Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Second War Begins
In chapter thirty-eight of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Harry has a moment with Nick and Luna, Malfoy threatens Harry, and what happened with Umbridge and the centaurs?!
(Please be advised that this is a reread and I will be discussing book and movie spoilers.)
A lot happens in this last chapter. In fact, this could be my favorite “last chapter” in all of the Harry Potter books. Fudge is finally admitting in public Voldemort is back, the Daily Prophet is writing complimentary articles about Harry again, Flitwick’s made Fred and George’s swamp into a shrine (lol) and–OK SERIOUSLY JKR what are you implying with this?!
Professor Umbridge was lying in a bed opposite them, gazing up at the ceiling …. Since she had returned to the castle she had not, as far as any of them knew, uttered a single word. Nobody really knew what was wrong with her, either. Her usually neat mousy hair was very untidy and there were still bits of twigs and leaves in it, but otherwise she seemed to be quite unscathed.
‘Madam Pomfrey says she’s just in shock,’ whispered Hermione.
‘Sulking, more like,’ said Ginny.
‘Yeah, she shows signs of life if you do this,’ said Ron, and with his tongue he made soft clip-clopping noises. Umbridge sat bolt upright, looking around wildly.
I can’t be the only one who reads this and thinks Umbridge was assaulted by the centaurs, right?! RIGHT?
Anyway! The real star of this chapter is the beautiful, brilliant way Harry’s grief and guilt over Sirius’s death are depicted. First, he is lying to his friends about what happened with the prophecy, and leaves with a half-lie that he’s got to visit Hagrid because he can’t stand to be around them. Then he bolts from Hagrid with the reverse lie that he’s got to visit his friends in the hospital wing. Then he goes to cry by a lake and break my heart. But in the midst of that, Sassy!Harry appears.
This exchange is interesting, because it sounds like Malfoy/Potter hate banter as usual, but I feel the level of Harry not giving a shit is directly impacted by his grief over Sirius. How much can Malfoy hurt him anyway, when his godfather has been murdered?
Harry finally stumbles upon the mirror Sirius has given him, which he’s never even unwrapped wtf and a collective scream of anguish arises from the fandom that Harry just didn’t open the damn package and use the mirror, averting the entire crisis to begin with! Again, I ask why Sirius didn’t remind him of the mirror the first time he used Umbridge’s fire??
This chapter is so lovely and so painful because again and again, Harry’s hopes about seeing Sirius again are raised then immediately dashed, because next he decides to find Nearly Headless Nick because he wants to know about death, and becomes convinced Sirius will come back as a ghost.
What follows is a surprisingly profound moment between a boy wizard and a nearly decapitated ghost.
“What do you mean, ‘gone on’?” said Harry quickly. “Gone on where? Listen — what happens when you die anyway? Where do you go? Why doesn’t everyone come back? Why isn’t this place full of ghosts? Why–?”
“I was afraid of death,” said Nick. “I chose to remain behind. I sometimes wonder whether I oughtn’t have. Well, that is neither here nor there. In fact, I am neither here nor there.” He gave a small sad chuckle. “I know nothing of the secrets of death, Harry, for I chose my feeble imitation of life instead.”
This is a powerful juxtaposition between Nick, the man who died but was too scared to move on, Voldemort, the man who is too scared to die, and Sirius, the man who willingly died to protect those he loved and moved on with open arms.
But nothing is as wonderful in this chapter then the moment between Harry and Luna. It’s not just how Luna comforts Harry in his grief. It’s the definitive proof of what a genuinely kind person Harry really is, just like his mother that gets me in the feels.
An odd feeling rose in Harry — an emotion quite different from the anger and grief that had filled him since Sirius’s death. It was a few moments before he realized that he was feeling sorry for Luna.
“How come people hide your stuff?” he asked her, frowning.
“Oh…well…” She shrugged. “I think they think I’m a bit odd, you know. Some people call me ‘Loony’ Lovegood, actually.”
Harry looked at her and the new feeling of pity intensified rather painfully.
“That’s no reason for them to take your things,” he said flatly. “D’you want help finding them?”
Even in the paralyzing pain of his grief, he’s able to feel sympathy for another and want to help, and that’s one of the many reasons why Harry is my favorite character in the books.
Some more important things happen this chapter, like Malfoy N’Goons being attacked by the DA on the train for trying to attack Harry, Cho moving on to Ginny’s ex while Ginny moves on to Dean, McG coming back and being a BAMF, and everyone threatening the Dursleys for sucking but I’d like to leave it on the perfection of Harry healing his grief, just a little, with Luna Lovegood.
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For real, what happens between Umbridge and the centaurs?
What was your favorite scene this chapter of Harry dealing with his grief?
Why didn’t Sirius remind Harry about the mirror?
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