (excellent) B - Boven verwachting (exceeds expectations) A - Acceptabel (acceptable) S - Slecht (bad) D - Dieptreurig (deeply sad) Z - Zwakzinnig (feeble-minded) The O.W.L. is translated to S.L.I.J.M.B.A.L., which is short for Schriftelijke Lofuiting wegens IJver, Magische Bekwaamheid en Algemeen Leervermogen. This translates back to Written Commendation due to Diligence, Magical Capability and General Learning ability. Quite a mouthful! Being a slijmbal also means sucking up to people, as if people are showing off when they're getting good grades. See you next time!
Dobby Delfstoffer
2025-11-01 00:17:58 +0000 UTCHey Veggie and Woozle Looking forward to your thoughts. Chapter 15 Did you see what the Daily Prophet did there with Griselda Marchbanks? She's on Dumbledore's side but they are trying to discredit her by doing an article about her being involved with subversive goblin groups. Lies!!! I'm curious what grades you think the trio will get in their OWLs. No way is Umbridge going to inspect Binns's lessons, first his lessons are more boring than hers, he also teaches what will be on the exam and he's a ghost so what's she going to be able to do to him haha. I love when she's inspecting Professor Mcgonagall's lesson, she's not a teacher to be trifled with and she can't bully her. Harry's progression from no way to OK I'll do it with Hermiones idea about him teaching DADA does make me laugh when he starts imagining lesson plans lol. Chapter 16 Zachariah Smith gets on my nerves. Harry isn't going to describe how Cedric died for goodness sake. I feel for Harry in this scene. Its nice how some students are impressed with how much magic Harry can actually do, some of which are above OWL level. I wonder what instrument Fred and George have that they threatened Zachariah with hahaha. OMG I love Luna. I love Ron's reaction to Ginny dating, he's very protective of her, a lot like my partner with his sister. The last sentence of the chapter always makes me laugh he's so lovestruck. Best wishes to you and Woozle ❤️
Liz
2025-10-30 19:18:21 +0000 UTCHey Veggie! We’ve finally made it to the meeting at the Hog’s Head and the formation of Dumbledore’s Army! All the way back in Prisoner of Azkaban, I mentioned that there was a moment in that book that caused a plot hole later. Here it is, so now I can finally talk about it. During the first DA meeting, several of the other students are surprised when they hear that Harry can produce a fully corporeal Patronus. However, if you remember, during the match against Ravenclaw in Book 3; when Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, and Flint dressed up and pretended to be Dementors, Harry cast a full Patronus at them. So, it’s a plot hole that so many students would be surprised he could do this, considering if he did it during a Quidditch match…MOST of the school would have been there to see him do it!
Kevin Morris
2025-10-30 15:22:40 +0000 UTCHi there, Veggie, First time commenting on the book club! Glad to finally be here. I’ve been listening from the start on YouTube. First of all, I want to say: your reading has gotten so much better! I had a small hiatus from listening over the past few months, but I’ve now finally caught up - unfortunately too late to comment on Percy and Padfoot. I have to say, I felt a bit frustrated that after waiting so long for your reaction to this, you still seem a little stuck on some of your views. Yes, it’s certainly sad for Percy, but that just doesn’t make up for how he betrays everyone around him. I won’t go further into it now. It was a few chapters ago, after all. I absolutely love what you do. What you have going is totally unique. I think you might be the only one in the world who does this in this format and goes into this much detail. Your kindness and patience are very heartwarming. See you next time for a shorter one! Sorry Veggie.
Bram
2025-10-29 23:28:32 +0000 UTCI wonder if Krum is referring to Harry’s reaction when he saw Mr crouch in the forest. While Krum just froze, Harry leaped into action. A similar thing happened in book 6 when Ron gets poisoned and Slughorn just stands there. This could have been a real wake up call for Krum. It’s Harry’s instinct in moments of panic that makes him so great
Garry (Not Jerry)
2025-10-29 12:07:19 +0000 UTCHermione lost 5 points for going after the troll in book 1. She also lost 50 points for being out of bed during the Norbert incident.
Garry (Not Jerry)
2025-10-29 11:37:32 +0000 UTCHi Veggie! Harry may be petty but I feel he’s less petty than I would have been. I would have gone to the infirmary asking for something to stop the bleeding and casually mention that I know it’s a punishment but I didn’t want to be leaving a mess everywhere. McGonagall for the win with her inspection. Are you looking forward to future interactions between her and Umbridge? Also, movie Hermione- Breaking the rules feels so exciting, vrs book Hermione- I double, triple checked and we’re not breaking any rules!
Kattie Martin
2025-10-28 20:17:31 +0000 UTCHi Woozle! And Veggie. I've missed the last few book clubs, but I also feel like I don't have much to say on these chapters that others haven't said already. I love Harry's characterization here, flaws and virtues and all. The wizarding world really needs to adopt the idea of therapy from the Muggles. The scene in the Hog's Head is also one of my favorites from this book. I love the minor characters and finding out the little details of their lives. (I've written about a novel-length fanfiction just about Harry's yearmates.) In case you're wondering or indignant about Zacharias Smith being so unpleasant yet also Hufflepuff: My personal headcanon is that the reason he's in Hufflepuff is because he specifically really values honesty. So the idea that either the government/newspaper or the school administration is lying to everyone is super upsetting to him! He's still, as Ron says, a wart, but it would make the Hufflepuff placement make sense. My main question though: What on earth was Dean doing to the mouse???
Q
2025-10-28 01:38:07 +0000 UTCHi Veggie and Woozle. I’m cutting it pretty close with my comment this month, but things have not been the best for me lately mental health wise, so it’s taken me a while to get here. Hope all is well with you and that you had an excellent birthday! I only have a few things to say this time around. Snaps for the elder’s who left in protest! What do you think of the grading system for the O.W.L.s? What do you think of Zacharius Smith? I really appreciated McGonagall in Ch 15. She takes no ish from anyone! And while the movie did an ok job with the meeting at the Hog’s Head, I really appreciate the detail the book goes into. Harry’s speech to both Ron and Hermione, and then to the group was *chef’s kiss*. And goodness knows we all love Hermione, but for as brilliant as she is, she can be rather oblivious sometimes. Happy Halloween! Do you and Woozle ever dress up??
itsanursething
2025-10-28 01:21:15 +0000 UTCI was curious so I looked it up. This is what I found on the Harry Potter Wiki: "There were 17 Sickles in a Galleon, and 29 Knuts in a Sickle, meaning there were 493 Knuts in a Galleon...According to J. K. Rowling, the approximate value of a Galleon is "About five Great British pounds, though the exchange rate varies!"...The amounts below are approximate, and were accurate as of December 5, 2010, though it is unlikely that the value of a Galleon scales with US currency. Estimation of Wizarding Currency into Muggle Money 1 Galleon 1 Sickle 1 Knut Pound Sterling GBP £4.93 £0.29 £0.01 U.S. Dollar USD $6.64 $0.39 $0.01 Euro EUR €5.58 €0.33 €0.01"
itsanursething
2025-10-28 01:11:00 +0000 UTC"It's pipes" Guess who's back, back again.......er, percy. When you list Dumbledores recent hires like that, a werewolf a half giant and a madman you can kind of see that the daily profit has a point, at least to anyone who doesn't know the ex teachers personally. wish we'd got the harry blowing his top in the film when they suggest he teaches them dark arts it's a much better scene in the book and more emotionally impactful for Harrys character. If ron keeps jumping to sit on the fence to avoid conflict he's going to get some awful splinters up his bum, love the reintroduction of Krum and Ron's reaction, Hermione knows exactly what she's doing there in winding Ron up. We finally meet another important character if you spot them and there's some really suspicious looking people in that pub. In other news have just been to an event where I met several carry on stars which was fun.
Simon audsley
2025-10-28 00:10:19 +0000 UTCHey Veggie and Woozle! The first chapter is hard to endure in my opinion. It makes me feel so uncomfortable to first listen to Umbridge and then Harry not being able to control himself. Also that Mcgonagall finds out, feels like he betrayed her trust from the somewhat personal scene, they had before, where Mcgonagall told him to swallow his frustration. The Inspection afterwards with Mcgonagall and Umbridge is one of my favorite scenes though. I think she almost shows Harry, how to handle situations with Umbridge without snapping. I hope you have a nice day and cant wait to hear your thoughts!
Jonas (Methanoutput)
2025-10-27 22:10:48 +0000 UTCI think bringing up the opposing viewpoint only to immediately slander the person holding the view is just part of the propaganda.
Madikuma95
2025-10-26 12:49:09 +0000 UTC1. The High Inquisitor article had some clever propaganda. They made it appear more neutral by including "the other POV", more specifically Griselda Marchbank's quote where she called it "another disgusting attempt to discredit Dumbledore", but they made sure to discredit her view with this closing line: "(For a full account of Madam Marchbanks’ *alleged links to subversive goblin groups*, turn to page 17)” 😬 That's more subtle than outright saying Marchbank is wrong. 2. "Fred and I should’ve got E in everything, because we exceeded expectations just by turning up for the exams” 😂 3. I never realized Trelawney had been teaching at Hogwarts for nearly 16 years, the same age Harry will be next year. Just a fact I noted. 4. Umbridge stunned by Hermione's answer is satisfying. And while it's frustrating Harry couldn't keep his cool, that's who he is and I love him for it, especially when it results in sassy lines about Quirrell😁 5. "Harry could not help giving McGonagall a faint smile and could have sworn he received one in return". I love Harry and McGonagall's interactions! They respect each other despite their disagreements and differing characters. I think a big reason is that McGonagall is fair and strict to everyone, which builds trust. Umbridge being the "common enemy" is a great way to build their relationship even more. 6. I 100% understand Harry's outburst at Ron & Hermione, especially when they laughed at him saying a lot of it was luck. Not being taken seriously is infuriating!
Me Here
2025-10-26 05:24:19 +0000 UTCHi Veggie and Woozle! I missed the last couple of book clubs because I had to ban everything fun from my life to get my master’s thesis done. It was an absolute train wreck so I might get a ‘Troll’ for it, but at least I can now catch up on all the book club videos while waiting for my grade. :D I wonder if any Slytherin students would have been interested in joining Dumbledore’s Army. It makes sense that there aren’t any at the meeting because Hermione would never approach any of them and there don’t seem to be many friendships between students of different houses. But I just cannot imagine that there are absolutely no Slytherins who believe Harry’s story and hate Umbridge, even if it’s just one or two of them.
Tawny Owl
2025-10-25 16:15:36 +0000 UTCHi Veggie and Woozle, Just a short one: Hermione not knowing O.W.L. grades and her asking Fred and George always seem weird for me. Love the moment when Harry screams at Ron and Hermione and immediately feels guilty. You really feel this is good child, who's going through trauma and doesn't know how to handle it. The barman "looked vaguely familiar to Harry". Great line, I won't specify in case you don't remember from the movies, but I love this kind of foreshadowings. Love everything you do here and on YouTube.
T_phoenix
2025-10-25 13:21:33 +0000 UTCHello to all you Potterheads Ron is looking forward to McGonagal going up against Umbitch (me too) Trelawny is a bit of a fraud but we still feel sorry for her. The embrionic stage of Dumbledores Army . Yay! 😊 I like Ron calling Harry stupid, don't know why Hermione saying Voldemort out loud for the first time Filch sniffing Harry for signs of Dung Bombs Luna looking like she wandered in by accident Ron's indignation about Ginny daring to have a boyfriend. No boy is going to be good enough for her Harry discovering why Ginny is now talking to him, as she no longer has a crush on him.
Nessy-Bobs
2025-10-25 11:18:46 +0000 UTCThe montage is one of my favourite parts of the movie - the music is perfect !!
Andrew K
2025-10-23 23:14:21 +0000 UTCHello Veggie and Woozle, New member here and just as you, I also discovered Harry Potter world through the movies last year in my late 20s. I binge watched all your HP reaction and Book Reviews in 4 months and got patreon because I caught up with the books. And I wont lie Prisoner of Azkaban was a difficult watch sometimes but that is okay. Being from India and not exposed to western media much I don't understand anything from your British Sitcom/WWE tangents but I love them just because of your enthusiasm. Now to the comments from the chapters I don't have much to say what other's haven't already said but this line sent me on a laughing fit 'Nothing wrong with a good healthy "P".' Fact: In Hindi version Hufflepuff is called Mehnatkash (pronounced: meh-nat-kash), which literally means Hard-working.
No Trains
2025-10-23 17:55:53 +0000 UTCDon’t read out in the video just can’t work out how to DM to suggest a film to react you, I’d love to see you do the black phone films (the second ones in cinemas now), they’re psychological horror films
Slytherin_Apollo
2025-10-22 01:35:17 +0000 UTCHi Veggie! This my first time commenting in the bookclub! I've been following since the start! Thank you for the bookclub and the discussions! Also please give Woozle a scratch for me 😊. In chapter 15 I don't have much to add other than to say I noticed something for the first time in this reading! When Harry was soaking his hand he scratched Crookshanks behind the ears with his left hand! That means Harry might be a lefty! If he was soaking his right hand that could mean he'd been writing with his left! In chapter 16 I loved seeing the humility and vulnerability in Harry at the Hog's Head. So many people (students and some staff) seemed to feel Harry always wanted to be in the spotlight. But in the Hog's Head we can clearly see how uncomfortable he was. And he wasn't quick to accept the credit some of the others tried to give him. He kept saying how much help he had. I appreciated that honesty about him. He could have easily gone a different route but chose not to.
Merry_Mary
2025-10-21 16:48:35 +0000 UTCLast time I actually said I DISagreed with the other comments about Pansy, but that's okay! "Let's say I dreamed I was drowning Snape in my cauldron," is amazing. 😂 The movie's montage of Umbridge inspecting teachers is great, I would've loved to see McGonagall's inspection, though! It's always bugged me that the murtlap essence can't the just be magicked back into the bowl. I also find it odd that Hermione would be scared to say Voldemort's name, since she wasn't raised that way. I'd never be able to vanish kittens. 😭 Do you think 'troll' is a real OWL grade? And finally, what do you think of the students who've joined the DADA club?
Madikuma95
2025-10-21 16:08:03 +0000 UTCTo avoid someone getting a "T" from writing a spoiler comment under here, I'll do this spoiler block message!
H
2025-10-18 23:54:50 +0000 UTCHi Veggie! I'm not surprised at all that it's difficult for Harry to control his emotions regarding Umbridge. He's been through trauma (again), and now a lot of people is trying to discredit what happened, and by doing that accusing Harry of lying about how another student died. That would be a bad thing to be accused of if the accusation came from a single person, but in this instance it's the whole ministry trying to ruin his reputation unfairly. It's not exactly a small and meaningless thing he's being accused of. As we know, Harry can lose control of his temper, just look at him shouting at Ron and Hermione, which hasn't really been a thing before this book, so it's not exactly weird that Umbridge brings this out of him. It's easier for others to be a bit more "zen" about it. To him it's really personal. Hopefully him sometimes shouting back to Umbridge a bit can at least be a bit inspirational to people. Sometimes you need people to stand up for what's right like that! Oh, and I love McGonagall during the inspection. She's so good.
H
2025-10-18 23:49:59 +0000 UTCHey Veggie! This chapter and the last both do a really good job during classes of explaining the process behind the magic. In this one, for example, we learn that vanishing invertebrates is more difficult because of how complex an organism they are. We also find out how truly unpleasant Umbridge is in the book, perfect casting for the movie! We also learn a bit more about the media landscape in the Wizarding World, with The Daily Prophet being politically influenced as well as The Quibbler essentially being fake news/clickbait, from what we learn from Luna. Did you hear that Matt Berry is voicing Sir Cadogan in the full cast audio books? Another example of perfect casting, in my opinion. :)
Steven
2025-10-18 14:26:00 +0000 UTCI'll speak on Ginny, or more specifically Harry's full realization that she talks around him now. It's always interesting when his general thoughts and observations are about Ginny, he notices her, this is a consistent recurring pattern since the first book. It's also so cool that Hermione and Ginny have a close relationship that we, stuck in Harry's POV only get these small glimpses about. Then of course Ron’s reaction to the same information is hilarious. And Ginny being able to imitate Umbridge's forced cough so well it breaks the tension of the meet up in the Hog's Head is just gold!
Josh Z
2025-10-16 02:39:30 +0000 UTCHi Veggie! 1) I really like how this book shows the way the media can shape public opinion. In this chapter, we see the first clear example of that. The paper talks about a witch, who speaks in support of Dumbledore. But right after that, they add that she has “alleged links to subversive goblin groups.” It’s a powerful kind of manipulation: they present someone’s opinion and then immediately discredit the source. They don’t need any proof — just the word “allegedly” is enough to make everything she says seem negative or false in the reader’s mind. As a result, the reader forms a clear chain of logic: only criminals and outcasts support Dumbledore. That’s how the media can shape the way people think about certain things. 2) As a proper Ron/Hermione shipper, I love their communication in the books. The films really did them dirty. Their relationship just pops up out of nowhere and there’s zero tension or chemistry. No wonder people who’ve only seen the films keep saying “Hermione should’ve been with Harry.” But in the books there are so many little moments between the lines — the way they get jealous, how they communicate silently just with a glance, and how Harry sometimes notices it. You can tell they talk and connect even when he’s not around. I love them so much!
Natasha
2025-10-13 09:27:56 +0000 UTCWhat's up V & W? Ch 15: Umbridge is awful but Harry really needs to stop making it easy for her. He's not exactly subtle, is he? Interesting info that Trelawny has been at Hogwarts for "nearly 16 years". Harry turned 15 a few months prior. Coincidence? I swear that McGonagall reads like a Maggie Smith portrayal in this book more than previous books. Maybe its because she has more opportunities to be quick witted and terse with Umbridge? Ch 16: The Hog's Head is certainly interesting. Harry doesn't seem to realize who the barkeep reminds him of. Let's review that description again - "He was a grumpy looking old man with a great deal of long gray hair and beard. He was tall and thin and looked vaguely familiar to Harry." Any thoughts on that? The butterbeers are 2 sickles each. According to Google, in the mid 90s a beer was something like £1-2 in a UK pub. For simplicity lets assume then that a sickle is worth £1. There are 17 sickles to a galleon so Harry's wand cost about £129 (7 galleons), his Firebolt £5100 (300 galleons), and his Triwizard tournament prize was £17k (1000 galleons).
jolt45
2025-10-13 02:18:26 +0000 UTCFry found doing female voices difficult, or had difficulty making them distinct from one another. Giving Susan Bones a lisp is a neat shortcut. Just like giving Tonks a Yorkshire accent.
S1lm4r1l
2025-10-12 16:09:40 +0000 UTC(For woozles eyes only) Woof Woof Bark Bark! *hem hem* Hello veggie! Chapter 15: is it just me or is Umbridge only supervising classes that Harry is in? She could have been in Any divination, transfiguration or care of magical creatures class, but she is always in Harry’s. I think she is definitely trying to get a ride out of him. Chapter 16: I love Fred and George defending Harry during the meeting. But what possessed Stephen Fry to give Susan Bones such an annoying voice! You’ve mentioned Fry’s Tonks voice before, but I think Susan bones is much worse. That’s all from me! Have a wonderful day!
Axel Dalmo
2025-10-12 06:58:29 +0000 UTCI appreciate your thoughts on Hermione and her struggle to say the name of Voldemort. That always struck me as strange and I wondered why she would have trouble to begin with. Never considered it that way.
Badger Kat
2025-10-11 10:18:30 +0000 UTChello veggie, hello woozle! (if she hasn’t had a treat yet this book club, i believe she deserves one) i don’t have much else to say that other people haven’t already touched on. i missed the last book club and just wanted to be included this time! 😂 a minor question though, were you surprised when viktor krum was mentioned again? the movies pretend he doesn’t exist after goblet of fire but clearly hermione is still in touch with him. do you think this comes into play elsewhere later in the series? can’t wait for the rest of this book, we’re really getting into the major differences now. have a lovely day! sorry just editing later on to add that i finally finished watching the previous book club and you mentioned this month was your birthday month, so happy birthday veggie!
Dani Phantom
2025-10-11 00:51:43 +0000 UTCBuffer comment
Howiedoing
2025-10-10 21:28:00 +0000 UTCChapter 15 I really never understood why Harry always falls for Umbridge’s trap. Like Harry just hold your tongue man! I know it can probably be difficult but you know you’re gonna get in trouble, and she is clearly baiting him. I’m here saying this as an adult but I read these books at first when I was a teenager and felt the exact same way. Maybe we’re just very different Harry and myself? Maybe it has something to do with him and Voldemort’s connection seemingly making him angry? Chapter 16 What a wonderful chapter this is what seems like the first sign of hope in beating this new regime. Zacharias Smith I understand he is probably just trying to really understand what happened Harry’s perspective or whatever but I just wanna be like shut up guy every time I reread this chapter. Also why the heck is the hog’s head so darn dirty I mean y’all got magic right ? The only thing I can really think if you’re a wizard and just have a lazy slob nature to you you’re just not good at that type of magic?
Howiedoing
2025-10-10 21:27:51 +0000 UTCI was trying to go back and edit my comment and accidentally deleted it. I think I’ve managed to re-create it mostly.
Badger Kat
2025-10-10 17:59:44 +0000 UTCGreetings to you both, Veggie and Woozle! I had a thought about Percy while listening to your book review of the last chapter. Some of the other comments about Percy and then your response to them brought to mind another quote from Harry Potter and I think that Percy seems to be doing more of what is easy (for his career and ambition) than what is right. A few random thoughts from me about these chapters: Ch 15 - Lucius Malfoy is reported here to be 41 years old meaning he was born in either 1953 or 1954. In contrast, James and Lily were both born 1960, so Lucius would have been about 5 or 6 years ahead of them (and Snape) in school. - I don’t understand the reason behind having three failing grades, Poor, Dreadful, and Troll. Ch 16 - I really appreciated Sirius being worried about Harry in the Goblet of Fire as a parent should be. Now it seems like Harry is taking on the parental role and worrying about Sirius which makes me really sad for Harry. - Harry is really sweet and also hilarious with his crush on Cho. Thanks again for all of your hard work!
Badger Kat
2025-10-10 17:59:05 +0000 UTCHi Veggie! "You see, I do not generally permit people to talk when I am talking" or as Jim Dale says it: "You see, I do not generally permit people to. talk. when. I. am. taLKIN-G!" - Such a great line from Minerva, haha! This line always makes me straighten up where I sit, as if I am in class! This is the point in the Harry Potter books where I noticed Ginny being so much more talketive, and I love that we get so much more of her in the books! She really has a funny personality, and she often reminds me of a mix Gred and Forge (Fred and George) with her little jokes, Bill with how down to earth and cool she is, and Molly with keeping people in line. I wonder if she too can resemble a sabertooth tiger? I also must say that I love the inner dialoge Harry has during these chapters. How he is slowly liking the idea of teaching that seemed insane to him earlier, and how cute it was that he thought he would just be teaching Hermione and Ron, and when they say it would be more than he doesn't believe anyone would be wanting lessons from a nutter :') - only for him going back to accepting the idea. Let's hope Fred and George never uses that lethal looking instrument on Zacharias Smith, since they are not fuzzy on where they could stick it. (Always makes me laugh) Zac really did come accross as annoying for me, but might be Jim Dale's excellent delivery! Pat Woozie for me? See you two next bookclub!
Elinaboo
2025-10-09 11:06:15 +0000 UTCHi Veggie! I just have a few short notes on these chapters. I love Susan Bones. "Corporeal Patronus" is a great phrase. I also have to give a shout out to Luna and her heliopaths. The image of the wriggling, disembodied mouse tails is really gross. However, it implies that the disappeared mouse is alive, so that's good! Fred and George are actually quite scary at times. If all our characters were in some kind of gang, they'd be the enforcers for sure. We hear that Lucius Malfoy is 41. Sirius and Lupin are like 35/36, so they would have overlapped at school for a year or two. I remember being so invested in all the teen romantic relationships when I was a kid; it was like my version of a gossip magazine. What do you think of Ginny and Michael Corner? Also, Harry's line about Ginny is great: "so that's why she talks now!"
Maria
2025-10-08 15:27:57 +0000 UTCHi Veggie, I really liked Ron and Hermione returning the stuff Harry said to them back to him. Suddenly it is only luck. What do you think about their preparations for their own defense against the dark art class? I think Hermione was quite reckless, if Zachachria Smith came just because he heared her talking to someone about it, there could have been a sneaky Slytherin listening as well.
Florian Krause
2025-10-08 14:00:29 +0000 UTCHi Vegoozle, Call me what you want, I won't translate my name because you are trying to avoid profanity and a potential translation of it could be. Harry was arrogant enough to wonder why he was passed over as prefect when he has such poor self control he landed himself yet another another week plus a day of detention with Umbridge. I actually wonder at this point if he has a subconscious pain kink he has yet to fully realize. But my smoke is for Hermione this time. Here is where I first realized just how manipulative she can be. She played Harry like a fiddle and appealed to his ego to help get him to agree to the lessons, and she is not doing Harry any favors by feeding into his burgeoning ego at this point, it may serve him very badly later. When she claimed that Viktor Krum wrote to her that "Harry knew how to do stuff he didn't" that was an obvious lie if you look back on Goblet (and more proof the spectators couldn't see anything that happened in the second and third tasks if Hermione thought this lie was credible). When you look back on the tasks from Krum's perspective Viktor saw Harry perform a grand total of one spell during the entire Triwizard tournament, a simple summoning spell during the first task. Not exactly something beyond someone who can partially transfigure his own head into a shark's. She is also fishing to see how jealous Ron gets by invoking Krum's name in this shameless lie to Harry in front of both of them. Ron made me curious about firewhisky too
Gugurupurasu Daikirai
2025-10-06 22:33:57 +0000 UTCHint, the Marauders would be roughly 36 at this point. So they were most likely 5 years behind Lucius depending on how the months fell and likely didn't interact very much though they would have been at Hogwarts at the same time at a certain point
Gugurupurasu Daikirai
2025-10-06 22:09:40 +0000 UTCHi Veggie! This is my first time being part of the book club, so excited. I loved mcGonagall telling umbridge she doesn't let people talk while she is talking, wish we got that scene in the movie. Ginnys imitation of umbridge scared me when I first heard it in the audibook I was like oh no is she here? I wasn't a fan of the list when I had only seen the movie, it seemed silly to make a list like Ernie had said but I do trust Hermione of course so I would have likely signed too. I loved Harry figuring out that Ginny is able to talk in front of him now that she has a boyfriend, even if his heads still in the clouds about cho.
Cari Ann
2025-10-06 18:28:10 +0000 UTC*Spacer for spoilers*
S1lm4r1l
2025-10-06 16:32:02 +0000 UTCHiya Veggie. You questioned whether Lucius Malfoy was at Hogwarts with the Marauders, the Daily Prophet article lists his current age as 41. Make what you will of that. I think its actually quite sad that Trelawney herself does not remember her own prophecies and is therefore convinced that she is a fraud. Harry recognises Zacharias Smith as being a member of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team that Cedric Diggory captained in the 3rd book. He is very unpleasant towards Harry and is very keen to know how and why Cedric died. Whilst Cho might not hate Harry for surviving when Cedric did not, I think Zacharias Smith does. You could even interpret Zacharias as being another character who had romantic feelings for Cedric. *Might Edit*
S1lm4r1l
2025-10-06 15:12:44 +0000 UTCHey Woozle and Veggie! That scene with McGonagall and Umbridge was so satisfying! It's funny and at the same time frustrating that Harry just can't help himself with the sassy remarks, and I can totally understand his friends' reactions. It must be exhausting being his friend sometimes. The T stands for Troll got me laughing hard the first time I read it. And now it just reminds of the Trolls in The Hobbit.
Maddie
2025-10-06 02:20:22 +0000 UTCHi Veggie! I want to start this one off with an apology on my part - I realise my comments tend to be on the long and wordy side, so I’m very sorry about that. I tend to go on and on sometimes and don’t want you to wrongly interpret my points, hope you can understand. From now on I’ll try to keep my comments fairly short (perhaps with the exception of some particular moments in future). I get why Snape marked the homework as if it was OWL work, but surely poor marks would reflect on his teaching, not just the students? Maybe it’s different in the wizarding world, but teachers usually want their students to pass and will help them. That’s the general idea I got from school anyways. Umbridge making a point about the fact that Dumbledore appointed Trelawney confuses me. I can only think of one teacher that Dumbledore “inherited” that being Professor Binns. Surely all of our lovely Professors – McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, Snape, Hagrid, etc. were all appointed by Dumbledore as he has been Headmaster for a long time. Harry struggling with homework because of the detentions really bothers me here. Yes I know Umbridge is horrible and yes I understand detentions are a punishment/ form of discipline. But I think it’s gone too far if it is jeopardising Harry’s other schoolwork, surely Umbridge would be liable if Harry started performing really badly as a result of him not being able to do homework? That’s all from me for now. As promised, I have kept this one shorter and I will try my best to do the same going forward (Can’t promise though). As always, looking forward to the next chapters!
Snowspeeders and Space Shuttles
2025-10-05 21:04:42 +0000 UTCHi Veggie! I, like McGonagall, cannot believe that Harry is still mouthing off to Umbridge. It's reckless and annoying. I never thought about Fred & George not sticking up for Ron until you mentioned it, but here we see them threaten Zacharias on behalf of Harry. Interesting. Ernie reminds me of Percy, he's so pompous. After the goblet of fire, I'm not entering into anything that might be a binding magical contract, so I would not have signed the paper.
Esmeralda Joy
2025-10-05 17:17:23 +0000 UTCHi Veggie :) Umbridge forcing students to take the textbook's view as gospel is really dangerous.
Sandra
2025-10-05 15:19:43 +0000 UTCI know most of the students who showed up to the meeting were skeptical, most probably did want to know more about Cedric. I love that in the end, they chose to side with him. Whether that is because they finally believed him, or just wanting the practice to pass their OWLs we may never really know.
Kunzite Blossom
2025-10-05 15:16:41 +0000 UTCWFFTITWFF Veggie! First of: I won't quote any lines (because they are all equally great), but McGonagall really wiped the floor with Umbridge in this chapter! As I said, this was the book where I really learned to appreciate her as a character when reading the books for the first time. And this is just another one of the many moments that showed me how greag she is!😊 Also you know Hermione is a truly brilliant student when even Umbridge can't help herself but being impressed by her already having read and memorized the course book! Still concerning Umbridge: I know she is infuriating, but I have to say, Harry's learning curve really is a horizontal line in chapter 15.😂😅 First he gets detention in Umbridge's class for a second time, then he gets told of by McGonagall about it a second time. And after all that he still manages to get another evening of detention in the VERY NEXT CLASS where Umbridge inspects Grubbly-Plank.🙄🤦🏻♂️ Lastly, I find it a really nice detail that Hermione knew about Ginny and Michael being together. It shows that the two of them are actual friends and talk with each other outside the trio.😊 What do you think are Hermione's realationships with the other Gryffindor girls like?
Diego Zenhäusern
2025-10-05 11:53:35 +0000 UTCI absolutely agree! Fudges intentions behind getting involved are wrong. But the ministry really should have some say into how Hogwarts is run...especially since it is the only school in Great Britain🙈🤔
Diego Zenhäusern
2025-10-05 11:06:00 +0000 UTCHi Veggie! Fred and George might not really care about their studies, but they still respect (some of) the professors like Flitwick. I wouldn’t be surprised if charms was one of the few O.W.L.s they bothered to pass, maybe just out of respect for him. Hermione having difficulty saying Voldemort’s name for the first time might seem odd as she wasn’t raised with the fear associated to it, but I like to think she learned about it from the books she read even before coming to Hogwarts and might have internalized it out of respect for the wizarding community’s ways. In the books, it was Dumbledore who said that ‘’fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself’’, not Hermione like in the movies. It’s nice that Harry had some time to think about the idea of giving DADA lessons to other students and was actually somewhat looking forward to it, he wasn’t forced into accepting it out of necessity. The confrontation between Hermione and Luna is not something you would expect after watching the movies. Do you think these two will manage to become friends despite their very different worldviews? Ginny starting to date a boy and Ron not being ok with it is another thing the filmmakers decided to push to the next movie. Harry is still too focused on Cho to pay much attention to it though.
Alias93
2025-10-05 08:16:24 +0000 UTCHey Veggie! Obviously Umbridge is awful, but can we really blame the Ministry for getting involved at Hogwarts? The school protected the Philosopher’s Stone with a three headed dog, students were petrified by a Basilisk, someone actually died last year, and they’ve employed two servants of Voldemort and a fraud in Lockhart. Dumbledore’s track record for student safety and staff employment is terrible. The Ministry’s approach is also wrong, but Dumbledore did himself no favours in giving Fudge reason and excuse in extending his power into Hogwarts. On this topic; if you were granted either the role of Hogwarts High Inquisitor, what changes would you make to the school? Just a few ideas to help prompt you as I’ve put you on the spot; would you turn the school vegan, would you cancel quidditch, would you free the house elves? Any other ideas?
Andrew K
2025-10-05 08:14:25 +0000 UTCG’day Veggie! Hope you are having a lovely week. Firstly, to answer your question in the last video regarding Vegemite vs Marmite. I am going to get my Aussie citizenship revoked here but I do not like either. I’m a heavy sweet tooth so my choice of spreads is Nutella. Fun fact, South Africa has marmite as well (I know because I was born there and I know it’s a British thing!) Onto the chapters: Chapter 15 * Is it weird that I feel bad for Trelawney? I know she’s not a great teacher but to be openly disrespected in front of your students… * I think this is the first time Hermione has ever lost house points. * I’m sorry, what was Dean Thomas doing to that mouse? * Were you expecting Harry to get so angry about the teaching thing? I don’t think he does in the movie. Chapter 16 * I love that Ron is still jealous about Vicky. * What do you think about Hermione’s reaction to the dungbomb story? She seemed to think it was very sus. * We get more Hufflepuff representation in the chapter with Zacharius Smith. * Do you think it was a good idea for them to write their names down? Always seemed risky to me. * Hermione describing Michael Corner as “the dark one” always weirded me out. Like, what exactly does that mean? Dark hair, dark skin, dark mood? It’s so vague. Love from Australia
Cj Hayes
2025-10-05 06:50:22 +0000 UTCGreetings, Chapter – 15 - how could Dumbledore not find someone? He has the whole order to choose from. Yes, many have jobs, but not all. (I.E. Molly Weasley could do just as well as Umbridge, likely better.) - Who inspects the inspector? - Why does a divination teacher need to be a seer? You need to teach how to do it and help determine if a student is a seer. Based on the classes we have seen a muggle could teach the class, no spells need to be cast. - Why does Hermione have a problem saying Voldemort? She did not grow up with the stigma. Chapter – 16 - Many seeds for latter, I will not specify which ones matter :) - Would it not be easier on Filch to list the people that do NOT have permission to go to town? HAPPY birthday
Garfnob
2025-10-05 02:14:29 +0000 UTCI've used "Voldemort" to refer to abusive people before, to the point where my best friend actually forgot their real name. It can definitely help referring to events or people euphemistically if it enables you to talk about them more!
Jake M
2025-10-05 01:32:14 +0000 UTCS'mae Vezlie! Really sorry in advance for the length. Will endeavour to zip it next time. Chapter 15 "Delusional ex-auror Mad Eye Moody" - was mention of him actually being a dead Death Eater conveniently left out of the Prophet? There's a brilliant Easter egg for book readers in the Lego Harry Potter game- Hermione's boggart is McGonagall holding up a picture of the troll from book 1, in reference to hear Year 3 obstacle course and the OWL grade mentioned here! Umbitch's comments to Hermione really annoy me- the whole point of advanced academia (especially come university) is to challenge and expand upon preconceived notions, like those of Slinkhard. If we just accepted what "older and wiser wizards" wrote, then learning would never advance and we'd still be in the Middle Ages. She's even worse at teaching than Hagrid, Trelawney and Snape. Reminds me of my GCSE physics teacher who just made us read the textbook and was taken aback that I found this boring. He didn't make me scar myself, thankfully- got enough of those on my own! Considering the punishment, does that mean Um believes Voldemort being on Quirrell's head was a lie too? I thought that confrontation was an open secret. I wonder if a powerful enough wizard/witch could vanish Umbitch. Where would she go? The Shadow Realm? Coventry? Chapter 16 Just one quick continuity note on chapter 16- Dennis Creevey is a second year. How did he get into Hogsmeade? I hope you had a great birthday!
Jake M
2025-10-05 01:27:55 +0000 UTCHello Veggie! Hope you and your cute little Monkey are doing well. I've decided that for each book review I'm going to go on my stationary bike for the whole time I'm watching, so thank you for making them so long and helping me get healthy. Chapter 15 I have to admit, with great pain, that Umbridge is right about Trelawney being a fraud and therefore not a good person to teach kids. She's kind of similar to Lockhart. Although Umbridge herself is a terrible teacher, she just sits on her bum while they read the book and take it as gospel. That's not any teaching. I wonder, do any of Hogwarts teachers remind you of any teachers you had? I definitely had McGonagall. Oh I LOVE the showdown between McGonagall and Umbridge. I've read this as a kid and it definitely inspired how I handle people my whole life. Chapter 16 I really feel quite proud of Hermione for saying 'Voldemort'. In history (that's my field) we do have words like this, in some regions were bears were fearsome and plenty, the word they use today for bear comes from something like 'you-know-who' because everyone preferred to use it out of fear of the name. There is a person from recent history that I struggled to say name of because she represented my deepest crippling fears for many years. So thats why I'm proud of Hermione. Especially that in her case, Voldemort is a real danger to her.
Jo Winters
2025-10-05 00:58:01 +0000 UTC
