Yeah, and Harry mentions the similarity as if that was still necessary after Ron doing the thing with his hair.

I'm not sure that's really the most helpful thing to say...

As you say, it builds. In this case, no doubt Cedric plays a role somehow as well.

I was always the more relaxed kind of exam-taker, but I must admit in having been guilty on many occasions of Hermione's annoying discussion afterwards of every question. Not with the same vehemence, though.

I'm really not. I found it ridiculous, actually - the way Umbridge bought it, mainly. She IS an adult and qualified Ministry official after all, as she points out to Malfoy himself; you'd think she wouldn't be as naive and simplistic in her thinking as the teenagers, what with their "secret weapon" nonsense. And the way Hermione keeps her from bringing Malfoy and company is even more ridiculous. A low point of the book, that whole thing.

I'd like to know how Ron and the Second Trio got access to their wands and escaped Malfoy and company, too...

That was a great line, yeah.

It was rather unexpected indeed to have such an extreme reaction, though. No doubt McGonagall realized her intervention could have bad consequences for her, but surely she couldn't have expected what actually happened. I'm still kind of confused why that Ministry Auror - who iirc isn't evil or anything, and fights on the right side in later books - would join in such a criminal deed without any good reason - we don't even hear Umbridge order it or anything.

I'm not so sure he didn't give her the real thing last time, but I guess we'll never know.

Love his comment to Goyle, too.

Agreed. That scene - and the revelation of her earlier deed - takes her from being a bad guy (okay, gal) on a Hogwarts-level to the real Dark Side, so to speak.

I think Luna's primary motivation is loneliness and the desire to feel accepted, but it's true it's hard to tell with her.

Harry's comment of how if he could pick three DA members, he'd have picked others is weird, too. Or rather, it's not weird so much as very wrong. We don't really know much about Luna's prowess except she can make a Patronus and does some mean Charms with those hats, but Neville has been depicted as very good, and Ginny's hexes have been praised by everyone for two books now. Perhaps getting the Twins instead would be better, but we don't actually know how good those are in combat, and same with the other older students. Harry has a long history of being unfair - inwardly, not in public - to Neville, and underestimates Ginny still because of her being Ron's little sister.