Have decided to re-read the entire series. Will not change the original star ratings, but will include my updated star ratings in the wall o' text.

3 stars
I liked this quite a bit more than when I read this the first time around... 13 years ago (WHUT)... I think I had a greater appreciation for the increased complexity of the plot and themes and the increasingly "grown-up feel" of this book. I really enjoyed the Department of Mysteries this time around. Hermione is always a delight, and I like that Ginny finally gets a personality and Neville gets something to do. Luna is wonderful. But... it still needs editing, there is so much completely unnecessary fluff (all the house cleaning, for example) that just doesn't justify the length of this book. Harry is a difficult character in HP5 - he's whiny and self-absorbed but he also probably has PTSD which at least makes him interesting if not exactly likeable. I cannot believe that school officials would fail to notice VISIBLE ABUSE inflicted upon the students; yes, wizards do things a little differently, but I can't believe they tolerate child abuse; and even if Harry stubbornly refuses to tell, one of the other disciplined students would, and even if they didn't, teachers would see when they looked around their classroom at kids writing. (For that matter, I have a hard time believing that Snape's verbal abuse would be tolerated; and that the Dursleys wouldn't be investigated by the british equivalent of CPS when teachers compare Dudley's and Harry's outward appearances.) Plus, it has the same problem plaguing the others -- at the end, way too much telling, not showing.