i love the book because of how perfectly encapsulated it is, how tight the plot is, and how much remus lupin there is.

That's an excellent summary of the strengths of PoA right there. :) The first time I read the book, I remember reaching the final chapters and realizing (for the first time, right then) that every book we would get a new DADA professor, and so Lupin had to go. I was soooo disappointed.

And not an unpopular opinion at all, it seems! M.