~Wendy
Old Characters
I was very happy to see much more of Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, the last two trusting members of the Marauder's. As always, Sirius is a totally caring godfather who is always looking at Harry's best interests. Remus is often the voice of reason that saves the lot from major trouble. Sirius and Remus, you can always tell why they were the best of friends. They both have what the other lacks.
The return of Gilderoy Lockhart and Rita Skeeter was very enjoyable. Gilderoy, as always, managed to make me laugh, and Rita, although somewhat unchanged, proved that she does have a concience, and managed to actually write the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Percy. . .well. . .as I said in my previous post, me and Michele want to kick him in the ding-dings. I almost cried when I saw the way that he treated Mrs. Weasley at Christmas time. The guy is a complete (excuse my language) DICK, and I believe that he and Cornelius Fudge are both in the same boat, "blinded by the love of the office they hold." But at the end, Cornelius admitted the truth about Voldemort, while Percy is uncommented on the situation.
Arthur and Molly Weasley are still the same, very caring individuals who are very much like Harry's own parents. They accept Harry into their home and take him under their wing. They do seem a little bit sadder, and it could be because of Percy or their involvement in the Order.
Hermione has loosened up quite a bit. She still obsesses about grades and studying, but her involvement in Dumbledore's Army shows that she's not quite as uptight as she was and is obviously maturing.
Ron has grown into a caring individual as well. His constant presence in Harry's life not only shapes him, but it shapes Harry as well.
Harry, in my opinion, deserves a lot of credit. He has had to bear a lot more than many full-grown wizards. This, in turn, will only make him stronger. However, the end of the book does some major foreshadowing on his death, where it says that for Voldemort to die, he must die as well.
Cho has not gotten over Cedric, and in my opinion, she feels that if she gets closer and closer to Harry, it will bring Cedric back. She wants Harry to share memories of Cedric, but Harry is not willing (yet) to dredge up those memories.
Ginny is beginning to be seen by Harry (and Ron as well) as a grown-up young woman. Her boyfriend shook both of them up, and possibly will force Harry to admit his true feelings for her. (*Hehe* I hope.)
Dumbledore, who is very silent at the beginning of the book, has a reason for everything, and will continue to do so until the day he dies. The fact that he fought Voldemort and they drew (in a sense) may prove to be very important in upcoming books.
Neville has grown as a character and as a wizard. He is beginning to improve, and although the pity used to be thrust upon him, not only about his ineptness but also because of his parents, now, that pity has been replaced with pride. He has proved himself useful and trust-worthy, and is an incredibly talented wizard.
New Characters
Arabella Figg, as many people guessed, possesses magical blood. But as everyone didn't expect, she is a Squib. That does not keep her from knowing about the events in the wizarding world. I think that she will prove to be an important character.
Bellatrix Lestrange has been mentioned before, but is fairly new to the books. My immediate impression of her was not a good one, for she seemed to show no remorse for what she did to Neville and his parents. Also, the happy tryst with Sirius did nothing to improve my thoughts on her.
Dolores Umbridge. How many people can say that they actually like this woman? I, for one, hate her. Maybe it's the way that she treated Harry at his hearing. Maybe it's the way that she walked into Hogwarts like she owned the place. Maybe it was the way she treated Harry and Lee Jordan at their detention sessions. Maybe it was her lifetime ban of Harry, Fred, and George from Quidditch. Maybe it was the way that she tried to fire all the teachers and tried to make Dumbledore leave. Maybe it's all of the above. Whatever it is, I hope that she burns in Hell.
Mundangus Fletcher is an obvious role model for Fred and George, and could have been responsible for Harry being expelled from Hogwarts. He is not on any of the Order's good lists, for the simple fact that he is unreliable.
Nymphadora Tonks has the bounciness to be a teenager, but her temperament can change to seriousness in the flash of an eye.
Mad-Eye Moody is fairly new, in a sense, and not "retired", as the Ministry would like to think. His presence is calming, and at the same time, unnerving to some characters.
Death Scene
I thought that the Death Scene was very well-written. Although it was somewhat hard to follow because of the rapid progression of events, it was an excellent form of writing. And yes, it did make me cry. For about 15 minutes. Everyone had been forewarned as to a very emotional death scene, but I thought that had it been ANYONE but Sirius, I could have handled it. Sirius was my favourite character in all of the books. And now, we have not only lost our dear friend Padfoot. We have lost Harry's only true father figure, the only family he ever truly had, and Harry's link to his father. Harry may not recover from losing Sirius for a long time, because the thought of being stuck at Privet Drive forever may haunt him.
Petunia Dursley
Yes, she needed her own section here. I am seeing Petunia in a completely different light. She is not, as she had pretended, completely unbeknownst to the wizarding world. And as she is explaining what happens with dementors in the second chapter, it is almost as if she is mourning the loss of her sister. The wizarding world took her sister away from her. Could this be why she didn't want Harry going to become a wizard?
There you have it. My review. I think that this is the best book so far in the series. Many loose things are tied up, and yet, there is a few threads left to be connected. Certainly, these will be cleared up in the next two books, which I would actually like to have BEFORE I die!!! :p