I recently finished a reread of the fifth Harry Potter book, and it was amazing. In the three years between the publishing of the fourth and fifth books, I read the first four so many times that a lot of the magic was gone. My cousin Kathy and I used to have insane trivia contests, with questions like “What kinds of ice cream cones did Hagrid buy when he and Harry first went to Diagon Alley?” and “Which brick do you hit to gain access to said alley?” I knew all the books so well that they weren’t exciting anymore. The first time I read the fifth book, sleep deprivation limited my enjoyment. We got the books at midnight the day they came out, and didn’t sleep until they were read. It took until three the next afternoon, mostly because the words kept swimming in front of our eyes.

This time, though, it was great. It reminded me why I love Harry Potter. The creativity of the author, the romance,* the subtle hints of Ron/Hermione… it was just so good. And it’s probably just because I’m 17 (and I don’t know many 17-year-olds that don’t want to rebel against the establishment), but there’s something about the fight against Umbridge that I just love. Everyone’s coming together, risking probation, expulsion, possibly even arrest, to stand up to her. I can’t put it into words. The way McGonagall comforted Madame Trelawny, the way the faculty almost encouraged Fred and George, the way Hermione was willing to risk expulsion to get the DA going… It’s an uprising of the masses, and it’s beautiful.

*Not romantic love, but the kind of romance you see in glorified wars.