Thoughts On the New Harry Potter Book and the New Film

Well, it happened. The end of the Harry Potter series has come and with its arrival has changed many long-held beliefs in the fandom. Some people loved this last stanza of the saga, some hated it, and still others don't know what to think of it all.
I liked it. I liked it a lot. Its tone was strongly reminiscent of the early books, which was a very pleasant surprise after reading the previous two books.(Do not misunderstand me. I enjoyed books five and six)
People had guessed at some of the plot points within this tome, but the way these events were introduced kept me guessing what would happen next. Some of the plot twists, however, were quite unexpected. I was surprised at Dumbledore's back story and at how some of the characters acted during different bits. For one thing, I had thought that Ronald's Aunt Muriel would be a nicer person than she turned out to be and that Xenophilius Lovegood would have had more moral integrity than he showed when he was put under pressure based on how Luna behaves and on what his name means(His name is made from two Greek words - xeno, which means outside and philius, which means love or affection). Kreacher's presence was surprisingly likable and his tale did kind of stir up some pity in my heart.

Anyway, I did go see the Order of the Phoenix in the theatre with my friend on her birthday some time back. The film was a lot better than I had expected it to be. We enjoyed it immensely. It was very smoothly paced and the balance between the war against Voldemort and the battle with the Ministry was done just right. Luna was charming and Neville showed quite a bit of backbone.
Neville is heroic in both the book and the movie. Even though he long believed himself to be inept and had been belittled for his lack of confidence, that kind brave heart of his won out when it really mattered.
Oh, one funny thing added to our enjoyment of the film. Every time the scene panned around Umbridge's office and showed the decorations on the walls, we all kept thinking about our new kittens at home. Personally, I think ours are cuter than the kitties on the plates(those little critters were cute in their own way, though). :P