Harry Potter: Not relevant? Think again

Barry Rubin rewrites Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix just a little to reinforce a point that the book itself makes clearly enough: the willful blindness of the great and good to the threat that looms. He manages to slip in bloggers, at least some of whom are fighting the good fight.

There it was, the lead story in the Daily Prophet newspaper:

“Minister Fudge Urges Engagement; Accuses Harry Potter of Voldemortphobia”

“What’s going on here?” Harry said angrily. “I personally saw Voldemort gathering his followers but when I read the Daily Prophet it would seem there is no real threat. And now they want to negotiate with Voldemort?”

“That’s not all,” Hermione explained. “The newspaper is trying to make you sound deluded for exposing the truth.”

“Yes,” Ron added, ”and there are a lot of people now who favor giving aid to Voldemort in order—they claim—to moderate him.”

Fortunately, Voldemort has been defeated, but look at what Harry had to do. I'm not sure I'm ready for that.