I can't believe how popular this book was, and how popular the series is. The lazy characterization of unlikable, one dimensional characters was almost intolerable, but I choked through it simply for the original plot. It's the kind of book that I would rather just read the Wikipedia plot article on, which I did for the rest of the books in the series. One of the whiniest main characters I've ever encountered - including Harry in The Order of the Phoenix.