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[CLOSED] - SINGLE CHAPTER - The Harry Potter Book Club! Your Notes for Chapter 25 of The Order of the Phoenix! (Patreon)

Published:
2026-04-09 20:44:17
Edited:
2026-04-30 14:09:58
Imported:
2026-08
Tags:

Content

This part of the Book Club is now complete! Thanks so much for taking part, and see you next time! :)

As discussed in the latest episode, I am so sorry about making this single chapter! I hope you understand and can enjoy it as much as usual!

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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 chapter "The Beetle at Bay"! 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!! :)

Files

Comments

Badger Kat

Greetings, Veggie and Woozle! - If you were a student at Hogwarts at this point, as a Hufflepuff and perhaps not knowing Harry very well, do you think you would believe that Voldemort is back? Would you doubt the official story about the Azkaban breakout? - I relate to Harry’s awkwardness as he meets up with Cho. “Harry’s feet seemed to be too big for his body…” I bet they’re not as big as Ron’s! - You would think that Rita would just register as an animagus so that she couldn’t be blackmailed anymore. As always, thank you so much for all the hard work, but please remember to take care of yourself first!

Alias93

Hi Veggie! Hermione, Luna and Rita walk into a bar… It comes with no surprise that Harry’s date with Cho wasn’t included in the movie. I understand Cho’s reaction but when she saw how long it took Harry to realize she wanted him to ask her on a date for Valentine’s day, she should have figured that subtle hints are wasted on him. For being so adamant about house elf rights, Hermione doesn’t seem to mind using slave labour (making Rita work for free by using blackmail) if it’s done to the right person, but I guess you could call it reparation after what Rita did to her and Harry. What do you think will come out from the article? Will people believe Harry? Will anyone even read it, considering it will be published in the Quibbler?

Jake M

S'mae Wezzlie! I've been looking forward to these next few chapters since the start of the book. Chapter 25 The article quotes Fudge reminding us Black is the first person to break out of Azkaban... So is this a wilful cover up of Barty Crouch Jr actually being the first? First Fleur, now "a pretty blonde girl"... Roger Davies certainly has a type! Definitely some faux pas from both parties on the date... Harry is rather tactless, but mentioning Davies asked her out is definitely a weird thing for Cho to comment. Do you think they'll have a second date? Hermione blackmailing Rita again- I love her dark side. 😈 I struggle to imagine Emma Watson's Hermione doing it ("breaking rules is quite exciting, isn't it?" "Who are you and what have you done with Hermione?"), but it absolutely fits "the end justifies the means" book Hermione. Which version do you think the series will be more like? Wishing you both all the best, see you next month! Any plans for the garden this year?

Andrew K

Hi Veggie! The WORST chapter in the whole series (I am joking). This is purely because of how awkward, cringeworthy, and painful Harry & Cho’s date was. I say this is the worst chapter because the awkwardness is written perfectly. The scene is incredible in the worst way, and it’s horrible in the best way. I hope that makes sense! I love Neville finding something within himself following the Azkaban breakout. It shows his issue in class was confidence and perhaps a lack of drive, rather than skill. He’s learning things with passion, intensity, and a want for revenge - it’s sad on one side considering he’s fuelled by grief, but on the other hand it’s nice to see him excel. Luna & Rita being in the same room and same scene is a must-see for the TV series. I hope you enjoyed WrestleMania. It hasn’t happened as of this writing but I’m expecting a solid 6/10 show.

Dani Phantom

hello veggie and of course woozle! even though i’m early, this chapter doesn’t have quite as much up for discussion as previous ones so others have already covered most of what i wanted to say. both of the scenes here, i think, are worthy of screen time and while i understand cutting them from the movies for time, i was SO disappointed the first time i saw this movie and all we got was one kiss and one conversation between cho and harry, and absolutely no rita skeeter. others have already asked what you think will come of the article, but i’d like to ask what you THOUGHT was going on when harry walked into the three broomsticks and saw that trio sitting there waiting for him. so many more book exclusive chapters coming, i can’t wait! i hope you’re feeling better!

Dani Phantom

i *think* rita isn’t able to register now because it would expose her as doing it illegally in the first place. i’m pretty sure at one point in PoA, hermione explained it was a hefty penalty for that. 🤔

Jake M

There's probably a prison sentence or hefty fine involved, and I guess those who don't know can still be eavesdropped upon?

Badger Kat

Hmm, could be! Good point, I don’t think it’s ever explicitly discussed, so who knows?

Badger Kat

I had thought that maybe she could register with the implication that she had just learned to become an animagus, but I don’t know if that would work or not.

Badger Kat

And you are right, she still would probably rather keep that as a way of obtaining information from others who don’t know the secret!

Sunblooded

Hey woozle (and alright veggie too I guess) Hagrids bruises still aren’t healed at all? Surely Pomfrey could fix them up, and a new cut? If you were reading this without any film knowledge what would you think was going on? Ha I love Lee and the twins “you can’t punish us because it’s not directly related to your subject” 🤣 Ron acussing snape 🤣 I swear he gets acussed of being evil at least a couple times in every book That date was SOOO awkward I feel bad for both of them 😭 Ok Hermiones a genius for coming up with that plan with skeeter also gotta say I do hate the name cho Chang, it’s just stereotypical (especially for one of the only asian character in the books, i think it’s only Cho and the patel sisters) and doesn’t even make sense! It’s two SURNAMES from DIFFERENT COUNTRIES (Korea (cho) and China (Chang) I think) that were put together to make a name that sounds Asian/ Chinese without doing any actual research to make a real name

Kunzite Blossom

What an amazing chapter that the movies skip entirely. I do feel for Cho, but I do feel for Harry. He is so oblivious to the subtle hints Cho gives that he doesn't realize asking to meet Hermione was a bad thing. Even though Cho should know Hermione is his best friend, as he isn seen with her a lot, and that Harry likely doesn't see Hermione that way. But, I guess after getting teased about being on a date with Harry, and everything else she must be feeling, she isn't thinking about it and just letting her emotions take over. Rita is back! Always looking for the gossip! Got to love the dark side of Hermione.

Garfnob

Greetings, Chapter – 25 - I am surprised any students get the newspaper. The oldest students are 17. - good thing Umbridge does not actually teach her class or she would not have time to do all the inspections. - what do you think about getting Rita to do a story for the tabloids?

Garfnob

that is my shtick :)

John Phillips

Here are my notes for this chapter. It's definitely a pretty awkward chapter and not one I would re-read on its own. Not that I think it's badly written, it captures the awkwardness well. I don't think Harry handled the situation on his date well but I don't think Cho did either. Harry should've been more clear on what he was planning with Hermione but I also think Cho overreacted a bit. I also understand that Cho needs emotional support after Cedric's death but Harry literally saw him die and I don't think he needs to talk about it if he doesn't want to.

S1lm4r1l

Hiya Veggie. The tragedy of the date is that Cho wanted Harry to trauma-dump to her and then he goes and does it to Hermione, Luna and Rita. It's good that Harry is finally expressing himself to someone that isn't Ron, Hermione or Sirius though. Neville trying his heart out in response to the Azkaban breakout. Proof that Neville isn't a bad student, just requires careful handling and the right motivation. Ron and Harry might flirt with rules occasionally, but Hermione blackmailing Rita Skeeter seems like a pretty big line to cross. Even Fred and George thought twice about blackmailing Bagman. Is Hermione breaking the law herself by not turning Rita in? Darth Hermione is scary! Do you think Voldemort was happy because A) The Death Eaters escaped. B) A specific Death Eater escaped. C) He's worked out the connection. D) Bode got murdered. E) Something else? I normally skip the awkwardness when rereading, but I persevered for this book club. Your idea that Snape is a dog person made me smile a little given Sirius (The star system) is nicknamed the "dog star" and Sirius's (character) animagus is a dog. Then again Umbridge, Hermione and McGonnagall all like cats. Different strokes for different folks *Might Edit*

Diego Zenhäusern

WFFTITWFF Veggie! Something I just thought of in this readthrough: Voldemort being really happy about the mass breakout actually suggest that he was not entirely sure it work out as planned. So Azkaban truely is quite a formidable prison if even Voldemort wasn't sure he could pull of a mass breakout!

Florian

Hi Veggie, This chapter comes with two very interesting bits. Neville improving faster than almost anyone else and the alliance of Rita Skeeter, Luna and Hermione. Since probably most of the comments will be about this topic, what do you think about other people getting the Harry Potter treatment and becoming famous for having dead relatives? Did you think that would ever be a topic in the books?

Dodolulupepe

Hi Veggie! What do you think about Bode's death? Do you think it's significant that he worked at the Department of Mysteries? Poor Lee getting the blood quill :( Do you think Harry's increased sensing of Voldemort's mood is actually due to Occlumency as Harry believes, or something else? Out of the entire series, I've always found the Cho date to be the hardest to read - the level of embarrassment is so visceral, and it only gets worse with each thing Harry says... Luna singing Weasley is Our King under her breath - remember my theory a few book clubs ago... I wonder how Hermione and Luna's planning for the interview went; they surely must've repaired some broken bridges from before. Unlikely allies :) Oh and since you were curious about lifetime Harry Potter fans' reactions to the series, mine have been nothing short of "this is exactly what I've wanted all my life, yes yes yes!" Genuinely one of my happiest days this year, I was riding the clouds for HOURS :D I hope it's not too long, and thank you again!

Madikuma95

Umbridge was able to get away with torturing Harry with the blood quill (mainly due to Harry not telling an adult), but isn't it risky to try that on another student? I think a big part of Harry and Cho's incompatibility here is their completely different ways of dealing with grief and Cedric's death. Cho needs to talk out her emotions and feels like Harry is the only one who understands, while Harry often hides his trauma and doesn't want to talk about it. Who do you think killed Bode? And why?

Jo Winters

Why are you surprised?

Jo Winters

Hello Veggie! I hope you are feeling better. Love one chapter reviews! Because I don't want this series to end too soon. I'm editing this in right now and I'm sorry that the contents of this sounds so bitchy! I agree with Harry that Occulmency with Snape is making him worse. You need to clear your mind, and you won't be able to do so with this level of contemptuous relationship. This was the most dim witted idea. Snape is a 35 year old emotional teenager, yes he can get things done with Voldemort and use Occulmency then, but he's too immature to teach Harry. The relationship between him and Snape could only be improved if Snape acted differently, because even though Harry is resented, he's a kind person. But Snape is a projecting drama queen akin to Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. Its Snape who cannot let go of emotions over James and Harry and his own resentment. That being said, I love that Snape is a mess in the books. I loved Riz Ahmed as Snape and I hope script allows TV show Snape to be this way. It's just so much more enjoyable to watch.

Badger Kat

I’m really excited about the series too! Did you watch the behind-the-scenes documentary that they put out, Finding Harry?

Hawwah

Harry doesn't feel guilty when he wrongs someone. I would say that's the opposite of empathetic.

Hawwah

Hermione treats Rita with utmost contempt because Rita used to spread nasty lies about her (and Harry). It was a book ago and she still hasn't forgiven her. Hermione talks to Rita "coldly", "irritably" (twice) and "scathingly". Her detestation for Rita is almost palpable. It reminds me of something. What was it... Right. Severus' relationship with Harry. Why is Severus the only character who is not allowed to dislike people who did him wrong? The double standard is insane. Hermione gets away with committing literal crimes against Rita. Severus is villainized for looking at Harry with revulsion. He is "bad" because he doesn't like people who spread lies about him, steal from him, physically attack him and disrespect him at every occasion. He is held to so much higher moral standard than every other character. In my opinion, Hermione disliking Rita is fair. Abducting and blackmailing her is not. Those are crimes that are way worse than what Rita has done. In a just world, Hermione would spend several years in prison for it. But the trio never face any consequences for their wrongdoing. Neville finally decided to put some effort into his studies and the results arrived immediately. This proves Severus has been right about him all along and it fully vindicates his actions in the toad incident. He knew Neville was fully capable of brewing the potion right but couldn't be bothered to. So he gave him the motivation. And it worked. I've criticized Neville a lot but I never called him stupid, dense or slow-witted. Because he's not. He's actually a fast learner. He was slacking off for 4 1/2 years, then put honest effort for a few weeks and now he's almost at Hermione's level. That's impressive. A student who is intelligent but lazy and sloppy. That must be the most frustrating combination for a teacher. I don't blame Minerva or Severus for losing their patience with him.

Badger Kat

I disagree, I think he does feel empathy towards many people, such as Dobby and Neville. He felt guilty about both Cedric’s and Sirius’s deaths, although he did deflect at first, blaming both Dumbledore and Snape. He also later is empathetic towards Draco, understanding the horrible situation that he was in and eventually towards Snape and understanding all that he went through. The books don't necessarily blatantly state it but it is implied. Does he always behave appropriately when he has made a mistake or wronged someone? No, but none of these characters are perfect.

Hawwah

Would it be reparation if Severus forced Harry to do slave labor?

Alias93

No, because Snape didn't suffer any prejudice from Harry's actions, except maybe looking a bit unhinged in front of Fudge at the end of PoA, but that was more Dumbledore's responsibility than Harry's. And even if he did, Harry being a minor while Rita and Snape are adults makes the situations incomparable.

Howiedoing

Touching a little on the previous book club I absolutely agree that Snape is the right person for the job. I’d imagine Harry is just going to try harder to block him out Snape is probably the last person Harry wants seeing his most private memories therefore working harder. One of the many reasons. As for the current chapter Harry Harry Harry I know you’re young and they’re still learning about girls but could you be any less subtle. I do have to say I blame her Hermione for this as well why didn’t she just tell Harry what was going on right away having a girl as a wing woman would be nice but she completely did not look out for him here.

Hawwah

I agree he becames more empathetic later but at this point of the story he's not. I'm not talking just about his behavior towards Severus. Look at the disaster with Cho. Cho's boyfriend died tragically and unexpectedly few months ago. Harry: Why is Cho crying all the time? That makes no sense. I wonder if we ever find what it is about. What a mystery.

S1lm4r1l

Paper costs a Knut per delivery, that's 7 Knuts a week. That adds up to quite a lot of money in the long run. Especially as kids could reasonably expect to get news from their parents or relatives.

S1lm4r1l

All the teachers regularly put students in detention where they are forced to do unpaid work. Writing an article isn't that dissimilar from helping Hagrid track a Unicorn in the Forbidden Forest, or cleaning out the Hospital wing bedpans without magic.

S1lm4r1l

Perhaps Hermione asked Ginny to help her out, or asked Luna as a favour to Harry? She might've just asked Luna without artifice and Luna said Yes.

Jo Winters

You are mixing up cognitive empathy with natural/emotional empathy. He's not developed enough at that point and too traumatised to have cognitive empathy hence why some of the silly things he says, like that Dumbledore doesn't understand how it is to be in his position without knowing Dumbledore's history. Or not understanding why Cho acts passive aggressive and emotional. Harry definitely has normal level of empathy for child his age, and a lot for child in his situation.

Garfnob

"Why are you surprised?" - when was the last time you saw a 15 year old reading a newspaper or in the modern era a news site? the 7th years ok maybe, they need to get ready for the real world. in the movie, i do not remember if it was in the book. Ron was getting the paper in first year. an 11 year old getting the paper.

Maria

Hi Veggie! Apologies if this comment is too long. I did remove a couple of things. Hermione is RUTHLESS. I love her. Planning that interview with Rita, and getting the Quibbler to publish it is a great strategy. It's always interesting to see what the rest of the wizarding community thinks of Sirius Black. If you didn't know the people involved, and you thought Sirius was guilty, it makes a lot of sense that he might help his cousin escape from jail. What do you think about Bellatrix? We know Kreacher has a photo of her in his "bedroom". Do you think their connection will be relevant now that she has escaped? Also, what do you think of Hagrid's situation? He has a lot going on between his continued injuries and being on probation. It's also interesting that he points out the family similarities between himself and Harry (they are both orphans and outsiders). That's something I never really thought about, but Hagrid must see himself in Harry in some ways. P.S. I am really looking forward to your Avatar the Last Airbender season 3 reactions. It is the best season by far. Thanks for creating all this great content for us!

Cari Ann

Hi veggie! I Loved Lee saying to umbridge that exploding snaps is not related to her subject. I adored luna singing to herself "weasley is our king". Think its amazing that hermione was able to think of this plan with 2 people she really doesn't seem to like much, shes so smart for that. What do you think Rita has been doing during her time off from writing?

Dodolulupepe

yeah! the level of care they are putting into every small detail is an actual dream

Steven

Hey Veggie! Chapter 25 I’m not at all surprised that the stuff with Cho got cut from the movie. To have her be jealous of another girl over a boy is something that wouldn’t go down well and could make her unlikeable very fast to audiences. Interesting to see that after unemployment Rita can now remember Harry’s actual age!

Hawwah

"Snape didn't suffer any prejudice from Harry's actions" Come on, we both know this is not true. He was physically assaulted because of Harry's false accusation.

Alias93

You mean Hermione setting his robes on fire to distract him? I wouldn't call that more than a mild annoyance as any competent wizard (which Snape defintely is) could put it out with a spell and easily fix the damage. The sad thing is, Harry and Snape could have worked very well together if there wasn't so much animosity between them due to family history. We see it a little bit in the first occlumency lesson (the following ones not so much) and later when Harry comes to think of the half-blood prince as a friend who helped him a lot. Unfortunately, it was doomed from the start, and the responsability lies fully on Snape. Harry didn't have any opinion of him when arriving at Hogwarts, same as the other teachers, but Snape immediately started to antagonize him for no good reason and destroyed any possibility of a normal teacher/student relationship between them. Harry's misguided conclusions about Snape were not him trying to stir up trouble for personal gain like Rita did with her articles, it was a natural (and unfortunate) assumption from the way Snape behaved around him, and could have easily been avoided if he had stuck to his role as a teacher. I won't comment about this after this point as Veggie has said in the last video that he would like the comments to stay positive and not turn into an argument. I stated my opinion on the subject and I know it won't change your mind, which wasn't my intention.

Ирина Устюгова

Harry was ready to die for the entire wizarding and Muggle world since he was 11 years old, he is empathetic alright.

Emory

Hi Veggie! We see such a difference in how different characters are processing and planning in this chapter. -Cho really needing someone (ideally a therapist) to talk to to help her process her trauma -Harry mostly just surviving his trauma day to day, and taking action through his work with the DA -Neville not talking to anyone about his trauma, but showing his motivation and strength in the DA -Hermione being much more big picture strategic in setting up this Quibbler article, though we don't yet know what the impact of that will be. The different thought processes of these characters feels quite realistic - what do you think will be the outcome of the article?

Dodolulupepe

Uh, this feels like it’s a comment meant for an argument with other fans, not discussing the text. Veggie never villainized Snape for looking at Harry with revulsion, and nor did the books themselves. I think he’s going to respond to this saying to not keep bringing up past discussions No hard feelings to you of course, I respect your opinions, just saying that I don’t think this comment really fits rn

Dodolulupepe

that wasn’t in the book, Hermione is the first of the trio to start getting it in this chapter and is noted as being one of the very few to get it in the school, as the other students don’t realize the death eater escape immediately

S1lm4r1l

Spoiler Protecto

S1lm4r1l

Umbridge thinks she's untouchable.

Jake M

I wonder, is that why Cho mentions Roger Davies asking her out? Finally giving up with the subtlety, and letting Harry know that there's a standard she's expecting? XD

Jake M

It's definitely a confidence thing with Neville - both Snape and McGonagall have shown to be very harsh with him in previous books, whereas he's perfectly able to cast riddikulus when gently encouraged by Lupin, and he's said to be pretty adept at herbology which presumably is a field that requires a lot of patience. Given the right care and attention, he could probably be a competent student across more subjects- but the teaching standard at Hogwarts is patchy at best (life threatening at worst XD)

Jake M

Also remember that awful Skeeter wrote about her being his young love who was stolen by Krum, so that might put some doubts in her mind too.

Jake M

It only takes one student with a newspaper for stories (and rumours) to start spreading!

Jake M

*SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER BLOCK*

Jake M

If she isn't breaking the law now, I definitely think the Wizarding GBH she causes later on does...🤔

Kunzite Blossom

That is fair, like I said, I do feel for Cho. As for the Rita article....Cho being a Ravenclaw i'd wish she would be smarter then to believe those articles. I always took is as nobody in the school really did believe Rita's article. Draco of course knew but loved to torture them. Anyone outside the school who doesn't see them obviously wouldn't know. You are right I guess if she did believe the article. She is an emotional mess after Cedric plus she is a teenage girl, so I don't fully blame her. She acted like a lot of other teenage girls would have (I never did. but I know a lot of teen girls who would have). My point is it also really sucks for Harry because he doesn't understand girls. He didn't get the way he asked would hurt Cho, and doesn't understand the hints that she was jealous. Because of this he couldn't even reassure Cho he liked her. Even later on Hermione says he should have asked Cho differently. Truthfully I blame Hermione if anyone. She knows how Harry is when it comes to girls. She even tells Harry later how he SHOULD have asked her. When it was too late. She should have told him that before he left.

Garfnob

correct. i was not questioning how the school found out. i am questioning kids that age caring to read the paper.

S1lm4r1l

Newspapers don't just have news in it. There might be a weather section for different parts of the country. Rita Skeeter mentions a magical creatures column to Hagrid in Book 4. Then there was Skeeter's gossip column itself in Witch Weekly. I imagine even a gossip magazine might include things passing for real journalism occasionally. It's highly probable that the Quidditch League has results and columns in the Daily Prophet too. The Quibbler talks about how the Tornados are winning through the combination of corruption and gum disease after all. We never hear anything about it, but I imagine Percy got the Prophet delivered to school on a regular basis. Hermione even says that "Percy takes the Prophet seriously", earlier in the book. I don't think its that crazy that a handful of students got the prophet delivered everyday.

Jake M

I mean it only takes one weird kid (apparently) who buys/reads the newspaper for everyone to know about it, the vast majority probably don't read anything- or maybe just the Quidditch pages!

S1lm4r1l

More like "I have other options too, you know."

MP

Possible spoilers below.

MP

In the next chapter Hermione explains to Harry what Cho was trying to accomplish by mentioning Davies, though it obviously didn't work, since Harry was too clueless to pick up on it. I tend to forget about Crouch Jr. breaking out of Azkaban years before Sirius did. I imagine it is something Fudge would want to cover up, but also his escape wasn't discovered until very recently; he was thought to have died in prison.

MP

She kind of is.

MP

Severus doesn't dislike Harry because Harry did him wrong. He hated Harry before Harry had any interaction with him, because of his relationship with Harry's father. Also, I agree with D. above. This comment doesn't seem to be about the chapter so much as trying to start an argument.

MP

I suppose Hermione thought if Harry knew it was for an interview with Rita he'd refuse, but it seems like she could have at least told him she had something important to discuss with him, and make sure he said as much to Cho.

MP

Hi, Veggie! Just thought I'd mention, I've been listening to the full-cast audio of this book lately, and the person they got to voice Rita Skeeter does an incredible job here. Not a lot to say here. Harry's date with Cho was certainly very awkward, and kind of shows how incompatible they actually are. They have such different ways of dealing with the trauma they've both been through. Then "Little Miss Perfect" blackmailing the Beetle. I would not want to have Hermione mad at me.

Heather Judge

Hey Veggie! Hope you and woozle are doing well! Skipped the last few chapters because there were a lot of comments by the time I got there! Did the chapter title give you any clues to who was showing up again? I found it moving when Harry observed the other students enjoying breakfast while he received devastating news about Azkaban. Its reminiscent of how one feels when something has gone wrong in their life, and they have to grapple with the fact that it's just another day for most of the world. While VERY cringe-inducing, it was nice to see Harry have a chance to be a normal teenage boy and blunder his way through a first date. Albeit, it was still tinged with some very Voldemort-specific grief.

S1lm4r1l

Its the fact that she doesn't undo it even months later that gets me. She disfigures a fellow student and feels no guilt at all.

S1lm4r1l

The Centaurs convince her otherwise. I always wondered what they did or showed her.

jolt45

Howdy, This doesn't BODE well. Much of this chapter carries an air of foreBODE-ing. I can't believe they left out Hermione blackmailing Rita in the movies. I guess they couldn't when they excluded her beetle animagus subplot from Goblet. Also, I'm going to go against the grain and defend your position on Snape in the last book club. We hear Harry's lessons with Snape aren't going well but I think Hermione is right. Harry is struggling because he is too interested in what's behind the door. I don't think we can confidently blame Snape with the information we have, and normally I'm not one to defend Snape.

Dave Brannagan (Brannas86)

Hey Veggie and Woozle 👋. Hope you're both well. Everyone finding out about Neville and other students parents/relatives deaths/incapacitation is quite sad but at least people are starting to believe Harry's version of events now. Love that Neville starts to really improve in DA from the news of the escaped Death Eaters. The tea shop date was very cringe worthy. They both handled it badly. Love the interview in the 3 Broomsticks though, especially Hermiones smugness towards Rita. Hope you and Woozle have a great day!

Gugurupurasu Daikirai

Hi Woozle and Veg, I can't believe I missed last book club. I bought Deltarune Chapters 3 and 4 and my free time just disappeared over the last month plus. I was going to ask you if you thought Harry would still be a virgin at the end of this book with the date with Cho upcoming but I think the answer is obvious now (hopefully he doesn't recreate the infamous scene from American Pie later). Just two chapters ago we had the book exclusive scene that people were the most shocked about being left out of the movie and now we have the book exclusive scene that no one was surprised was left out of the movies. But we did have another unexpected reappearance of a character. Were you more shocked to see Lockhart again or Rita Skeeter? Why exactly does Dumbledore want Harry to learn Occlumency anyway?

Dani Phantom

hermione is 15 years old. snape is an adult who hated an 11 year old the second he laid eyes on him. rita is also an adult who was spreading lies about minors’ relationships. they are incomparable.

Simon audsley

"I'm free" Bet you didn't realise you were witness to a coming murder when you covered the St mungo's chapter. boy Hagrid's looking rough? Well the date went as well as could be expected, though the image of cho as a human hosepipe is gold. Will work out well doing these as individual chapters as you will see, also your posting schedule is working well as I had the bank holiday free I walked to local garden center and ended up accidently watching the world coal carrying championships which I hadn't been to since the 90's.

skinnyp

Greetings, Veggie & Woozle! It’s my first time commenting on the book club. I’ve been listening to you every morning at work, while stocking shelves when the customers are not in yet in the supermarket. Now that I’m caught up I don’t know what to do in that time :( For this chapter I only want to ask, did you previously expect Rita to appear again in the series? I also have a fun fact. One of the reasons Rik Mayall‘s portray of Peeves was cut from the movies was that all the child actors couldn’t stop laughing while he was acting, causing delay. I really enjoy rereading the books alongside you and all the other book club members. It’s a very different and great experience. Thank you so much for that! Enjoy the rest of your day, until next time!

Music Here

Cho Chang is a beautiful name. Being a mixed name makes it more whimsical and fits well with the other names like Severus Snape, Dedalus Diggle or Mundungus Fletcher that are also made up. I have actually never heard anyone who grew up in Chinese-speaking countries or speak Chinese criticise the name lol. It's a non-issue, and one of the most ridiculous talking points of the books

Maddie

Hi Woozle and Veggie! I think it's kind of sad that after years of buildup, the Date ended up in a disaster. I just love that Hermione once again showcased her brilliance and savagery by coming up with the perfect plan to give Harry the chance to have his say, even if it involved the unlikeliest drinking mates she could ask for. Luna humming Weasley is our King is just a wonderful bonus in that scene. I think that if Rita has just some integrity and moral decency, she would've made a good investigative journalist. Still, her banter with Hermione is a great scene, specially her calling Hermione Little Ms. Perfect and Ms. Prissy. Hermione blackmailing her is so worth it.

PumpkinSparks

I'm not sure if the Animagus-file in my brain is 100% correct, but I think we learned that becoming an Animagus is a very long and work intensive process that takes like a month or so of continuous ritual stuff (might be in the books, might be a Pottermore add-on). So the implication would be that people who desire to become an Animagus do so with the governments knowledge or maybe even tutelage. So "suddenly" being an Animagus and wanting to register would open up a whole can of questions.

PumpkinSparks

Neville is also constantly pressured and belittled by his grandmother, so his confidence is pretty low to begin with! And I don't remember when exactly, but I'm pretty sure we learn at some point that Neville uses his grandfathers wand or something like that - so not a wand that matches with his essence. So I think in a AU where the circumstances were slightly different, he might actually be quite an adept wizard!

Andrew K

Absolutely! Yes, he gets a new wand I think in HBP which is where he reveals he’s been using a second hand one for years

PumpkinSparks

Hey Woozles Hooman! Once again I'm rather late to bookclub and on a quick scan most of my thoughts have already been covered. I still want to give my 2 cents on 2 topics. You probably already discussed these at length, so it's absolutely fine if you don't linger too much 1. I'm a bit dissapointed with Hermione! As a bookreader I love that we don't know her plan until the end of the chapter. We wonder what her idea is, the interactions are great, Rons comments are hilarious. As a human? I really do wish she would have disclosed her plan to Harry way sooner - the latest once she got the information that both Rita and Mr Lovegood are open to her idea. Harry should not be put on the spot and be kinda pressured to open up about his severe trauma without his say so! He should have known what he walked into and should have the option to nope out. They could have prepared for the interview together, gone over what he wasn't comfortable talking about, set up a safe word or gesture for Hermione to intervene if the questions got too probing... I understand where Hermione is coming from, and getting hyper focused on one issue is understandable, but I did expect more from her... 2. I so see Harry during that date... I'm not even factoring in the romantic stuff, which makes it even more complicated. But being one-on-one with one person and trying to figure out all the implied non-verbal meanings of what the other person is about, is a freaking minefield! You cannot pause, or rewrite your answer several times, or zoom in on a reaction shot - you have to understand what is happening in real time, and do and say the right thing in that exact moment! I fail at that all the time... So yeah, very very awkward situation! But so real.......... As always, please give some love to the lovliest Noodle from me ;)

Ashley Evers

Ooftypoof Veggie and Woozle! I love Hermoine engaging in some questionable journalistic practices 🤣 I guess threatening a reporter to stick to your narrative is still better than literally kidnapping a woman, so she’s done worse 🤣 This is such a good pay off to that plot, though. It’s easy to forget that most people don’t actually know the story of what happened to Harry in the graveyard. Also, the writing of the teenage romance plot is so good and realistic that it circles around to hard to read 🤣 I feel bad that Cho apparently doesn’t have anyone to talk to about Cedric. I wonder how much of the story she actually got to hear.

Methanoutput

Hey Veggie i am really late, so i will keep it short, The date from Harry and Cho is hilarious. Also i dont think i have seen Madame Puddifoots shop somehwere else? Would maybe be worth a trip in Hogwarts Legacy to see if there is a shop that is similar, but maybe it was also just not open at that time. Hope you and Woozle are doing great! Cant wait to hear your thoughts!

Music Here

“Women!” Harry muttered angrily.' There's nothing wrong with this line, but for some reason I've always found it cringey. Aside from that, the date is well written and feels true to Harry and Cho's characters at this point. Their relationship was doomed from the moment Cedric died. I also love how ruthless Hermione is here, and how Harry is able to relive his trauma and talk about what happened to a wider audience. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that putting the truth out there is important in the fight against Umbridge, which is another reason I like this chapter. As for future chapters, chapters 28 and 29 are both all-timers in my opinion, and I'm not alone in that. I think they should each get their own book club because there's a lot to talk about in both of them (especially in ch 28). To avoid every book club being a single-chapter discussion, I think the next one could cover chapters 26 and 27? They are both long though, so I can't blame you if you'd rather not 😬

Hawwah

First of all, Hermione is 16. She was born in September 1979 and we are now in February 1996. Second of all, 15 year olds are criminally liable in most jurisdictions. Being 15 doesn't give you free pass to commit felonies.

Margarita Pizza

Disillusionment is starting to be a theme in this book, isn't it? Harry's date with Cho is so unlike his boyish fantasies. He thinks she will be an escape from his messy, difficult life but she turns out to be just as messy and difficult.

Alias93

I'm pretty sure we see the coffee shop in the Lego game, that's where you find Cho (or maybe Luna I'm not completely sure) when going around recruiting people for the DA.

Keary Smith

Hi Veggie! Almost got late on this one, have had a quite busy spring, it gets better tho So, that date went well… Hermione and Harry could use a communication coach, both Harry and Cho a therapist. Harry said he will go with Cho and Hermione not caring even to give a reason for Harry to come meet her. Would’ve taken 5 seconds to whisper about telling the story of Voldemort. Cho said she wanted to talk about Cedric, that could have been a transition to the fact that Harry will be telling the real story of what happened that night. Last Valentines Day I decided to visit a couple friends up north, I informed quite late that I was coming, and that meant they had their own plans (That was completely on me). I'd never expect them to change their schedule for me, haven't seen them since my military days almost a decade ago, and here we are not even talking about a romantic date. Harry said it was easy to talk to Cho about Quidditch is something that I noticed too, we had so much in common and it was such a blast to catch up even if it was a short time. What made it the best experience of this year up until now was the genuine happiness they reacted with when we met and me realizing how much a small gesture can mean. Getting a smile even now writing this, probably trying to check up with them again during the summer months. Kind of want to say that genuine and honest communication leads more often to a desired outcome. SKIP if mentioned earlier: Do you think Umbridge has a time turner? Being in EVERY class for Hagrid and Trelawney 3rd class upwards, and her having to teach her own class from 1st to 7th grade. Always felt like a really stupid point to mention. SO. SO. Sorry for a long comment this late in the video, but I couldn’t find a way to make it shorter and get it satisfactory to highlight my feelings from my trip. Will do better moving on! Wish you well and see you next time!

Jake M

That's a good shout Alias! I played that with a friend only recently and there is definitely a cafe of sorts in that level.

Methanoutput

Thats really interesting, might have to play the Lego Games again!

Dobby Delfstoffer

Hi Veggie! Dutch fun fact: Rita Skeeter is called Rita Pulpers in Dutch. Pulp means low-quality magazine stories (I think it has the same meaning in English?), so that's saying something about the quality of her writing lol. Also, the Quibbler is called "De Kibbelaar" in Dutch, which has roughly the same meaning as Quibbler. See you next time!

Bennet

Hey there Veggie! With this Chapter my favourite section of the Book starts! We will see more when we get there hehe Nevilles transformation through Harrys eyes is really fascinating to me. It's funny how up to this point, Rita Skeeter was probably the most annoying female antagonist. Professor Umbridge makes her look absolutely charming in comparison. Do you think Rita believes the story? Harry's timing for the interview is pretty perfect as people probably want answers how that could happen Much love to you and whoever hears/reads this! PS: omg i was cringing so hard at the Cho scene as a little Kid reading this for the first time xD

Josh Z

Love Book Hermonie so much. That's all I have to say this time around 😊

Liz

Hey Veggie and Woozle I hope you're well. Chapter 25 Im curious what you think Umbridge's issue is with Dumbledore and McGonagall's conversation? I think she's super nosy and jealous that she's not important enough to be involved lol. Poor Bode, no wonder his name kept cropping up. What do you think of this interview? What do you think will be the outcome of it? Take care Veggie 🙂

PumpkinSparks

I heard arguments pro, contra, and indifferent from Asian potterheads on this, but I personally also hate the name Cho Chang. It just feels like lazy writing to me, and maybe slightly racist? There are other implied Asian characters though: just from their names the Patil sisters are probably of south Asian descent, and way better names... Might I suggest though to edit your Cho bit of the comment? Not for content, but it is incredibly difficult to read - I had to reread it like 5 times to understand what sentence belongs to what and I'm not legastenic, so I think Veggie might struggle through that quite a lot. I think just a little edit to get rid of some of the brackets would really do a lot! Also (small pet peeve of mine) one of the brackets doesn't close, I think ;)

DreamMyselfAway (Dreamy)

Heya Veggie and Woozle! Thanks for the heads up, I made it in time!! I have my final exam coming up in 1.5 weeks so my head is everywhere.. can't believe I'm to be a doctor in less than two weeks! Just a few quick points as others have already discussed the big ones. - I love how we get more and more insight into the politics/ media aspect of the wizarding world. There is so much to unravel here! What do you think how the Muggle Prime Minister reacted when he was informed? - I am and always have been team Harry on this date. I feel for Cho, but girl, you just weren't ready to date again, not even speaking about how all she wanted to talk about was the trauma Harry went through, not picking up on his hints that he doesn't want to talk about it. Also bringing up your dead ex that he witnessed dying to make him jealous? Girl, just don't. (All my opinion/ thoughts, I know I might be a little unfair.) It still is a great scene tho. Hope you both are doing well! Lots of love <3

Badger Kat

In Hogwarts Legacy, there is a tea shop in the main Hogsmeade Square, but it’s definitely not decorated the same!

Garry (Not Jerry)

Hi Veggie, Just wondered if your opinion on Snape’s lessons and “oh cool i-man-cy” has changed after learning that Harry is not progressing. And why do you think he is not improving?

Huldra Draco

Just a fun Norwegian fact. In the Norwegian version, The Quibbler is for some strange reason called "Kleggen", which means "The Horsefly" 😅

Snjófriður (Snow)

Thanks veggie for the heads up about the book club! Why do you think it’s so hard for Harry to learn oclumency properly? Do you think putting Hagrid on probation will make his teaching better? Is this a good move leadership wise or not? What do you think? Btw my book club baby turned three years last month and it was around that time that I discovered your channel (through a recommendation from my sister). I really appreciate and appreciated your company especially back then because your content kept me company during many of those late nights when I was up with the baby. Hope you’re feeling better now and know that you’re doing a great job with this channel. Keep doing one chapter as much as you need. Your health is more important.