Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry is intimidated by the large dungeon filled with witches and wizards, who comprise the Wizengamot, watching him. He is admonished curtly for being late and takes his seat in the middle of the room. He recognizes the room from a memory of Dumbledore’s that he had seen in Dumbledore’s Pensieve.

As Fudge names the interrogators present for the hearing, Dumbledore arrives and asserts that he is a witness for the defense. Dumbledore’s arrival causes a stir among the Wizengamot. Fudge outlines Harry’s charge: producing a Patronus Charm in the presence of a Muggle. Fudge interrupts Harry as he tries to explain that he needed to summon the charm to repel dementors. Madam Bones, a member of the Wizengamot, is impressed that Harry could produce a fully-fledged Patronus Charm; Fudge is irritated at the interruption and returns to his interrogation. Harry explains that the presence of dementors necessitated the charm. Fudge, smirking, claims that Harry is lying. Dumbledore interrupts to explain there is a witness. Fudge says that he “hasn’t got time to listen to more tarradiddles;” Dumbledore asserts that accused parties have a right to present witnesses (131).

Mrs. Figg enters the room and gives an account of the Dementor attack. Nervous, she is initially inarticulate but gains confidence and accurately describes the feeling that accompanies dementors’ presence and that occurred in the alleyway.

Once Mrs. Figg is dismissed from the room, Fudge reflects on the unlikelihood of dementors loose in a muggle area; Dumbledore suggests that the dementors were not there by coincidence but were ordered there. Dolores Umbridge, a pink-attired, “toad-like” witch, asks Dumbledore if he is implying the Ministry of Magic ordered an attack on Harry. Dumbledore responds that either someone in the Ministry ordered the attacks or two dementors are outside the Ministry’s control. Dumbledore reminds the Wizengamot about Clause Seven of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery: “That magic may be used in front of Muggles in exceptional circumstances” (136). The Wizengamot votes to clear Harry of all charges.

Harry is immensely relieved but also upset that Dumbledore does not greet or look at him before leaving the trial.

Mr. Weasley is shocked that Harry was tried by the entire Wizengamot. Some witches and wizards acknowledge Mr. Weasley and Harry, and others ignore them, but Lucius Malfoy taunts them. Lucius is at the Ministry for a meeting with Fudge. Concerned, Harry asks what influence Lucius—a Death Eater—has over the Minister of Magic. Harry donates his whole bag of money to the wishing well he saw earlier at the entrance to the Ministry.

Harry returns to Grimmauld Place; Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, and Mrs. Weasley are elated with the news that Harry has been absolved of the charges. Sirius seems to merely put on a show of being happy for Harry; Hermione suggests that a part of him may have secretly hoped that Harry would be expelled and would live with him full-time.  

Book lists from Hogwarts arrive for the upcoming school year. Ron and Hermione have been named prefects. When Hermione enters the room, Harry is inspecting Ron’s badge; she mistakenly thinks that Harry has been made a prefect. Mrs. Weasley is thrilled for Ron and Hermione. Harry is disappointed to have missed out on becoming a prefect, and he struggles with feeling overlooked after all the dangerous situations he has faced in the previous years. He feels disloyal for pondering whether he is better than Ron.

The Weasleys (apart from Percy and Charlie), Harry, Hermione, Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, Moody, Mundungus, and Kingsley attend a party at Grimmauld Place. Harry cheers up about not being a prefect when he learns that his father also was not a prefect. Mundungus helps Fred and George source Venomous Tantacula seeds for a joke shop item. Moody shows Harry a photo of the previous iteration of the Order of the Phoenix, which shows many people he recognizes, including his parents, Frank and Alice Longbottom, and Wormtail. Harry is upset to see his parents smiling beside Wormtail, knowing that he is the man who betrayed his parents to Voldemort.

On his way upstairs, he hears Mrs. Weasley crying. Joining her in the bedroom, Harry sees that she has been trying to vanquish a boggart who keeps adopting the form of dead members of her family and Harry. Lupin joins them and destroys the boggart. Lupin comforts Mrs. Weasley, who is upset and worried about the potential deaths of her family members with the return of Voldemort.

The Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione are running late to the Hogwarts Express after Sturgis Podmore, a member of Harry’s guard, fails to show up. Sirius accompanies them to the Hogwarts Express as a large, black dog. Mrs. Weasley and Hermione are angry and concerned because he is not supposed to leave the house at Grimmauld Place. However, Harry is happy that Sirius is accompanying him and laughs at his dog antics.

They board the train, and it departs. Sirius, as the dog, runs for a time beside the departing train. Ron and Hermione are required to join the other prefects for a meeting, so Harry and Ginny find an available carriage, where they encounter Neville and a girl in Ginny’s year, Luna Lovegood. A plant Neville is holding ejects green slime all over the group. Cho Chang, whom Harry thinks is pretty, greets him, and Harry is embarrassed. Ron and Hermione join the group. Luna laughs excessively and eccentrically at a joke that Ron tells. She is reading The Quibbler. Harry peruses the magazine; the articles are so outrageous that he struggles to understand whether the magazine is a joke. Luna is insulted when Hermione derides the magazine because her father is the editor.

Draco Malfoy, who has been made a prefect, arrives to warn Harry that he will be “dogging” him all year, looking for opportunities to get him in trouble. Hermione and Harry are concerned with his use of the word dogging, and Harry wonders whether he is implying that he knows about Sirius.

When they arrive at Hogwarts, Harry wonders where Hagrid is because he usually greets the first-year students. Harry, Neville, Luna, Hermione, and Ron go to the carriages that take the students to the castle. In previous years, Harry had thought that the carriages pulled themselves, but now he sees strange, skeletal winged horses harnessed to them. Ron cannot see them and wonders what Harry is talking about. Luna assures Harry that she has always been able to see the animals, which are called Thestrals.

The group disagrees about Hagrid: Luna suggests he is a bad teacher, but Ron, Harry, and Ginny angrily disagree. Harry notices that Hagrid’s cottage is dark and empty. Harry sits with Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table. They look for Hagrid at the staff table but can’t see him.

Harry is shocked to recognize Umbridge, a witch from the Wizengamot at Harry’s hearing, sitting at the staff table. The Sorting Hat sings a song about the division that emerged between the four school’s founders, who prioritized different qualities in students. The hat warns the school in its song that Hogwarts is in danger from outside forces, urges the students to remain united, and questions whether splitting students into houses is wise. The students break into surprised muttering once the hat has finished its song. Nearly Headless Nick, a ghost, tells Hermione that the hat has given the school a warning before.

The first years are sorted. Dumbledore greets the students and invites them to feast, with food appearing on the long tables. Nearly Headless Nick resumes his conversation with Hermione, suggesting the hat might get intimations of danger from living in Dumbledore’s office. Nick is offended by Ron implying that he is scared of the Bloody Baron, Slytherin’s ghost, and by Ron drawing attention to Nick being a ghost.

Dumbledore announces that Professor Grubbly-Plank will be teaching Care of Magical Creatures lessons. Hermione, Ron, and Harry are worried since this is Hagrid’s job. Umbridge is labeled as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher. She interrupts Dumbledore to give a long speech. Many of the students seem amused or unimpressed; chatter breaks out. Umbridge continues, unfazed. Hermione listens carefully, looking concerned as Umbridge speaks of the balance between change and tradition. Hermione explains to Ron and Harry that the Ministry is obviously interfering at Hogwarts.

Ron and Hermione, as prefects, lead the first-year Gryffindor students to their common room. Harry notices many students looking at him; he reflects that he should have expected the whispering, staring, and pointing after the events of the Triwizard Tournament. Harry arrives in his dormitory. Seamus tells Harry that his mother didn’t want him to return to Hogwarts; Harry is furious that she believes the Daily Prophet that Harry is a liar and Dumbledore is an “old fool.” Ron intervenes in the argument, warning Seamus that he is a prefect and can give him a detention. Neville says that he and his grandmother believe Harry; Harry feels grateful. Upset about the argument with Seamus, a close friend, Harry dispiritedly wonders how many more people will criticize him.

Seamus hurriedly leaves the dormitory in the morning. Hermione joins Harry and Ron on the way to breakfast. She reminds Harry, who is angry with her, that she and Ron are on his side. Hagrid is once again absent.

Angelina, the new Captain of the Gryffindor team, discusses tryouts for a new Keeper that Friday. Owls arrive, bringing the mail. Hermione looks at the Daily Prophet; there is nothing in it about Harry or Dumbledore. Fred and George join the group. They discuss the fifth-year O.W.L. examinations (Ordinary Wizarding Levels) and their joke shop plans. After the twins leave, Hermione and Ron wonder aloud how they have enough gold for a joke shop. Harry changes the subject, not wanting anyone to find out that he gave them his winnings.  

The three students have History of Magic, which only Hermione pays attention to. On the way to Potions, they encounter Cho Chang; she and Harry talk briefly until Ron asks her accusingly about a quidditch badge she’s wearing. Hermione and Ron argue about Ron’s unnecessary interruption. Harry gratefully reflects that Cho doesn’t seem to hate him, even though Cedric (her boyfriend) was killed in the Tournament and Harry survived.

Snape delivers an intimidating speech about the high standards needed to pass potions O.W.L.s. Snape sets a challenging potion, the Draught of Peace, for the students to make. Hermione successfully creates the potion. Snape mocks Harry in front of the class for missing a line in the instructions.

At lunch, Harry snaps at Ron and Hermione to stop fighting and leaves for Divination ahead of Ron. Ron later joins him and reminds him not to take his anger and frustration out on his friends.

In Defense Against the Dark Arts, Umbridge directs the students to write down the Course Aims. Hermione raises her hand to ask about them since there is no mention of using spells. After ignoring her hand for a long time, Umbridge takes her question but quickly dismisses her concern, explaining that a theoretical understanding is all that is required. Other students join in, protesting that surely they should use spells in the class. Harry loses 10 points from Gryffindor for suggesting that theoretical knowledge will be useless in the real world against Voldemort. Umbridge declares that Harry is lying; Harry receives detention and is sent to Professor McGonagall after he continues to argue. Professor McGonagall takes the note written by Umbridge and explains that Harry has been given detention for a week. She urges Harry to be cautious and to control his temper.