Chapter 1
Harry Potter is hiding in the flowerbed beneath the open living room window of his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon’s home at Four Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. Harry is trying to overhear the evening news broadcast. The day’s headlines are announced, and Harry is immensely relieved to hear no news of mass destruction or anything else that might indicate the work of the evil wizard Lord Voldemort. Suddenly, a thunderous crack rips through the neighborhood, and Harry leaps up so quickly that he smashes his head on the window, alerting his aunt and uncle to his hiding place in the garden. Harry is sure that the crack was someone either Apparating or Disapparating, and he leaves Privet Drive to investigate its source.
Harry wanders off to a local playground. He is upset that he has heard very little news from his best friends and schoolmates, Hermione and Ron. Harry takes a seat on the swings and watches as his cousin, Dudley, leading a gang of delinquents, slinks past. Harry knows Dudley is scared of Harry’s magical powers and suppresses the urge to taunt Dudley with his wand. After Dudley passes, Harry gets up and follows Dudley home. He approaches Dudley, and the two boys begin to argue. When they reach the alley off of Magnolia Crescent, the night becomes pitch black and very cold. Harry realizes that dementors are about to attack. After much struggle, Harry uses his wand to summon a Patronus stag, and the stag saves both boys. Mrs. Figg, Harry’s neighbor, comes running toward them, and Harry instinctively tries to hide his wand. Mrs. Figg begs him to keep his wand out, in case more dementors lurk nearby.
Chapter 2
Mrs. Figg reveals herself as a Squib, which means she was born to magic parents but has no magic ability of her own. Mrs. Figg tells Harry that someone named Mundungus Fletcher had been ordered to follow him and keep him safe, but that Mundungus must have left his watch to buy more stolen cauldrons. Mrs. Figg warns Harry that Dumbledore will soon know he’s used his magic outside of Hogwarts. Suddenly, Harry hears another crack, and Mundungus appears. Mrs. Figg demands that Mundungus return to Hogwarts immediately and explain to Dumbledore why Harry needed to use his magic.
Harry and Dudley return to Privet Drive. As they ring the doorbell, Dudley vomits and falls over. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon answer the door and fuss over him, demanding to know exactly what happened. Dudley points to Harry, and as Harry begins to explain, an owl flies through an open window, dropping a letter that expels Harry from Hogwarts for improper use of magic and announces that someone will be arriving shortly to destroy his wand. A few moments later, another letter arrives, this time from Ron’s father, Arthur Weasley. The letter tells Harry that Dumbledore is attempting to sort the issue out with the Ministry of Magic and that Harry should not surrender his wand or leave the house.
Harry continues trying to explain the dementor attack to his aunt and uncle. To Harry’s surprise, Aunt Petunia confirms that dementors guard the prison at Azkaban, something she claims that she once heard Harry’s parents talking about. Another owl arrives, with a second letter from the Ministry of Magic. This letter states that Harry is allowed to retain his wand until a disciplinary hearing on August 12. Another owl arrives, this time carrying a letter from Harry’s godfather, Sirius. Sirius warns Harry not to leave the house. Aunt Petunia seems horrified by Harry’s announcement that Lord Voldemort has returned. Her concern is strange to Harry, since she has never acknowledged or expressed interest in the world of magic before. Uncle Vernon is upset by the threat of the dementors and Voldemort and orders Harry to leave his house immediately. A fifth owl arrives, carrying a carrying a special kind of letter known as a Howler, which literally howls its message to its recipient. The owl bypasses Harry and deposits the letter on Petunia’s head. The letter howls: “Remember my last, Petunia.” Petunia demands that Harry stay, despite Vernon’s wishes. Petunia refuses to tell Harry what the message means and insists that he not leave his room.
Chapter 3
Harry asks his owl, Hedwig, to deliver messages to Ron, Hermione, and Sirius. Harry instructs Hedwig to peck at each recipient until they write him substantial replies. The Dursleys leave to attend an award ceremony for the All-England Best Kept Suburban Lawn Competition. They depart, and Harry hears a loud crash. His door unlocks and swings open. Harry heads downstairs to investigate and is greeted by a group of nine wizards: Mad-Eye Moody, Professor Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance, Sturgis Podmore, and Hestia Jones. They have come to transport him somewhere safe to await his hearing without further danger. While packing, Harry learns that Tonks is a Metamorphmagus and can change her appearance at will. Lupin writes a letter for the Dursleys, assuring them that Harry is safe and will return home next summer. Harry and the others mount their flying broomsticks and take off into the cold night, finally landing in a run-down looking part of London. Moody hands Harry a piece of paper that reads, “The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London,” and orders Harry to memorize it.
Chapter 4
The wizards rush Harry into number twelve. The building is decrepit, with peeling wallpaper and a threadbare carpet. Ron’s mother, Mrs. Weasley, emerges from a door and hurries toward them, pulling Harry into a hug. She orders Harry upstairs, promising that Ron and Hermione will fill him in. Harry’s friends greet him excitedly, but Harry is still angry and screams at them for keeping him in the dark all summer. He notices where Hedwig pecked at their hands, and for a brief moment, Harry is happy to see their cuts. Ron and Hermione explain that Dumbledore made them promise not to send Harry any messages with specific news and that the Order of the Phoenix is a secret society, comprised of people who wish to prevent Voldemort’s return to power. The Order has been busy following known Death Eaters and standing guard over Harry. Harry also learns that Ron’s brother, Percy, has betrayed his family in order to support the corrupt Cornelius Fudge at the Ministry of Magic. Hermione tells Harry how the Daily Prophet has been building a case against Harry all summer, portraying him as an egotistical liar. Ron, Hermione, and Harry head downstairs to dinner, where Harry sees his godfather, Sirius Black.
Chapter 5
Sirius explains that number twelve was his parents’ house and now belongs to him. He has offered it to Dumbledore as a meeting spot. During dinner, Sirius gets into a fight with Mrs. Weasley over how much information Harry should be made privy to. Mrs. Weasley would prefer that Harry not be told anything, but Sirius and Lupin convince her that there are certain things he needs to know. Sirius tells Harry that while Dumbledore thinks Voldemort is building his army back up, the Ministry of Magic refuses to accept that Voldemort is back. Instead, Fudge fears that Dumbledore is plotting to overthrow him, taking the position of Minister himself. Harry also learns that Voldemort is attempting to gain access to some kind of secret weapon, but Mrs. Weasley stops the conversation before Harry can learn more.
Chapter 6
Mrs. Weasley, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ron’s twin brothers, Fred and George, are attempting to clean number twelve. Kreacher, the Black House Elf, resists their efforts, sneaking off with items he does not want thrown away and muttering insults under his breath. Members of the Order come and go, delivering news and checking in. Sirius shows Harry the Black family tapestry, which traces the Black family back to the Middle Ages. Sirius’s mother burned off her son’s name after he refused to subscribe to Voldemort’s philosophies about only pureblood wizards being allowed to train and practice. Harry also learns that Sirius is related to both Tonks and Lucius Malfoy. The Blacks are also related to the Lestrange family, a name that sounds familiar to Harry, although he cannot quite place it.
Meanwhile, Fred and George continue to plot the opening of their joke shop, which is being funded by the gold Harry won in the Triwizard Tournament. As they clean, the twins tuck select items into their pockets to mine for jokes later on. Harry notes that this is the first time all summer he has had any fun. He enjoys it so much that he forgets about his hearing, until Sirius asks if it would be acceptable for him to accompany Harry to the Ministry. Dumbledore sends Mr. Weasley instead, and Sirius is again stuck inside number twelve. Harry puts on clean clothes, washes his hair, and tries to prepare himself for possible expulsion.
Chapter 7
On the morning of his hearing, Harry wakes up early. He heads downstairs for breakfast and finds Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Sirius, Tonks, and Lupin waiting for him in the kitchen. They wish Harry luck, and he and Mr. Weasley leave for the Ministry of Magic. They enter the Ministry through a phone booth, and Mr. Weasley takes Harry to wait in his office. There, Mr. Weasley’s partner, Perkins, breathlessly informs them that the time and place of Harry’s hearing have changed. Mr. Weasley looks at his watch and realizes they’re already late. Dragging Harry behind him, he sprints toward the courtroom, where he drops Harry off.
Chapter 8
Harry enters the courtroom and realizes he has seen it before. When Harry was inside Dumbledore’s Pensieve, he saw the Lestranges sentenced to life imprisonment in the same courtroom. Cornelius Fudge reprimands Harry for being late. The Wizengamot trying Harry is made up of about fifty wizards and witches, led by Cornelius Fudge, who is seated next a toadlike woman named Delores Umbridge. Percy Weasley is present to transcribe the proceedings. As the hearing begins, Dumbledore breezes into the room, declaring himself a witness for the defense. Dumbledore does not look at Harry. The hearing begins. Members of the Wizengamot seem impressed that Harry was able to conjure a full Patronus but do not appear to believe Harry’s story about dementors appearing in Little Whinging. Dumbledore calls Mrs. Figg as a witness, and she nervously corroborates Harry’s story. Fudge still refuses to believe that dementors, who are under strict Ministry control, escaped Azkaban to terrorize a Muggle suburb. The Wizengamot votes, and Harry is cleared of all charges. Before Harry can thank Dumbledore, Dumbledore dashes out of the dungeon.
Chapter 9
After the hearing, Mr. Weasley and Harry return to number twelve, where the Order has prepared a celebratory feast. Sirius is courteous, but he does not seem terribly happy that Harry will be returning to Hogwarts. Hermione suspects that Sirius secretly wanted Harry to live with him at number twelve.
A day before the young wizards are scheduled to return to school, booklists arrive from Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione have both been selected as Gryffindor prefects for the coming year. The entire house is shocked that Harry did not receive the same honor. Mrs. Weasley is delighted with Ron’s achievement and buys him a new broom. Later, Harry becomes increasingly enraged that Dumbledore overlooked him for the prefect position, mentally recounting the many times he has proven himself a better wizard than Ron.
Later, Moody pulls out a photograph of the old Order and shows Harry the former members, explaining the cause of death for each one who had died. Harry sees Neville’s parents and eventually his own. Harry gets upset at the sight of his mother and father. He retreats upstairs, irritated with Moody for showing him the photograph.
Chapter 10
Harry has a troubling night’s sleep, dreaming of Mrs. Weasley crying and Ron and Hermione wearing crowns. He wakes up to Ron telling him they’re going to be late for the train to Hogwarts. A guard must accompany Harry. When no one can locate Sturgis Podmore to have him assume his position in the guard, Sirius fills in, transforming himself into a black dog named Padfoot, in direct defiance of Dumbledore’s orders to stay inside . Before boarding the train, Harry, Ron, Hermione, the twins and Ginny are warned by the Order not to send any letters that mention the Order. Ron and Hermione sit in the prefect cabin, and Ginny and Harry run into Neville. The three of them unhappily share a compartment with Luna “Loony” Lovegood, who is reading the wizard tabloid The Quibbler, which her father edits. Eventually, Ron and Hermione join them. Ron tells Harry that Draco Malfoy is now a Slytherin prefect. Malfoy opens their compartment door and threatens Harry, deliberately mentioning dogs, but only Harry and Hermione notice the reference to Sirius. The train arrives at Hogwarts, and the students shuffle out. Harry expects to see Hagrid directing the first-years but instead sees Professor Grubbly-Plank. As Harry approaches the usually horseless carriages that bring the students up the castle, he realizes that they are being pulled by emaciated, winged, horse-like creatures. Harry asks Ron about the horse creatures, but Ron doesn’t see them. Luna tells Harry that she can see them, too, and has been able to since her first year at Hogwarts.
Chapter 11
As the first-years arrive, the Sorting Hat, which is responsible for sorting all first-years into one of four houses, bursts into song, warning the students against becoming too internally divisive. Nearly Headless Nick, resident ghost, explains that the Hat gives warnings only when it feels Hogwarts is in danger. After supper, Dumbledore announces that Professor Grubbly-Plank will be teaching Hagrid’s class, Care of Magical Creatures, and that Professor Umbridge, the toadlike woman from Harry’s trial, is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Professor Umbridge interrupts Dumbledore to deliver a long, boring speech of introduction, and Harry confirms his dislike for her. Very few students actually listen to the speech, but Hermione infers that the Ministry will be interfering in Hogwarts business this year. As Harry walks back to the dorms, he notices students pointing, staring, and whispering in his wake.
Chapter 12
All fifth-years at Hogwarts must take O.W.L.s, or Ordinary Wizard Level exams. The faculty piles on homework in preparation. Ron, Harry, and Hermione report to their first session of Professor Umbridge’s Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Professor Umbridge has written her course aims on the blackboard, and Hermione points out that she’s listed nothing about using the defensive spells, only studying them. Professor Umbridge explains that the Ministry does not want underage wizards practicing spells that are dangerous and unnecessary. Harry explodes, explaining that they must be prepared to fight Voldemort. Professor Umbridge insists that Voldemort has not returned and gives Harry detention every night for a week. Harry is sent to see Professor McGonagall, who tells Harry to be mindful of who Umbridge is and to whom she is reporting.
Chapter 13
Harry, Ron, and Hermione leave dinner early to escape whispering students. In the Gryffindor common room, Hermione catches Fred and George testing their joke products on first-years, and threatens to write Mrs. Weasley. Before bed, Hermione sets out small knit hats for the House Elves, who are freed when they find clothing of their own. As usual, Hermione seems more concerned with freeing elves than with whether or not they want to be freed.
Gryffindor Quidditch captain Angelina Johnson reprimands Harry for having to miss Keeper tryouts because of his detention. After dinner, Harry reports to Umbridge’s office, and Umbridge assigns him the task of writing “I must not tell lies” over and over again on a piece of parchment. She gives him a special quill to use, and the words appear on the parchment in blood. The phrase also appears on the back of Harry’s hand, cut into his skin. As Harry stares at the cut, the skin heals over again, slightly redder but still smooth. The process is extremely painful, but Harry does not want to show weakness and does not complain or ask questions. Umbridge finally lets Harry leave. It is past midnight, and he has not had time to complete any of his homework.
Harry does not tell Ron or Hermione about what happened at his detention. On his way back to the dorms after his third night with Umbridge, Harry runs into Ron, who has been secretly practicing for Keeper tryouts. Harry is delighted. Ron sees the back of Harry’s hand, and Harry finally tells him the truth about detention. Ron suggests that he tell Dumbledore, but Harry refuses. At his final detention on Friday, Harry strains to watch Ron’s Keeper tryout from the window. Umbridge grabs his hand to check his progress. As she touches him, Harry’s scar burns tremendously, and he experiences a peculiar sensation in his midriff. When Harry returns to the dorm, he learns that Ron made the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Harry tells Hermione about detention and the pain in his scar. Like Ron, she suggests he consult Dumbledore. Harry refuses but mentions that he may ask Sirius for help. Hermione quickly reminds him of the Order’s warning about letters.
Chapter 14
Harry wakes up early on Saturday to write Sirius a letter, including subtle allusions to Umbridge, the pain in his scar, and Hagrid. He takes his letter to the Owlery and gives it to Hedwig. At breakfast, Harry finds an article in the Daily Prophet stating that Sturgis Podmore was sentenced to six months in Azkaban for trying to break into the Ministry. Ron suggests that Sturgis was lured to the Ministry and arrested because of his involvement with the Order. After breakfast, Ron and Harry leave to practice Quidditch, and Hermione studies. At Quidditch practice, Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherin team harass the Gryffindor players, Ron in particular.
The next night, Harry and Ron study in the common room while Hermione knits. Percy’s owl, Hermes, appears, carrying a letter from Percy. The letter congratulates Ron on becoming a prefect and warns him to stay away from Harry Potter. Ron dismisses the letter, and the three resume studying until Harry spots Sirius’s head in the fire. Sirius tells Harry not to be too worried about his scar, since it burns whenever Voldemort feels a powerful emotion. Sirius also agrees that Umbridge is quite unpleasant but does not believe that she is a Death Eater. Sirius does not know anything about Hagrid’s whereabouts but assures Harry he is probably safe. When Sirius suggests transforming into a dog again and accompanying Harry on his next trip to Hogsmeade, both Harry and Hermione protest loudly. Sirius tells Harry his father would have enjoyed the risk and disappears back into the fire.
Chapter 15
Hermione receives her Daily Prophet. According to the paper, Dolores Umbridge has been named High Inquisitor, granting the Ministry of Magic an unprecedented level of control at Hogwarts. Umbridge will be sitting in on all classes. At Divination, Umbridge paces the classroom with a clipboard, inspecting Professor Trelawney and demanding that she make predictions. Later, in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry loses his temper again, earning another week of detention. Umbridge appears again in Transfiguration, and Professor McGonagall expresses her obvious disdain. Umbridge is also at Care of Magical Creatures and seems delighted with Professor Grubbly-Plank. After classes, Harry retreats to Umbridge’s office for another detention. Later, Hermione suggests that the students form their own study group for Defense Against the Dark Arts, with Harry as their teacher. Harry is skeptical, but Hermione reminds him of all of his accomplishments, including escaping Voldemort. Harry agrees to consider her proposition.
Chapter 16
Hermione asks Harry if he has thought any more about teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. After much convincing, Harry finally agrees to lead the group. Hermione quietly spreads the word about a meeting to discuss a student-run Defense Against the Dark Arts group on the next Hogsmeade trip and arranges for everyone to meet at the Hog’s Head, a pub, to discuss the details. Hermione tells Harry she expects only a few people to come, but twenty-five arrive. Hermione introduces Harry, explaining that the students need to learn real, practical Defense since Voldemort has returned. Some students murmur in dissent, but all seem interested in Harry’s story about meeting Voldemort face to face. Hermione passes around a piece of parchment, and everyone signs his or her name.
Chapter 17
Umbridge posts an Education Decree forbidding all student organizations, including the Quidditch teams, from meeting again until they receive her approval. Ron and Harry suspect that Umbridge knows about their Defense group, but Hermione explains that she put a jinx on the piece of parchment, and if anyone had snitched, they would know. Later that morning, in History of Magic, Harry sees Hedwig in the window. Her feathers are ruffled, and she is holding her wing at an odd angle. Harry takes Hedwig to Professor Grubbly-Plank. She agrees to mend Hedwig and removes a letter from Hedwig’s leg. The letter is from Sirius, and reads: “Today, same time, same place.”
Umbridge is sitting in on Potions, and Snape is visibly irritated. Later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione study in the Common Room until everyone else has gone to bed. Sirius appears in the fire. Sirius knows about their secret Defense Against the Dark Arts group and encourages them to keep meeting. Their reunion is cut off when Sirius sees Umbridge’s hand groping through the flames, attempting to grab hold of Sirius.
Chapter 18
Hermione blames Hedwig’s injuries on Umbridge reading Harry’s mail. Harry agrees. After classes, Angelina receives permission to reform the Gryffindor Quidditch team and schedules practice for that evening. When Ron and Harry arrive at the Pitch, it is rainy and cold. Harry’s scar hurts, and he senses that Voldemort is upset that something he wants is not happening fast enough. Studying in the Common Room later, Harry falls asleep by the fire. Dobby, the House Elf, wakes him up. Harry asks Dobby if he knows of a room where the students could practice Defense secretly. Dobby tells Harry about the Room of Requirement, which appears only when it is needed. Harry calls a meeting for the next night. Students arrive, and Hermione suggests that they decide on a name. Cho Chang, whom Harry has had a crush on for some time, suggests the D.A., for Defense Association, and Ginny points out that it can also stand for Dumbledore’s Army. Hermione writes Dumbledore’s Army on a piece of parchment with everyone’s names and pins it to the wall. They begin practicing, and Harry is impressed by their effort.
Chapter 19
The first Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin, approaches. On the morning of the match, Ron is too nervous to speak. The Slytherin team is wearing badges that read “Weasley is our King.” From the stands, the Slytherins sing a song of the same name, mocking Ron’s Keeper skills. Embarrassed, Ron misses several shots. Fortunately, Harry catches the snitch, and Gryffindor wins.
Malfoy and his thugs scream insults, and Harry and George leap at Malfoy, landing themselves in McGonagall’s office. She gives them each a week of detention. Umbridge appears and produces another Decree from the Ministry, this time giving her authority over all punishments. McGonagall is livid,but cannot stop Umbridge from banning Harry, George, and Fred, who was not even involved in the fight, from ever playing Quidditch again. Umbridge confiscates their brooms. Harry is devastated. Later, Hermione realizes Hagrid is back.
Chapter 20
Harry, Ron, and Hermione grab Harry’s Invisibility Cloak and scurry off to Hagrid’s cabin. Hagrid’s face is badly bruised and bleeding. Hagrid explains that he had gone into the mountains to talk to Giants and rally support for Dumbledore but ultimately failed to enlist their help. Umbridge knocks at the door, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione duck under the Invisibility Cloak and hide in the corner. Umbridge forces her way into Hagrid’s cabin, but Hagrid refuses to tell her about the Giants. After she leaves, Hermione warns Hagrid about Umbridge and her class inspections, cautioning him against teaching anything too dangerous or unconventional. Hagrid appears unconcerned.
Chapter 21
The next day, Hagrid leads his class into the forest. The horrible horse-like creatures Harry saw pulling carriages appear again, and Hagrid asks who can see the creatures. Harry, Neville, and a Slytherin boy raise their hands. Hagrid explains that the creatures are called thestrals and are visible only by those who have witnessed death.
Angelina, the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, chooses Ginny Weasley to replace Harry as Gryffindor Seeker. At the last D.A. meeting before Christmas break, Harry is left alone with Cho Chang. Cho starts to cry and admits that she is thinking about Cedric, her boyfriend. Cedric was killed by Voldemort at the close of Book IV. Standing under the mistletoe, Harry and Cho kiss.
Harry returns to the Common Room and tells Ron and Hermione what happened. Harry falls asleep with his head full of thoughts. He dreams that his body feels smooth and powerful. He is a snake, slithering toward a man sitting on the floor, guarding a door. Harry rears from the floor and strikes the man, plunging his fangs into the man’s flesh. Harry wakes up with Ron standing over him. Harry is sweating and in extreme pain. His scar is burning hotter than ever. Neville arrives with McGonagall. Harry tells her that Ron’s dad has been attacked by a snake. McGonagall nods and takes Harry to Dumbledore’s office.
Chapter 22
Harry tells Dumbledore about his vision, and how he inhabited the snake’s body during the attack. Dumbledore calls to the portraits of former headmasters and headmistresses hanging on the walls of his office and asks them to raise the alarm. When the portraits return, they explain that members of the Order have found Mr. Weasley at the Ministry and taken him to St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. McGonagall wakes the other Weasley children, and they prepare to travel to Twelve Grimmauld Place by Portkey. As they are leaving, Harry’s scar starts to burn. He looks up at Dumbledore with a powerful hatred, fighting the urge to attack him. He is thrust back to number twelve. Harry tells Fred, Ginny, George, and Sirius about his vision but does not mention that he actually inhabited the snake. A letter from Mrs. Weasley arrives, announcing that Mr. Weasley is still alive.
Mrs. Weasley returns from St. Mungo’s and thanks Harry for his vision, which she believes saved Mr. Weasley’s life. The Weasleys and Harry agree to stay with Sirius for the holidays. Harry tells Sirius the whole truth about his vision, including the rage he felt at Dumbledore right before they left Hogwarts. Sirius tells him not to worry.
The group visits Mr. Weasley. He is heavily bandaged but in very good spirits. After a few minutes, Harry and the Weasley kids leave so Tonks and Mad-Eye can visit. Once outside, Harry, Ron, and the twins decide to use the Extendable Ears to eavesdrop on their conversation. Mad-Eye suggests to Mr. Weasley that Harry could be possessed by Voldemort. Upon hearing this, Harry drops his ear and looks up at the others, who are looking back at him, their faces filled with fear.
Chapter 23
Harry begins to wonder if he himself is the weapon Voldemort seeks. Back at Grimmauld Place, Harry decides the best and safest thing for him to do is leave Hogwarts forever and return to Little Whinging. As Harry packs his trunk, Phineas Nigellus appears in his portrait with a message from Dumbledore, telling Harry to stay where he is. Harry agrees to stay but does not leave his bed.
The following evening, Hermione disrupts Harry’s seclusion. She admonishes him for his behavior. Ginny and Ron join them, and Ginny points out that she’s the only one who knows what it feels like to be possessed by Voldemort and does not believe Harry is experiencing what she experienced. Relieved, Harry finally joins the festivities. At St. Mungo’s, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Harry spot Neville and his grandmother, who are visiting Neville’s parents. Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom were tortured into lunacy by Bellatrix Lestrange.
Chapter 24
Snape arrives to speak with Harry. Dumbledore has asked Snape to teach Harry Occlumency, which is the defense of the mind against outside penetration. Harry is unhappy about extra lessons with Snape, but he agrees to learn. As Harry leaves for Hogwarts, Sirius hands him a wrapped package, which he claims Harry should use only if he needs him.
Back at Hogwarts, Harry arranges a Hogsmeade date with Cho for Valentine’s Day. Harry reports to Snape’s office for his Occlumency lessons. Snape explains that Voldemort is an expert at Legilimency, which is the ability to extract feelings and memories from another person’s mind, and that Harry must be prepared to close his mind to it. Snape clears his thoughts into a Pensieve. Harry takes out his wand, and Snape uses Legilimency to shoot himself into Harry’s mind, rifling through Harry’s memories. Harry fights back and returns to the present, falling to his knees. They try again, and Harry once again fails to block Snape. The next time, Harry is dragged back into his reccurring dream, in which he is running down a corridor at the Ministry of Magic with Mr. Weasley. This time, Harry recognizes the hallway as leading to the Department of Mysteries. He asks Snape about the Department, but Snape dismisses his question. Later that night, Harry’s scar starts to burn, and he knows Voldemort is very happy.
Chapter 25
The next morning, Hermione’s Daily Prophet reveals a mass breakout at Azkaban. Ten former Death Eaters, including Lestrange, are loose. Harry realizes this is why Voldemort was so happy last night. They also read that a Ministry of Magic worker named Bode died at St. Mungo’s after being strangled by a dangerous potted plant. Ron recalls his father talking about Bode and remembers that Bode worked in the Department of Mysteries. Umbridge has posted a new Educational Decree, banning all Hogwarts teachers from discussing with students anything not directly related to their subjects.
Umbridge attends every Divination and Care of Magical Creatures lesson, and students begin to wonder whether Trelawney or Hagrid will be fired first. Hagrid bans Harry, Ron, and Hermione from visiting his cabin, claiming it’s too dangerous.
Harry’s Valentine’s Day date with Cho is a disaster. Harry tells Cho he has to leave at noon to meet with Hermione, and Cho becomes jealous and upset. The date ends with Cho in tears. Confused, Harry leaves to meet Hermione at the Three Broomsticks, where she is sitting with Luna Lovegood and Rita Skeeter, a reporter for the Prophet and one of Hermione’s least favorite people. Hermione blackmails Rita, who is an unregistered Animagus, into writing an honest cover story about Harry for the Quibbler.
Chapter 26
Harry’s Quibbler story appears. By mid-morning, Umbridge has posted a decree banning any students from reading or possessing the Quibbler. When Harry goes to bed that night, his scar aches. He has another vision of himself as Voldemort, this time discussing Bode’s death with Rockwood, a Death Eater who escaped from Azkaban. Harry wakes up screaming. Ron again suggests he go to Dumbledore, but Harry refuses. The next morning, Hermione figures out that Bode must have been under an Imperius Curse. When Bode tried to get the mysterious weapon Voldemort is searching for, he went mad and ended up in St. Mungo’s.
Harry continues studying Occlumency with Snape. He has made little progress but does manage to get inside Snape’s mind for a brief moment. Professor Trelawney interrupts their lesson by screaming from the entrance hall. Umbridge has fired her, and she must leave campus. Dumbledore appears and permits Trelawney to stay and live at Hogwarts, although he cannot reinstate her teaching position. Dumbledore then introduces the new Divination teacher, a Centaur named Firenze.
Chapter 27
Firenze assumes Trelawney’s duties, explaining to the students that nothing, even centaurs’ knowledge, is foolproof. After class, Firenze asks Harry to tell Hagrid that his attempt is not working and he must abandon it. Harry relays the message, but Hagrid ignores it.
The D.A. begins working on conjuring Patronuses. Dobby interrupts to warn the group that Umbridge is on her way, and the students scatter. Malfoy trips Harry and hands him over to Umbridge. Umbridge drags Harry to Dumbledore’s office, where Cornelius Fudge is waiting, and fetches her informant, a Ravenclaw named Marietta. Because Hermione jinxed the scroll with the D.A.’s names against snitches, Marietta’s face is covered in giant purple pimples spelling the word “Sneak.” Marietta refuses to uncover her face to speak. Dumbledore takes full responsibility for the D.A. He points to the title on the parchment, identifying the group as Dumbledore’s Army. When the Minister attempts to arrest him, Dumbledore sends a streak of silver light through his office and disappears.
Chapter 28
Umbridge replaces Dumbledore as Headmistress and appoints an Inquisitional Squad of students, which is comprised mostly of Slytherins, including Draco Malfoy, to do her bidding. The Squad has the power to dock points from Houses, which Malfoy does happily. Fred and George swear to make Umbridge’s life at Hogwarts difficult, and they set off a crate of fireworks in the Great Hall. Umbridge’s magic does not work on the fireworks, and the faculty refuses to help her. Firecrackers explode for the rest of the afternoon.
Harry dreams of the Department of Mysteries again. This time he gets through the doors and into a room lined with dusty glass spheres. He heads toward one but wakes up before he reaches it. The next day, Harry resumes lessons with Snape. Malfoy interrupts to say that Umbridge needs Snape’s help. While Snape is gone, Harry climbs into the Pensieve, hoping to gain insight into the Department of Mysteries. Harry sees Snape taking his O.W.L.s and then sees his father, James Potter, with Sirius, Lupin, and Moody. Sirius and James catch sight of Snape. They torment and humiliate him in front of the other students. Lily, Harry’s mother, attempts to intervene, but Snape calls her a Mudblood, and she backs off. Snape returns to his classroom and yanks Harry out of the Pensieve, enraged. Harry is devastated by James and Sirius’s behavior.
Chapter 29
Snape refuses to give Harry additional Occlumency lessons. Harry wants to talk to Sirius about what he saw in the Pensieve but knows it is too dangerous. A notice for Career Advice is posted on all the bulletin boards. Fifth-years must meet with their Heads of House sometime in the following week.
Fred and George offer to create a distraction so Harry can use the fire in Umbridge’s office to talk to Sirius. Hermione thinks the plan is too dangerous. Harry leaves for his Career Advice meeting with McGonagall, which Umbridge also attends. McGonagall approves of Harry’s aspirations to become an Auror (one of the wizards who seek out and destroy dark wizards) and encourages him to study hard. Umbridge suggests that he consider another path, since the Ministry would never employ him. Harry leaves and prepares for his break-in. He thinks about how Sirius had told him that James enjoyed taking risks. Harry wonders if he even wants to be like his father anymore.
Harry sneaks into Umbridge’s office and uses Floo power to transport his head to the fireplace at number twelve. Harry tells Sirius what he saw in the Pensieve, and Sirius insists that he and James were just young and foolish. Harry mentions that Snape has since stopped Occlumency lessons, and Lupin insists that Harry convince him to continue. Harry leaves the fire and returns to find that Fred and George have turned the school into a swamp. Umbridge threatens serious punishment, but Fred and George decide, instead, to drop out of Hogwarts. They use magic to fetch their brooms from Umbridge’s office and fly off, saluting Peeves, the Hogwarts poltergeist.
Chapter 30
Harry and Hermione take their seats for the final Quidditch match of the season (Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw). Hagrid sneaks up behind them and asks them to follow him into the Forest. Eventually, they run into a Giant that Hagrid has brought back from the mountains. Hagrid believes that the Giant is his half-brother and is trying to teach it English. The Giant’s name is Grawp, and he had been bullied by the other Giants for being too small. Hagrid introduces Harry and Hermione to Grawp, who is pulling up trees by their roots. Hagrid asks the young wizards to visit Grawp and help him with his English if Hagrid is fired. On their way out of the forest, Hagrid is surrounded by a herd of threatening Centaurs, who are angry with Hagrid for bringing Grawp to the forest. Harry and Hermione return to the Quidditch pitch to hear a new version of “Weasley is our King.” Gryffindor has won the match and the Quidditch cup. Ron is ecstatic.
Chapter 31
Harry and Hermione explain Hagrid’s request. Ron is horrified by the prospect of visiting with a Giant but does not want to let Hagrid down. The students begin taking their O.W.L. exams. As they are filling in their star charts in the Astronomy Tower, Harry spies a team of six people entering Hagrid’s cabin. The team attempts to stun Hagrid, waving their wands all at once, but Hagrid successfully deflects the spells. Professor McGonagall runs across the lawn to help him. Four red beams strike her down. Hagrid disappears past the gates. McGonagall, badly hurt, is taken by Professor Trelawney to the hospital wing. That night, Harry gets almost no sleep.
The following morning, Harry is exhausted for his History of Magic O.W.L., falling asleep in the middle of the test. He has another vision. This time, he reaches the room with the glass spheres and, in Voldemort’s voice, instructs a black shape to lift a sphere down for him. The shape on the floor refuses, saying he would die first. Harry then realizes that the shape is actually Sirius and that Voldemort is torturing him.
Chapter 32
Harry leaves the Great Hall to find McGonagall. Madam Pomfrey tells Harry that McGonagall has been taken to St. Mungo’s. Realizing that he has no one else to turn to, Harry runs to find Ron and Hermione. Hermione warns Harry that Voldemort may be attempting to lure Harry to the Department of Mysteries, knowing that Harry would do anything to save Sirius.
Harry doesn’t want to take any chances and insists they get to the Ministry as soon as possible. Ginny and Luna walk in and offer their help. Hermione convinces Harry to use the fire in Umbridge’s office to first see if Sirius is actually at number twelve. Ginny and Luna agree to stand guard in the hallway, and Ron creates a distraction. Inside Umbridge’s office, Harry uses Floo powder to transport himself to number twelve. Kreacher appears and tells Harry that Sirius is at the Department of Mysteries. Harry is pulled from the fire by Umbridge, who demands to know to whom he was speaking. Harry sees that Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Luna, and Neville have been captured by Umbridge’s Squad. Snape enters Umbridge’s office, and Harry yells “He’s got Padfoot at the place where it’s hidden!” in hopes that Snape will contact someone in the Order.
Umbridge admits she was the one who sent the dementors to Little Whinging last summer. Before she can use an illegal Cruciatus Curse on Harry, Hermione screams and tells Umbridge that Harry was trying to contact Dumbledore. When Umbridge asks why, Hermione tells her that Dumbledore has asked the students to build a weapon for him and that they needed to let him know the weapon was ready. Umbridge seems to believe her and demands that she and Harry lead her to the weapon.
Chapter 33
Harry follows Hermione out of Hogwarts, with Umbridge in tow. Harry has no idea where Hermione is taking them. They enter the Forbidden Forest but do not take the path toward Grawp. Moments later, a herd of Centaurs surrounds them. Umbridge insults the Centaurs, and they carry her away. Grawp appears and recognizes Hermione. In broken English, he demands to know where Hagrid is. Hermione screams that she doesn’t know, and, in the chaos, she and Harry run to safety. On their way out of the forest, they run into Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna, who escaped their captors using Defense skills and left to find Harry and Hermione in the forest. Harry wants to go to the Ministry alone, but his friends insist on helping Harry save Sirius. Luna spots a herd of thestrals, who can take them to the Ministry.
Chapter 34
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville, and Ginny ride thestrals to the Ministry, where they take the elevators to the Department of Mysteries. Harry recognizes the corridor from his dreams and knows exactly which door to enter. There are more doors in the next chamber, and Harry doesn’t know which one to use. They try several. One room houses a tank full of brains, and the next has an ancient archway with tattered black curtains. Harry hears whispering behind the curtains. Finally, they find the right door and move toward the dusty spheres, realizing that Sirius is not there. Harry begins to think Hermione’s suspicions were correct. Ron notices that one of the dusty spheres has Harry’s name on it, as well as Voldemort’s. Harry picks it up. Moments later, he hears Lucius Malfoy order him to hand it over.
Chapter 35
Harry demands to know where Sirius is. Malfoy asks Harry to give him the prophecy, but Harry refuses to relinquish the sphere, threatening to smash it if the encroaching crowd of Death Eaters attack his friends. Malfoy tells him the sphere contains the story of his scar and explains that only those about whom a prophecy has been made can safely retrieve it. Voldemort could not come himself because the Aurors at the Ministry would have caught him immediately, so they lured Harry here by manipulating his dreams and making him think Sirius was in trouble.
At Harry’s signal, the students use their wands to shatter the rows of spheres. Harry sprints from the chamber, gripping his prophecy. The Death Eaters follow. Hermione is stunned by a Death Eater and falls to the ground. Neville’s nose is broken in the fray. Ron falls under some sort of lunacy spell, and Ginny’s ankle is broken by a Death Eater. Dragging Hermione, they keep moving, but five Death Eaters corner them in the brain room. The brain jar bursts open, and Ron picks one up. Tentacles shoot out and try to strangle Ron. Death Eaters stun Ginny and toss Luna into a desk. Both lie unconscious, leaving only Neville and Harry to fight the remaining Death Eaters. Harry, still clutching the prophecy, runs into the room with the arch. Neville follows, and Lestrange begins to torture Neville with the Crucio curse.
Suddenly, Sirius, Lupin, Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley appear. Sirius yells for Harry to take Neville and the prophecy and run. As Harry attempts to grab Neville, the prophecy slips from his robes and cracks open. Dumbledore appears and corrals the Death Eaters. Lestrange, dueling with Sirius, sends a jet of red light right into his chest, and he falls through the curtains. Harry runs to the arch, but Lupin holds him back. Lupin tells Harry that Sirius is gone.
Chapter 36
Harry refuses to believe that Sirius is dead. He spots Lestrange and runs after her, vowing to avenge Sirius’s murder. He catches up to her in the Atrium. Harry shouts at Lestrange that the prophecy is gone and that she will have to kill him. Voldemort and Dumbledore appear. Voldemort strikes Dumbledore, but Dumbledore’s bird, Fawkes, takes the blow. Voldemort disappears, and Harry’s scar bursts open. Voldemort uses Harry’s voice to speak to Dumbledore, asking Dumbledore to kill him by killing Harry. Suddenly, Harry feels Voldemort leave his body, and he crumples to the floor. Harry learns that Voldemort had grabbed Lestrange and Disapparated from the Ministry. Cornelius Fudge runs in, confused. He demands to know what has happened, and Dumbledore promises to tell him after he sends Harry back to Hogwarts. Still stunned, Dumbledore gives Harry a Portkey and Harry whizzes back to Dumbledore’s office.
Chapter 37
Dumbledore meets Harry in his office. Harry is visibly upset about Sirius’s death. Dumbledore tells Harry this pain is his greatest strength. Dumbledore admits it’s his own fault that Sirius is dead because he never told Harry the whole truth about his scar. Dumbledore explains. On the night Harry saw Mr. Weasley attacked, Voldemort figured out that Harry’s scar allowed Harry to be privy to Voldemort’s thoughts and actions. Assuming this connection must work both ways, Voldemort began forcing his way into Harry’s thoughts, which is why Dumbledore ordered Snape to give Harry Occlumency lessons. Voldemort knew the only person Harry would go to great lengths to save was Sirius, so he projected the image of Sirius’s torture into Harry’s mind. Voldemort needed Harry to retrieve the prophecy because he could not risk entering the Ministry himself, and no one else would ever be able to touch it.
When Harry was an infant, Hagrid took him to the Dursleys instead of a Wizarding family because, in order to remain safe, Harry needed to be near his mother’s blood, which came in the form of Aunt Petunia. As long as Harry can still call the place where his mother’s blood dwells home, he is safe. Dumbledore sent the Howler to Petunia to remind her of this bond.
Dumbledore continues his explanation. Sixteen years ago, Sybill Trelawney made a prophecy about a boy who was born at the end of July to parents who had defied Voldemort three times. This part of the prophecy could have applied to either Harry or Neville, who was also born at the end of July to parents who were members of the Order. However, the prophecy went on to say that Voldemort would mark the child as his equal, choosing the boy that he believed would be the most dangerous to him. Dumbledore believes Voldemort chose Harry because Harry was a half-blood, just like Voldemort. But Voldemort only heard the first part of the prophecy. The second part proclaimed that the child would have powers that the Dark Lord would not know, and that either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives. Dumbledore tells Harry that the distinguishing power he has is love.
Chapter 38
Harry is in the hospital wing with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. Dumbledore saved Umbridge from the Centaurs, and she is also in the hospital. Harry hasn’t told his friends about the prophecy. He tells his friends he is going to see Hagrid, but instead he sits at the edge of the lake and cries.
Professor McGonagall makes a full recovery and returns to Hogwarts. The day before the end of term, Umbridge leaves the school. Ron rushes off to the Great Feast, but Harry stays behind to pack. Harry finds the wrapped package Sirius gave him at Christmas. He rips the paper off and finds a mirror with an inscription on the back, instructing Harry to use it to communicate with Sirius. Harry shouts into the mirror but receives no reply. Devastated, Harry throws the mirror down, and it shatters. Harry decides to seek advice from a Hogwarts ghost and finds Nearly Headless Nick. Nick explains that not all dead wizards are turned into ghosts. Harry, upset, runs into Luna, who asks about Sirius. Remembering that Luna can see the thestrals, he asks her if anyone she has known has died. Luna says her mother died when she was nine. She tells Harry that the voices behind the curtain at the Department of Mysteries are the voices of wizards who have died. Harry is not sure whether to believe her or not.
The next day, all Hogwarts students board the Hogwarts Express. Cho walks by, and Harry does not meet her eyes. He tells Ron that nothing is going on with Cho anymore, and Hermione gently informs him that Cho is now dating Michael Conner. The news doesn’t bother Harry. When the train pulls into Kings Cross, Harry sees several members of the Order waiting for him. Lupin spots the Dursleys, and Moody, Tonks, and Mr. Weasley insist that they treat Harry fairly while he is home for the summer. Moody tells Harry that if he doesn’t hear from him for three days in a row, he will send someone to check up on him. Ron and Hermione promise to see him soon, and Harry heads back to Four Privet Drive.
Harry Potter is hiding in the flowerbed beneath the open living room window of his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon’s home at Four Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. Harry is trying to overhear the evening news broadcast. The day’s headlines are announced, and Harry is immensely relieved to hear no news of mass destruction or anything else that might indicate the work of the evil wizard Lord Voldemort. Suddenly, a thunderous crack rips through the neighborhood, and Harry leaps up so quickly that he smashes his head on the window, alerting his aunt and uncle to his hiding place in the garden. Harry is sure that the crack was someone either Apparating or Disapparating, and he leaves Privet Drive to investigate its source.
Harry wanders off to a local playground. He is upset that he has heard very little news from his best friends and schoolmates, Hermione and Ron. Harry takes a seat on the swings and watches as his cousin, Dudley, leading a gang of delinquents, slinks past. Harry knows Dudley is scared of Harry’s magical powers and suppresses the urge to taunt Dudley with his wand. After Dudley passes, Harry gets up and follows Dudley home. He approaches Dudley, and the two boys begin to argue. When they reach the alley off of Magnolia Crescent, the night becomes pitch black and very cold. Harry realizes that dementors are about to attack. After much struggle, Harry uses his wand to summon a Patronus stag, and the stag saves both boys. Mrs. Figg, Harry’s neighbor, comes running toward them, and Harry instinctively tries to hide his wand. Mrs. Figg begs him to keep his wand out, in case more dementors lurk nearby.
Chapter 2
Mrs. Figg reveals herself as a Squib, which means she was born to magic parents but has no magic ability of her own. Mrs. Figg tells Harry that someone named Mundungus Fletcher had been ordered to follow him and keep him safe, but that Mundungus must have left his watch to buy more stolen cauldrons. Mrs. Figg warns Harry that Dumbledore will soon know he’s used his magic outside of Hogwarts. Suddenly, Harry hears another crack, and Mundungus appears. Mrs. Figg demands that Mundungus return to Hogwarts immediately and explain to Dumbledore why Harry needed to use his magic.
Harry and Dudley return to Privet Drive. As they ring the doorbell, Dudley vomits and falls over. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon answer the door and fuss over him, demanding to know exactly what happened. Dudley points to Harry, and as Harry begins to explain, an owl flies through an open window, dropping a letter that expels Harry from Hogwarts for improper use of magic and announces that someone will be arriving shortly to destroy his wand. A few moments later, another letter arrives, this time from Ron’s father, Arthur Weasley. The letter tells Harry that Dumbledore is attempting to sort the issue out with the Ministry of Magic and that Harry should not surrender his wand or leave the house.
Harry continues trying to explain the dementor attack to his aunt and uncle. To Harry’s surprise, Aunt Petunia confirms that dementors guard the prison at Azkaban, something she claims that she once heard Harry’s parents talking about. Another owl arrives, with a second letter from the Ministry of Magic. This letter states that Harry is allowed to retain his wand until a disciplinary hearing on August 12. Another owl arrives, this time carrying a letter from Harry’s godfather, Sirius. Sirius warns Harry not to leave the house. Aunt Petunia seems horrified by Harry’s announcement that Lord Voldemort has returned. Her concern is strange to Harry, since she has never acknowledged or expressed interest in the world of magic before. Uncle Vernon is upset by the threat of the dementors and Voldemort and orders Harry to leave his house immediately. A fifth owl arrives, carrying a carrying a special kind of letter known as a Howler, which literally howls its message to its recipient. The owl bypasses Harry and deposits the letter on Petunia’s head. The letter howls: “Remember my last, Petunia.” Petunia demands that Harry stay, despite Vernon’s wishes. Petunia refuses to tell Harry what the message means and insists that he not leave his room.
Chapter 3
Harry asks his owl, Hedwig, to deliver messages to Ron, Hermione, and Sirius. Harry instructs Hedwig to peck at each recipient until they write him substantial replies. The Dursleys leave to attend an award ceremony for the All-England Best Kept Suburban Lawn Competition. They depart, and Harry hears a loud crash. His door unlocks and swings open. Harry heads downstairs to investigate and is greeted by a group of nine wizards: Mad-Eye Moody, Professor Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance, Sturgis Podmore, and Hestia Jones. They have come to transport him somewhere safe to await his hearing without further danger. While packing, Harry learns that Tonks is a Metamorphmagus and can change her appearance at will. Lupin writes a letter for the Dursleys, assuring them that Harry is safe and will return home next summer. Harry and the others mount their flying broomsticks and take off into the cold night, finally landing in a run-down looking part of London. Moody hands Harry a piece of paper that reads, “The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London,” and orders Harry to memorize it.
Chapter 4
The wizards rush Harry into number twelve. The building is decrepit, with peeling wallpaper and a threadbare carpet. Ron’s mother, Mrs. Weasley, emerges from a door and hurries toward them, pulling Harry into a hug. She orders Harry upstairs, promising that Ron and Hermione will fill him in. Harry’s friends greet him excitedly, but Harry is still angry and screams at them for keeping him in the dark all summer. He notices where Hedwig pecked at their hands, and for a brief moment, Harry is happy to see their cuts. Ron and Hermione explain that Dumbledore made them promise not to send Harry any messages with specific news and that the Order of the Phoenix is a secret society, comprised of people who wish to prevent Voldemort’s return to power. The Order has been busy following known Death Eaters and standing guard over Harry. Harry also learns that Ron’s brother, Percy, has betrayed his family in order to support the corrupt Cornelius Fudge at the Ministry of Magic. Hermione tells Harry how the Daily Prophet has been building a case against Harry all summer, portraying him as an egotistical liar. Ron, Hermione, and Harry head downstairs to dinner, where Harry sees his godfather, Sirius Black.
Chapter 5
Sirius explains that number twelve was his parents’ house and now belongs to him. He has offered it to Dumbledore as a meeting spot. During dinner, Sirius gets into a fight with Mrs. Weasley over how much information Harry should be made privy to. Mrs. Weasley would prefer that Harry not be told anything, but Sirius and Lupin convince her that there are certain things he needs to know. Sirius tells Harry that while Dumbledore thinks Voldemort is building his army back up, the Ministry of Magic refuses to accept that Voldemort is back. Instead, Fudge fears that Dumbledore is plotting to overthrow him, taking the position of Minister himself. Harry also learns that Voldemort is attempting to gain access to some kind of secret weapon, but Mrs. Weasley stops the conversation before Harry can learn more.
Chapter 6
Mrs. Weasley, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ron’s twin brothers, Fred and George, are attempting to clean number twelve. Kreacher, the Black House Elf, resists their efforts, sneaking off with items he does not want thrown away and muttering insults under his breath. Members of the Order come and go, delivering news and checking in. Sirius shows Harry the Black family tapestry, which traces the Black family back to the Middle Ages. Sirius’s mother burned off her son’s name after he refused to subscribe to Voldemort’s philosophies about only pureblood wizards being allowed to train and practice. Harry also learns that Sirius is related to both Tonks and Lucius Malfoy. The Blacks are also related to the Lestrange family, a name that sounds familiar to Harry, although he cannot quite place it.
Meanwhile, Fred and George continue to plot the opening of their joke shop, which is being funded by the gold Harry won in the Triwizard Tournament. As they clean, the twins tuck select items into their pockets to mine for jokes later on. Harry notes that this is the first time all summer he has had any fun. He enjoys it so much that he forgets about his hearing, until Sirius asks if it would be acceptable for him to accompany Harry to the Ministry. Dumbledore sends Mr. Weasley instead, and Sirius is again stuck inside number twelve. Harry puts on clean clothes, washes his hair, and tries to prepare himself for possible expulsion.
Chapter 7
On the morning of his hearing, Harry wakes up early. He heads downstairs for breakfast and finds Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Sirius, Tonks, and Lupin waiting for him in the kitchen. They wish Harry luck, and he and Mr. Weasley leave for the Ministry of Magic. They enter the Ministry through a phone booth, and Mr. Weasley takes Harry to wait in his office. There, Mr. Weasley’s partner, Perkins, breathlessly informs them that the time and place of Harry’s hearing have changed. Mr. Weasley looks at his watch and realizes they’re already late. Dragging Harry behind him, he sprints toward the courtroom, where he drops Harry off.
Chapter 8
Harry enters the courtroom and realizes he has seen it before. When Harry was inside Dumbledore’s Pensieve, he saw the Lestranges sentenced to life imprisonment in the same courtroom. Cornelius Fudge reprimands Harry for being late. The Wizengamot trying Harry is made up of about fifty wizards and witches, led by Cornelius Fudge, who is seated next a toadlike woman named Delores Umbridge. Percy Weasley is present to transcribe the proceedings. As the hearing begins, Dumbledore breezes into the room, declaring himself a witness for the defense. Dumbledore does not look at Harry. The hearing begins. Members of the Wizengamot seem impressed that Harry was able to conjure a full Patronus but do not appear to believe Harry’s story about dementors appearing in Little Whinging. Dumbledore calls Mrs. Figg as a witness, and she nervously corroborates Harry’s story. Fudge still refuses to believe that dementors, who are under strict Ministry control, escaped Azkaban to terrorize a Muggle suburb. The Wizengamot votes, and Harry is cleared of all charges. Before Harry can thank Dumbledore, Dumbledore dashes out of the dungeon.
Chapter 9
After the hearing, Mr. Weasley and Harry return to number twelve, where the Order has prepared a celebratory feast. Sirius is courteous, but he does not seem terribly happy that Harry will be returning to Hogwarts. Hermione suspects that Sirius secretly wanted Harry to live with him at number twelve.
A day before the young wizards are scheduled to return to school, booklists arrive from Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione have both been selected as Gryffindor prefects for the coming year. The entire house is shocked that Harry did not receive the same honor. Mrs. Weasley is delighted with Ron’s achievement and buys him a new broom. Later, Harry becomes increasingly enraged that Dumbledore overlooked him for the prefect position, mentally recounting the many times he has proven himself a better wizard than Ron.
Later, Moody pulls out a photograph of the old Order and shows Harry the former members, explaining the cause of death for each one who had died. Harry sees Neville’s parents and eventually his own. Harry gets upset at the sight of his mother and father. He retreats upstairs, irritated with Moody for showing him the photograph.
Chapter 10
Harry has a troubling night’s sleep, dreaming of Mrs. Weasley crying and Ron and Hermione wearing crowns. He wakes up to Ron telling him they’re going to be late for the train to Hogwarts. A guard must accompany Harry. When no one can locate Sturgis Podmore to have him assume his position in the guard, Sirius fills in, transforming himself into a black dog named Padfoot, in direct defiance of Dumbledore’s orders to stay inside . Before boarding the train, Harry, Ron, Hermione, the twins and Ginny are warned by the Order not to send any letters that mention the Order. Ron and Hermione sit in the prefect cabin, and Ginny and Harry run into Neville. The three of them unhappily share a compartment with Luna “Loony” Lovegood, who is reading the wizard tabloid The Quibbler, which her father edits. Eventually, Ron and Hermione join them. Ron tells Harry that Draco Malfoy is now a Slytherin prefect. Malfoy opens their compartment door and threatens Harry, deliberately mentioning dogs, but only Harry and Hermione notice the reference to Sirius. The train arrives at Hogwarts, and the students shuffle out. Harry expects to see Hagrid directing the first-years but instead sees Professor Grubbly-Plank. As Harry approaches the usually horseless carriages that bring the students up the castle, he realizes that they are being pulled by emaciated, winged, horse-like creatures. Harry asks Ron about the horse creatures, but Ron doesn’t see them. Luna tells Harry that she can see them, too, and has been able to since her first year at Hogwarts.
Chapter 11
As the first-years arrive, the Sorting Hat, which is responsible for sorting all first-years into one of four houses, bursts into song, warning the students against becoming too internally divisive. Nearly Headless Nick, resident ghost, explains that the Hat gives warnings only when it feels Hogwarts is in danger. After supper, Dumbledore announces that Professor Grubbly-Plank will be teaching Hagrid’s class, Care of Magical Creatures, and that Professor Umbridge, the toadlike woman from Harry’s trial, is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Professor Umbridge interrupts Dumbledore to deliver a long, boring speech of introduction, and Harry confirms his dislike for her. Very few students actually listen to the speech, but Hermione infers that the Ministry will be interfering in Hogwarts business this year. As Harry walks back to the dorms, he notices students pointing, staring, and whispering in his wake.
Chapter 12
All fifth-years at Hogwarts must take O.W.L.s, or Ordinary Wizard Level exams. The faculty piles on homework in preparation. Ron, Harry, and Hermione report to their first session of Professor Umbridge’s Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Professor Umbridge has written her course aims on the blackboard, and Hermione points out that she’s listed nothing about using the defensive spells, only studying them. Professor Umbridge explains that the Ministry does not want underage wizards practicing spells that are dangerous and unnecessary. Harry explodes, explaining that they must be prepared to fight Voldemort. Professor Umbridge insists that Voldemort has not returned and gives Harry detention every night for a week. Harry is sent to see Professor McGonagall, who tells Harry to be mindful of who Umbridge is and to whom she is reporting.
Chapter 13
Harry, Ron, and Hermione leave dinner early to escape whispering students. In the Gryffindor common room, Hermione catches Fred and George testing their joke products on first-years, and threatens to write Mrs. Weasley. Before bed, Hermione sets out small knit hats for the House Elves, who are freed when they find clothing of their own. As usual, Hermione seems more concerned with freeing elves than with whether or not they want to be freed.
Gryffindor Quidditch captain Angelina Johnson reprimands Harry for having to miss Keeper tryouts because of his detention. After dinner, Harry reports to Umbridge’s office, and Umbridge assigns him the task of writing “I must not tell lies” over and over again on a piece of parchment. She gives him a special quill to use, and the words appear on the parchment in blood. The phrase also appears on the back of Harry’s hand, cut into his skin. As Harry stares at the cut, the skin heals over again, slightly redder but still smooth. The process is extremely painful, but Harry does not want to show weakness and does not complain or ask questions. Umbridge finally lets Harry leave. It is past midnight, and he has not had time to complete any of his homework.
Harry does not tell Ron or Hermione about what happened at his detention. On his way back to the dorms after his third night with Umbridge, Harry runs into Ron, who has been secretly practicing for Keeper tryouts. Harry is delighted. Ron sees the back of Harry’s hand, and Harry finally tells him the truth about detention. Ron suggests that he tell Dumbledore, but Harry refuses. At his final detention on Friday, Harry strains to watch Ron’s Keeper tryout from the window. Umbridge grabs his hand to check his progress. As she touches him, Harry’s scar burns tremendously, and he experiences a peculiar sensation in his midriff. When Harry returns to the dorm, he learns that Ron made the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Harry tells Hermione about detention and the pain in his scar. Like Ron, she suggests he consult Dumbledore. Harry refuses but mentions that he may ask Sirius for help. Hermione quickly reminds him of the Order’s warning about letters.
Chapter 14
Harry wakes up early on Saturday to write Sirius a letter, including subtle allusions to Umbridge, the pain in his scar, and Hagrid. He takes his letter to the Owlery and gives it to Hedwig. At breakfast, Harry finds an article in the Daily Prophet stating that Sturgis Podmore was sentenced to six months in Azkaban for trying to break into the Ministry. Ron suggests that Sturgis was lured to the Ministry and arrested because of his involvement with the Order. After breakfast, Ron and Harry leave to practice Quidditch, and Hermione studies. At Quidditch practice, Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherin team harass the Gryffindor players, Ron in particular.
The next night, Harry and Ron study in the common room while Hermione knits. Percy’s owl, Hermes, appears, carrying a letter from Percy. The letter congratulates Ron on becoming a prefect and warns him to stay away from Harry Potter. Ron dismisses the letter, and the three resume studying until Harry spots Sirius’s head in the fire. Sirius tells Harry not to be too worried about his scar, since it burns whenever Voldemort feels a powerful emotion. Sirius also agrees that Umbridge is quite unpleasant but does not believe that she is a Death Eater. Sirius does not know anything about Hagrid’s whereabouts but assures Harry he is probably safe. When Sirius suggests transforming into a dog again and accompanying Harry on his next trip to Hogsmeade, both Harry and Hermione protest loudly. Sirius tells Harry his father would have enjoyed the risk and disappears back into the fire.
Chapter 15
Hermione receives her Daily Prophet. According to the paper, Dolores Umbridge has been named High Inquisitor, granting the Ministry of Magic an unprecedented level of control at Hogwarts. Umbridge will be sitting in on all classes. At Divination, Umbridge paces the classroom with a clipboard, inspecting Professor Trelawney and demanding that she make predictions. Later, in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry loses his temper again, earning another week of detention. Umbridge appears again in Transfiguration, and Professor McGonagall expresses her obvious disdain. Umbridge is also at Care of Magical Creatures and seems delighted with Professor Grubbly-Plank. After classes, Harry retreats to Umbridge’s office for another detention. Later, Hermione suggests that the students form their own study group for Defense Against the Dark Arts, with Harry as their teacher. Harry is skeptical, but Hermione reminds him of all of his accomplishments, including escaping Voldemort. Harry agrees to consider her proposition.
Chapter 16
Hermione asks Harry if he has thought any more about teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. After much convincing, Harry finally agrees to lead the group. Hermione quietly spreads the word about a meeting to discuss a student-run Defense Against the Dark Arts group on the next Hogsmeade trip and arranges for everyone to meet at the Hog’s Head, a pub, to discuss the details. Hermione tells Harry she expects only a few people to come, but twenty-five arrive. Hermione introduces Harry, explaining that the students need to learn real, practical Defense since Voldemort has returned. Some students murmur in dissent, but all seem interested in Harry’s story about meeting Voldemort face to face. Hermione passes around a piece of parchment, and everyone signs his or her name.
Chapter 17
Umbridge posts an Education Decree forbidding all student organizations, including the Quidditch teams, from meeting again until they receive her approval. Ron and Harry suspect that Umbridge knows about their Defense group, but Hermione explains that she put a jinx on the piece of parchment, and if anyone had snitched, they would know. Later that morning, in History of Magic, Harry sees Hedwig in the window. Her feathers are ruffled, and she is holding her wing at an odd angle. Harry takes Hedwig to Professor Grubbly-Plank. She agrees to mend Hedwig and removes a letter from Hedwig’s leg. The letter is from Sirius, and reads: “Today, same time, same place.”
Umbridge is sitting in on Potions, and Snape is visibly irritated. Later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione study in the Common Room until everyone else has gone to bed. Sirius appears in the fire. Sirius knows about their secret Defense Against the Dark Arts group and encourages them to keep meeting. Their reunion is cut off when Sirius sees Umbridge’s hand groping through the flames, attempting to grab hold of Sirius.
Chapter 18
Hermione blames Hedwig’s injuries on Umbridge reading Harry’s mail. Harry agrees. After classes, Angelina receives permission to reform the Gryffindor Quidditch team and schedules practice for that evening. When Ron and Harry arrive at the Pitch, it is rainy and cold. Harry’s scar hurts, and he senses that Voldemort is upset that something he wants is not happening fast enough. Studying in the Common Room later, Harry falls asleep by the fire. Dobby, the House Elf, wakes him up. Harry asks Dobby if he knows of a room where the students could practice Defense secretly. Dobby tells Harry about the Room of Requirement, which appears only when it is needed. Harry calls a meeting for the next night. Students arrive, and Hermione suggests that they decide on a name. Cho Chang, whom Harry has had a crush on for some time, suggests the D.A., for Defense Association, and Ginny points out that it can also stand for Dumbledore’s Army. Hermione writes Dumbledore’s Army on a piece of parchment with everyone’s names and pins it to the wall. They begin practicing, and Harry is impressed by their effort.
Chapter 19
The first Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin, approaches. On the morning of the match, Ron is too nervous to speak. The Slytherin team is wearing badges that read “Weasley is our King.” From the stands, the Slytherins sing a song of the same name, mocking Ron’s Keeper skills. Embarrassed, Ron misses several shots. Fortunately, Harry catches the snitch, and Gryffindor wins.
Malfoy and his thugs scream insults, and Harry and George leap at Malfoy, landing themselves in McGonagall’s office. She gives them each a week of detention. Umbridge appears and produces another Decree from the Ministry, this time giving her authority over all punishments. McGonagall is livid,but cannot stop Umbridge from banning Harry, George, and Fred, who was not even involved in the fight, from ever playing Quidditch again. Umbridge confiscates their brooms. Harry is devastated. Later, Hermione realizes Hagrid is back.
Chapter 20
Harry, Ron, and Hermione grab Harry’s Invisibility Cloak and scurry off to Hagrid’s cabin. Hagrid’s face is badly bruised and bleeding. Hagrid explains that he had gone into the mountains to talk to Giants and rally support for Dumbledore but ultimately failed to enlist their help. Umbridge knocks at the door, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione duck under the Invisibility Cloak and hide in the corner. Umbridge forces her way into Hagrid’s cabin, but Hagrid refuses to tell her about the Giants. After she leaves, Hermione warns Hagrid about Umbridge and her class inspections, cautioning him against teaching anything too dangerous or unconventional. Hagrid appears unconcerned.
Chapter 21
The next day, Hagrid leads his class into the forest. The horrible horse-like creatures Harry saw pulling carriages appear again, and Hagrid asks who can see the creatures. Harry, Neville, and a Slytherin boy raise their hands. Hagrid explains that the creatures are called thestrals and are visible only by those who have witnessed death.
Angelina, the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, chooses Ginny Weasley to replace Harry as Gryffindor Seeker. At the last D.A. meeting before Christmas break, Harry is left alone with Cho Chang. Cho starts to cry and admits that she is thinking about Cedric, her boyfriend. Cedric was killed by Voldemort at the close of Book IV. Standing under the mistletoe, Harry and Cho kiss.
Harry returns to the Common Room and tells Ron and Hermione what happened. Harry falls asleep with his head full of thoughts. He dreams that his body feels smooth and powerful. He is a snake, slithering toward a man sitting on the floor, guarding a door. Harry rears from the floor and strikes the man, plunging his fangs into the man’s flesh. Harry wakes up with Ron standing over him. Harry is sweating and in extreme pain. His scar is burning hotter than ever. Neville arrives with McGonagall. Harry tells her that Ron’s dad has been attacked by a snake. McGonagall nods and takes Harry to Dumbledore’s office.
Chapter 22
Harry tells Dumbledore about his vision, and how he inhabited the snake’s body during the attack. Dumbledore calls to the portraits of former headmasters and headmistresses hanging on the walls of his office and asks them to raise the alarm. When the portraits return, they explain that members of the Order have found Mr. Weasley at the Ministry and taken him to St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. McGonagall wakes the other Weasley children, and they prepare to travel to Twelve Grimmauld Place by Portkey. As they are leaving, Harry’s scar starts to burn. He looks up at Dumbledore with a powerful hatred, fighting the urge to attack him. He is thrust back to number twelve. Harry tells Fred, Ginny, George, and Sirius about his vision but does not mention that he actually inhabited the snake. A letter from Mrs. Weasley arrives, announcing that Mr. Weasley is still alive.
Mrs. Weasley returns from St. Mungo’s and thanks Harry for his vision, which she believes saved Mr. Weasley’s life. The Weasleys and Harry agree to stay with Sirius for the holidays. Harry tells Sirius the whole truth about his vision, including the rage he felt at Dumbledore right before they left Hogwarts. Sirius tells him not to worry.
The group visits Mr. Weasley. He is heavily bandaged but in very good spirits. After a few minutes, Harry and the Weasley kids leave so Tonks and Mad-Eye can visit. Once outside, Harry, Ron, and the twins decide to use the Extendable Ears to eavesdrop on their conversation. Mad-Eye suggests to Mr. Weasley that Harry could be possessed by Voldemort. Upon hearing this, Harry drops his ear and looks up at the others, who are looking back at him, their faces filled with fear.
Chapter 23
Harry begins to wonder if he himself is the weapon Voldemort seeks. Back at Grimmauld Place, Harry decides the best and safest thing for him to do is leave Hogwarts forever and return to Little Whinging. As Harry packs his trunk, Phineas Nigellus appears in his portrait with a message from Dumbledore, telling Harry to stay where he is. Harry agrees to stay but does not leave his bed.
The following evening, Hermione disrupts Harry’s seclusion. She admonishes him for his behavior. Ginny and Ron join them, and Ginny points out that she’s the only one who knows what it feels like to be possessed by Voldemort and does not believe Harry is experiencing what she experienced. Relieved, Harry finally joins the festivities. At St. Mungo’s, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Harry spot Neville and his grandmother, who are visiting Neville’s parents. Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom were tortured into lunacy by Bellatrix Lestrange.
Chapter 24
Snape arrives to speak with Harry. Dumbledore has asked Snape to teach Harry Occlumency, which is the defense of the mind against outside penetration. Harry is unhappy about extra lessons with Snape, but he agrees to learn. As Harry leaves for Hogwarts, Sirius hands him a wrapped package, which he claims Harry should use only if he needs him.
Back at Hogwarts, Harry arranges a Hogsmeade date with Cho for Valentine’s Day. Harry reports to Snape’s office for his Occlumency lessons. Snape explains that Voldemort is an expert at Legilimency, which is the ability to extract feelings and memories from another person’s mind, and that Harry must be prepared to close his mind to it. Snape clears his thoughts into a Pensieve. Harry takes out his wand, and Snape uses Legilimency to shoot himself into Harry’s mind, rifling through Harry’s memories. Harry fights back and returns to the present, falling to his knees. They try again, and Harry once again fails to block Snape. The next time, Harry is dragged back into his reccurring dream, in which he is running down a corridor at the Ministry of Magic with Mr. Weasley. This time, Harry recognizes the hallway as leading to the Department of Mysteries. He asks Snape about the Department, but Snape dismisses his question. Later that night, Harry’s scar starts to burn, and he knows Voldemort is very happy.
Chapter 25
The next morning, Hermione’s Daily Prophet reveals a mass breakout at Azkaban. Ten former Death Eaters, including Lestrange, are loose. Harry realizes this is why Voldemort was so happy last night. They also read that a Ministry of Magic worker named Bode died at St. Mungo’s after being strangled by a dangerous potted plant. Ron recalls his father talking about Bode and remembers that Bode worked in the Department of Mysteries. Umbridge has posted a new Educational Decree, banning all Hogwarts teachers from discussing with students anything not directly related to their subjects.
Umbridge attends every Divination and Care of Magical Creatures lesson, and students begin to wonder whether Trelawney or Hagrid will be fired first. Hagrid bans Harry, Ron, and Hermione from visiting his cabin, claiming it’s too dangerous.
Harry’s Valentine’s Day date with Cho is a disaster. Harry tells Cho he has to leave at noon to meet with Hermione, and Cho becomes jealous and upset. The date ends with Cho in tears. Confused, Harry leaves to meet Hermione at the Three Broomsticks, where she is sitting with Luna Lovegood and Rita Skeeter, a reporter for the Prophet and one of Hermione’s least favorite people. Hermione blackmails Rita, who is an unregistered Animagus, into writing an honest cover story about Harry for the Quibbler.
Chapter 26
Harry’s Quibbler story appears. By mid-morning, Umbridge has posted a decree banning any students from reading or possessing the Quibbler. When Harry goes to bed that night, his scar aches. He has another vision of himself as Voldemort, this time discussing Bode’s death with Rockwood, a Death Eater who escaped from Azkaban. Harry wakes up screaming. Ron again suggests he go to Dumbledore, but Harry refuses. The next morning, Hermione figures out that Bode must have been under an Imperius Curse. When Bode tried to get the mysterious weapon Voldemort is searching for, he went mad and ended up in St. Mungo’s.
Harry continues studying Occlumency with Snape. He has made little progress but does manage to get inside Snape’s mind for a brief moment. Professor Trelawney interrupts their lesson by screaming from the entrance hall. Umbridge has fired her, and she must leave campus. Dumbledore appears and permits Trelawney to stay and live at Hogwarts, although he cannot reinstate her teaching position. Dumbledore then introduces the new Divination teacher, a Centaur named Firenze.
Chapter 27
Firenze assumes Trelawney’s duties, explaining to the students that nothing, even centaurs’ knowledge, is foolproof. After class, Firenze asks Harry to tell Hagrid that his attempt is not working and he must abandon it. Harry relays the message, but Hagrid ignores it.
The D.A. begins working on conjuring Patronuses. Dobby interrupts to warn the group that Umbridge is on her way, and the students scatter. Malfoy trips Harry and hands him over to Umbridge. Umbridge drags Harry to Dumbledore’s office, where Cornelius Fudge is waiting, and fetches her informant, a Ravenclaw named Marietta. Because Hermione jinxed the scroll with the D.A.’s names against snitches, Marietta’s face is covered in giant purple pimples spelling the word “Sneak.” Marietta refuses to uncover her face to speak. Dumbledore takes full responsibility for the D.A. He points to the title on the parchment, identifying the group as Dumbledore’s Army. When the Minister attempts to arrest him, Dumbledore sends a streak of silver light through his office and disappears.
Chapter 28
Umbridge replaces Dumbledore as Headmistress and appoints an Inquisitional Squad of students, which is comprised mostly of Slytherins, including Draco Malfoy, to do her bidding. The Squad has the power to dock points from Houses, which Malfoy does happily. Fred and George swear to make Umbridge’s life at Hogwarts difficult, and they set off a crate of fireworks in the Great Hall. Umbridge’s magic does not work on the fireworks, and the faculty refuses to help her. Firecrackers explode for the rest of the afternoon.
Harry dreams of the Department of Mysteries again. This time he gets through the doors and into a room lined with dusty glass spheres. He heads toward one but wakes up before he reaches it. The next day, Harry resumes lessons with Snape. Malfoy interrupts to say that Umbridge needs Snape’s help. While Snape is gone, Harry climbs into the Pensieve, hoping to gain insight into the Department of Mysteries. Harry sees Snape taking his O.W.L.s and then sees his father, James Potter, with Sirius, Lupin, and Moody. Sirius and James catch sight of Snape. They torment and humiliate him in front of the other students. Lily, Harry’s mother, attempts to intervene, but Snape calls her a Mudblood, and she backs off. Snape returns to his classroom and yanks Harry out of the Pensieve, enraged. Harry is devastated by James and Sirius’s behavior.
Chapter 29
Snape refuses to give Harry additional Occlumency lessons. Harry wants to talk to Sirius about what he saw in the Pensieve but knows it is too dangerous. A notice for Career Advice is posted on all the bulletin boards. Fifth-years must meet with their Heads of House sometime in the following week.
Fred and George offer to create a distraction so Harry can use the fire in Umbridge’s office to talk to Sirius. Hermione thinks the plan is too dangerous. Harry leaves for his Career Advice meeting with McGonagall, which Umbridge also attends. McGonagall approves of Harry’s aspirations to become an Auror (one of the wizards who seek out and destroy dark wizards) and encourages him to study hard. Umbridge suggests that he consider another path, since the Ministry would never employ him. Harry leaves and prepares for his break-in. He thinks about how Sirius had told him that James enjoyed taking risks. Harry wonders if he even wants to be like his father anymore.
Harry sneaks into Umbridge’s office and uses Floo power to transport his head to the fireplace at number twelve. Harry tells Sirius what he saw in the Pensieve, and Sirius insists that he and James were just young and foolish. Harry mentions that Snape has since stopped Occlumency lessons, and Lupin insists that Harry convince him to continue. Harry leaves the fire and returns to find that Fred and George have turned the school into a swamp. Umbridge threatens serious punishment, but Fred and George decide, instead, to drop out of Hogwarts. They use magic to fetch their brooms from Umbridge’s office and fly off, saluting Peeves, the Hogwarts poltergeist.
Chapter 30
Harry and Hermione take their seats for the final Quidditch match of the season (Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw). Hagrid sneaks up behind them and asks them to follow him into the Forest. Eventually, they run into a Giant that Hagrid has brought back from the mountains. Hagrid believes that the Giant is his half-brother and is trying to teach it English. The Giant’s name is Grawp, and he had been bullied by the other Giants for being too small. Hagrid introduces Harry and Hermione to Grawp, who is pulling up trees by their roots. Hagrid asks the young wizards to visit Grawp and help him with his English if Hagrid is fired. On their way out of the forest, Hagrid is surrounded by a herd of threatening Centaurs, who are angry with Hagrid for bringing Grawp to the forest. Harry and Hermione return to the Quidditch pitch to hear a new version of “Weasley is our King.” Gryffindor has won the match and the Quidditch cup. Ron is ecstatic.
Chapter 31
Harry and Hermione explain Hagrid’s request. Ron is horrified by the prospect of visiting with a Giant but does not want to let Hagrid down. The students begin taking their O.W.L. exams. As they are filling in their star charts in the Astronomy Tower, Harry spies a team of six people entering Hagrid’s cabin. The team attempts to stun Hagrid, waving their wands all at once, but Hagrid successfully deflects the spells. Professor McGonagall runs across the lawn to help him. Four red beams strike her down. Hagrid disappears past the gates. McGonagall, badly hurt, is taken by Professor Trelawney to the hospital wing. That night, Harry gets almost no sleep.
The following morning, Harry is exhausted for his History of Magic O.W.L., falling asleep in the middle of the test. He has another vision. This time, he reaches the room with the glass spheres and, in Voldemort’s voice, instructs a black shape to lift a sphere down for him. The shape on the floor refuses, saying he would die first. Harry then realizes that the shape is actually Sirius and that Voldemort is torturing him.
Chapter 32
Harry leaves the Great Hall to find McGonagall. Madam Pomfrey tells Harry that McGonagall has been taken to St. Mungo’s. Realizing that he has no one else to turn to, Harry runs to find Ron and Hermione. Hermione warns Harry that Voldemort may be attempting to lure Harry to the Department of Mysteries, knowing that Harry would do anything to save Sirius.
Harry doesn’t want to take any chances and insists they get to the Ministry as soon as possible. Ginny and Luna walk in and offer their help. Hermione convinces Harry to use the fire in Umbridge’s office to first see if Sirius is actually at number twelve. Ginny and Luna agree to stand guard in the hallway, and Ron creates a distraction. Inside Umbridge’s office, Harry uses Floo powder to transport himself to number twelve. Kreacher appears and tells Harry that Sirius is at the Department of Mysteries. Harry is pulled from the fire by Umbridge, who demands to know to whom he was speaking. Harry sees that Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Luna, and Neville have been captured by Umbridge’s Squad. Snape enters Umbridge’s office, and Harry yells “He’s got Padfoot at the place where it’s hidden!” in hopes that Snape will contact someone in the Order.
Umbridge admits she was the one who sent the dementors to Little Whinging last summer. Before she can use an illegal Cruciatus Curse on Harry, Hermione screams and tells Umbridge that Harry was trying to contact Dumbledore. When Umbridge asks why, Hermione tells her that Dumbledore has asked the students to build a weapon for him and that they needed to let him know the weapon was ready. Umbridge seems to believe her and demands that she and Harry lead her to the weapon.
Chapter 33
Harry follows Hermione out of Hogwarts, with Umbridge in tow. Harry has no idea where Hermione is taking them. They enter the Forbidden Forest but do not take the path toward Grawp. Moments later, a herd of Centaurs surrounds them. Umbridge insults the Centaurs, and they carry her away. Grawp appears and recognizes Hermione. In broken English, he demands to know where Hagrid is. Hermione screams that she doesn’t know, and, in the chaos, she and Harry run to safety. On their way out of the forest, they run into Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna, who escaped their captors using Defense skills and left to find Harry and Hermione in the forest. Harry wants to go to the Ministry alone, but his friends insist on helping Harry save Sirius. Luna spots a herd of thestrals, who can take them to the Ministry.
Chapter 34
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville, and Ginny ride thestrals to the Ministry, where they take the elevators to the Department of Mysteries. Harry recognizes the corridor from his dreams and knows exactly which door to enter. There are more doors in the next chamber, and Harry doesn’t know which one to use. They try several. One room houses a tank full of brains, and the next has an ancient archway with tattered black curtains. Harry hears whispering behind the curtains. Finally, they find the right door and move toward the dusty spheres, realizing that Sirius is not there. Harry begins to think Hermione’s suspicions were correct. Ron notices that one of the dusty spheres has Harry’s name on it, as well as Voldemort’s. Harry picks it up. Moments later, he hears Lucius Malfoy order him to hand it over.
Chapter 35
Harry demands to know where Sirius is. Malfoy asks Harry to give him the prophecy, but Harry refuses to relinquish the sphere, threatening to smash it if the encroaching crowd of Death Eaters attack his friends. Malfoy tells him the sphere contains the story of his scar and explains that only those about whom a prophecy has been made can safely retrieve it. Voldemort could not come himself because the Aurors at the Ministry would have caught him immediately, so they lured Harry here by manipulating his dreams and making him think Sirius was in trouble.
At Harry’s signal, the students use their wands to shatter the rows of spheres. Harry sprints from the chamber, gripping his prophecy. The Death Eaters follow. Hermione is stunned by a Death Eater and falls to the ground. Neville’s nose is broken in the fray. Ron falls under some sort of lunacy spell, and Ginny’s ankle is broken by a Death Eater. Dragging Hermione, they keep moving, but five Death Eaters corner them in the brain room. The brain jar bursts open, and Ron picks one up. Tentacles shoot out and try to strangle Ron. Death Eaters stun Ginny and toss Luna into a desk. Both lie unconscious, leaving only Neville and Harry to fight the remaining Death Eaters. Harry, still clutching the prophecy, runs into the room with the arch. Neville follows, and Lestrange begins to torture Neville with the Crucio curse.
Suddenly, Sirius, Lupin, Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley appear. Sirius yells for Harry to take Neville and the prophecy and run. As Harry attempts to grab Neville, the prophecy slips from his robes and cracks open. Dumbledore appears and corrals the Death Eaters. Lestrange, dueling with Sirius, sends a jet of red light right into his chest, and he falls through the curtains. Harry runs to the arch, but Lupin holds him back. Lupin tells Harry that Sirius is gone.
Chapter 36
Harry refuses to believe that Sirius is dead. He spots Lestrange and runs after her, vowing to avenge Sirius’s murder. He catches up to her in the Atrium. Harry shouts at Lestrange that the prophecy is gone and that she will have to kill him. Voldemort and Dumbledore appear. Voldemort strikes Dumbledore, but Dumbledore’s bird, Fawkes, takes the blow. Voldemort disappears, and Harry’s scar bursts open. Voldemort uses Harry’s voice to speak to Dumbledore, asking Dumbledore to kill him by killing Harry. Suddenly, Harry feels Voldemort leave his body, and he crumples to the floor. Harry learns that Voldemort had grabbed Lestrange and Disapparated from the Ministry. Cornelius Fudge runs in, confused. He demands to know what has happened, and Dumbledore promises to tell him after he sends Harry back to Hogwarts. Still stunned, Dumbledore gives Harry a Portkey and Harry whizzes back to Dumbledore’s office.
Chapter 37
Dumbledore meets Harry in his office. Harry is visibly upset about Sirius’s death. Dumbledore tells Harry this pain is his greatest strength. Dumbledore admits it’s his own fault that Sirius is dead because he never told Harry the whole truth about his scar. Dumbledore explains. On the night Harry saw Mr. Weasley attacked, Voldemort figured out that Harry’s scar allowed Harry to be privy to Voldemort’s thoughts and actions. Assuming this connection must work both ways, Voldemort began forcing his way into Harry’s thoughts, which is why Dumbledore ordered Snape to give Harry Occlumency lessons. Voldemort knew the only person Harry would go to great lengths to save was Sirius, so he projected the image of Sirius’s torture into Harry’s mind. Voldemort needed Harry to retrieve the prophecy because he could not risk entering the Ministry himself, and no one else would ever be able to touch it.
When Harry was an infant, Hagrid took him to the Dursleys instead of a Wizarding family because, in order to remain safe, Harry needed to be near his mother’s blood, which came in the form of Aunt Petunia. As long as Harry can still call the place where his mother’s blood dwells home, he is safe. Dumbledore sent the Howler to Petunia to remind her of this bond.
Dumbledore continues his explanation. Sixteen years ago, Sybill Trelawney made a prophecy about a boy who was born at the end of July to parents who had defied Voldemort three times. This part of the prophecy could have applied to either Harry or Neville, who was also born at the end of July to parents who were members of the Order. However, the prophecy went on to say that Voldemort would mark the child as his equal, choosing the boy that he believed would be the most dangerous to him. Dumbledore believes Voldemort chose Harry because Harry was a half-blood, just like Voldemort. But Voldemort only heard the first part of the prophecy. The second part proclaimed that the child would have powers that the Dark Lord would not know, and that either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives. Dumbledore tells Harry that the distinguishing power he has is love.
Chapter 38
Harry is in the hospital wing with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. Dumbledore saved Umbridge from the Centaurs, and she is also in the hospital. Harry hasn’t told his friends about the prophecy. He tells his friends he is going to see Hagrid, but instead he sits at the edge of the lake and cries.
Professor McGonagall makes a full recovery and returns to Hogwarts. The day before the end of term, Umbridge leaves the school. Ron rushes off to the Great Feast, but Harry stays behind to pack. Harry finds the wrapped package Sirius gave him at Christmas. He rips the paper off and finds a mirror with an inscription on the back, instructing Harry to use it to communicate with Sirius. Harry shouts into the mirror but receives no reply. Devastated, Harry throws the mirror down, and it shatters. Harry decides to seek advice from a Hogwarts ghost and finds Nearly Headless Nick. Nick explains that not all dead wizards are turned into ghosts. Harry, upset, runs into Luna, who asks about Sirius. Remembering that Luna can see the thestrals, he asks her if anyone she has known has died. Luna says her mother died when she was nine. She tells Harry that the voices behind the curtain at the Department of Mysteries are the voices of wizards who have died. Harry is not sure whether to believe her or not.
The next day, all Hogwarts students board the Hogwarts Express. Cho walks by, and Harry does not meet her eyes. He tells Ron that nothing is going on with Cho anymore, and Hermione gently informs him that Cho is now dating Michael Conner. The news doesn’t bother Harry. When the train pulls into Kings Cross, Harry sees several members of the Order waiting for him. Lupin spots the Dursleys, and Moody, Tonks, and Mr. Weasley insist that they treat Harry fairly while he is home for the summer. Moody tells Harry that if he doesn’t hear from him for three days in a row, he will send someone to check up on him. Ron and Hermione promise to see him soon, and Harry heads back to Four Privet Drive.
