A point that is ironically confirmed by Harry's failure to read the Prophet once he's established they won't put Voldemort's return on the front page. He's still not very politically aware. Good thing he has Hermione.

Ooh, nice catch. Another case of Snape's memories changing our interpretations of earlier scenes... I like it.

It's tempting to see this against the background of Petunia wanting to follow big sis to Hogwarts but not being allowed to, and the resentment flowing from that that eventually went to a hatred of all things magical. Perhaps that tidbit about Azkaban was something she learned when in the phase of wanting to know all about the magical world and hoping she'd go to Hogwarts too.

The really quite extreme child abuse of the first book makes it hard to redeem Petunia's (or Vernon's) character, though. Does it make sense to argue that it's a rare instance of simplified child-level plot points of the first books that get in the way of the more mature development of the characters later? As in, most of what happens in the first books still works in the greater scheme of things even if it was initially presented on a simpler level - not the least of Rowling's achievements - but that one really doesn't. If you see what I mean.

Yes. Fairly sure it is. Petunia gives Harry the letter from way back when, or some such.

There's gonna be a whole lot of annoying in this book as far as Harry is concerned. It makes sense, though - he doesn't have the political and strategic feeling to figure things out from what the Prophet writes and doesn't write, why should he be smart enough to figure out what Dumbledore is doing?

You have to wonder why he can't be told more than he is, though. Interception of letters? Please. Even Fudge is not so blind that he'll let Voldemort get away with anything. Seems to me he could've been told more, if people had just thought of him.

This is crazy talk. Tonks is awesome. And gets too little screen time.

Okay, so succinct this is not, but at least I resisted the temptation of replying to every paragraph.