Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Publishing Facts and Information:

UK Book Info

• First British Printing: June 21, 2003
• Pages (paperback): 766
• Price (Hardcover): £16.99

US Book Info

• First U.S. Printing: June 21, 2003
• Pages: 870
• Price (Hardcover): $29.99
• Book Colors:
  Outside: Silver and Blue
  Inside: Dark Blue
  Title Writing: Blue

Dedications (US):

To Neil, Jessica, and David,
Who make my world magical.

Summaries from the back of the books

(from back of UK book)
Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His best friends Ron and Hermione have been very secretive all summer and he is desperate to get back to school and find out what has been going on. However, what Harry discovers is far more devastating than he could ever have expected…

(from back of US book)
There is a door at the end of a silent corridor. And it’s haunting Harry Potter’s dreams. Why else would he be waking in the middle of the night screaming in terror?

Harry has a lot on his mind for this, his fifth year at Hogwarts: a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher with a personality like poisoned honey; a big surprise on the Gryffindor Quidditch team; and the looming terror of Ordinary Wizarding Level exams. But all these things pale next to the growing threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named – a threat that neither the magical government nor the authorities at Hogwarts can stop.

As the grasp of darkness tightens, Harry must discover the true depth and strength of his friends, the importance of boundless loyalty, and the shocking price of unbearable sacrifice.

His fate depends on them all.

Chapters:

1. Dudley Demented
2. A Peck of Owls
3. The Advanced Guard
4. Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place
5. The Order of the Phoenix
6. The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black
7. The Ministry of Magic
8. The Hearing
9. The Woes of Mrs. Weasley
10. Luna Lovegood
11. The Sorting Hat’s New Song
12. Professor Umbridge
13. Detention with Dolores
14. Percy and Padfoot
15. The Hogwarts High Inquisitor
16. In the Hog’s Head
17. Education Decree Number Twenty-Four
18. Dumbledore’s Army
19. The Lion and the Serpent
20. Hagrid’s Tale
21. The Eye of the Snake
22. St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
23. Christmas on the Closed Ward
24. Occlumency
25. The Beetle at Bay
26. Seen and Unforeseen
27. The Centaur and the Sneak
28. Snape’s Worst Memory
29. Career Advice
30. Grawp
31. O.W.L.s
32. Out of the Fire
33. Fight and Flight
34. The Department of Mysteries
35. Beyond the Veil
36. The Only One He Ever Feared
37. The Lost Prophecy
38. The Second War Begins

Plot Summary: Contains Spoilers

Short Summary:

Lord Voldemort is back and will believe Harry. The order of the phoenix is back is session, at the house of Sirius Black; Grimmauld Place. Harry returns to Hogwarts where a MOM official; Umbridge, has been made the new DADA teacher. She doesn’t allow the students to use magic, but only read their textbook. In a reply to this, Harry starts an illegal society in Hogwarts, the D.A.- where Harry teaches other students how to do advanced magic. Dumbledore is forced to jinx ministry officials, and then leaves Hogwarts (though nobody knows where he has gone). Voldemort has been putting images in Harry’s head, the final one being their he has taken Sirius Black into the department of mysteries in the ministry of magic. Harry takes Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Luna to the ministry with him, where they fight off death eaters. They find that Voldemort did not have Sirius, but he just did it so that Harry would come and try to save him. The order of the phoenix comes (including Sirius), and they all fight off the death eaters. At the end, Sirius falls behind a veil and dies. Voldemort arrives, but then flees when the Ministry of Magic officials arrive. Dumbledore takes Harry back to the school and tells him that the only reason Voldemort tried to kill Harry as a baby was because a prophecy that was made about him; saying that neither can live while the other survives. This means that in the end, Harry will kill Voldemort, or that Voldemort will kill Harry. Harry leaves Hogwarts to go back to the Dursley’s.

Long Summary:

Another Harry Potter book starts as usual: Harry is stuck at the Dursleys. Harry was trying his best to keep a look out for any signs of mysterious killings or disappearances, since that would mean Lord Voldemort has returned. But he is kept from watching television to keep up with current events so he is forced to collect newspapers and wander the streets for signs of disturbance.
One day Harry gets blamed by the Dursleys for making a loud noise outside the house, though it wasn’t he who made the noise (he suspects somebody disaparrating) and goes for a walk along Magnolia Crescent towards the park. When he gets to the park, Dudley (Harry’s cousin) and his gang come into view. As Dudley finally says his goodbyes and heads home, Harry follows him and begins to taunt him. In revenge Dudley brings up the subject of Harry having nightmares about Cedric Diggory being killed so Harry brings out his wand hoping to frighten Dudley. Then the world around him shifts. Two dementors have come and attempt to suck out Harry and Dudley’s souls. Harry finally manages to produce a Patronus Charm, a silver stag that forces the dementors to retreat, after two tries. After the first dementor goes away, Harry notices the other one about to suck Dudley’s soul out and saves him. Dudley (not knowing what has been going on) is in shock and a minute later Harry gets another surprise when his batty neighbor, Mrs. Figg, appears muttering and complaining about a wizard who was supposed to keep an eye on Harry. After a long talk with Arabella Figg, Harry finds out that she is a squib (person who is born from wizard parents but has no magic powers like Filch) and has been in close contact with the wizarding world. Harry then receives a letter when he gets home telling him that he was been expelled from Hogwarts and his wand is to be broken for his use of a Patronus. Another letter arrives shortly after from Dumbledore, saying that he is attempting to work things out and to not under any circumstances leave the house again.

Soon after this, a large number of witches and wizards including Lupin, Moody, and Tonks have come to rescue Harry and take him to a hidden location in London, where the Order of the Phoenix is stationed. Though this is the home of Sirius Black’s parent, Sirius, the Weasleys and Hermione Granger are all living there. Harry is really angry that everybody was with Sirius and nobody told him and that Ron and Hermione had been made prefects for Gryffindor and he hasn’t.

Harry’s trial for his expulsion finally comes. With Mrs. Figg and Dumbledore backing him up, Harry is allowed to return to Hogwarts for his fifth year.

At last, Harry and the other kids go back to school. On the train (the Hogwarts Express), they meet Luna Lovegood, a fourth year in Ravenclaw, and whose father is the editor of a newspaper called the Quibbler. When they arrive at Hogwarts, they discover some shocking news, Hagrid has not returned on whatever journey/task that Dumbledore sent him on at the beginning of the summer and their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Dolores Umbridge, works for the Ministry of Magic and is refusing to teach them actual spells, on the fact that if they do learn real magic Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, is afraid Dumbledore will make an army of students to overthrow him.

Things start to happen at a rapid pace once school starts. All the teachers are pushing the fifth years very hard to do well on their O.W.L.s (an exam that determines what career you want to pursue after Hogwarts). Professor Umbridge continues to make laws passed by the Ministry of Magic and keeps gaining influence over the school until she is finally named the Hogwarts High-Inquisitor. Meanwhile, Ron becomes the new keeper of Gryffindor Quidditch team now that Oliver Wood has left and seems to not be that good at it.

Also Hermione convinces Harry to give lessons to a number of students who want to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts spells; he agrees reluctantly, and they all sign a paper stating their intent not to squeal on the group to Umbridge. A little while later, Hagrid finally returns, not looking really good. Since he is a half-breed: half giant and half human, he is under heavy observation by Umbridge who hates half-breeds.

Activities in the school become more and more banned, now that Umbridge convinces Fudge to pass more and more laws. All student groups are banned; the Slytherin Quidditch team is almost immediately reactivated but the Gryffindor team is held up until Minerva McGonnagall has Dumbledore reinstate it. In order to make Ron feel extremely uncomfortable and therefore a poor player, the Slytherins compose a song entitled Weasley is Our King. It works, but Harry manages to capture the Golden Snitch in the first game to clench victory. Unfortunately, a fight after prompted by Draco Malfoy, a member of the Slytherin Quidditch team, causes Harry and the Weasley twins to be permanently banned from playing the game by Umbridge.

But the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes let by Harry secretly go on. Their new name is the D.A. short for Dumbledore’s Army.

Meanwhile, Harry keeps having strange dreams, which are mostly about him running down a hallway and opening a door in the Ministry of Magic, but eventually he has a dream from the point of a snake, where he poisons Ron’s father, Arthur Weasley. After waking up, Harry tells everybody about his dream, and Arthur is found with poisonous snakebites. Harry then wonders if he is being possessed and transported by Voldemort to do his bidding; and though others reassure him he is not, he is soon placed under Severus Snape’s supervision in the art of Occlumency, the ability to block one’s mind from being manipulated.

In the next Hogsmeade visit, Harry agrees to be interviewed by Rita Skeeter (Hermione arranged it but Rita only agreed because otherwise Hermione would reveal she’s an unregistered animagus to the authorities). As I said before, Luna Lovegood’s father is the editor of the Quibbler, and her father agrees to take Rita’s article. Umbridge finds out about it and is furious. She banns Harry from Hogsmeade weekends and bans the Quibbler from Hogwarts. Soon the newspaper has been given the lure of the forbidden and soon the publication spreads throughout the school like wildfire despite Umbridge’s efforts to stop it.

Soon Professor Trewlawney is almost thrown out by Umbridge, but Dumbledore allows her to stay at the castle; in her place, a centaur named Firenze, becomes the new teacher. Since Dumbledore did not consult her, and because Firenze is a half-breed, Umbridge is furious.

Everybody knew that the D.A. was too good to be true and knew that somebody would snitch. As it turns out, somebody does snitch. Umbridge finds out about Dumbledore’s Army but Dumbledore tells Fudge that it was all his idea, and that it is indeed a plan to depose Fudge as the head of the Ministry of Magic. Unfortunately, Dumbledore goes on the run and Umbridge installs herself as the new Headmistress.

Pretty soon Snape ends the Occlumency lessons for a nonspecific reason. Harry looks into a pensieve while Snape is gone for a while. Harry sees Snape’s worst memory which was when he was 15 years old and the day him and other fifth years took their Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. After the exam, everybody was enjoying the sun by the lake while studying for the next exam, and among the other fifth years were: James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and Lily Evans. As usual, James and Sirius tease Snape until Lily intervenes making them release Snape. Lily is called a bunch of foul names for a muggle born witch and James steps in attempting to make Snape apologize to Lily. After this scene, Harry learns that James was conceited and Lily hated him. He used to think it was good to be like his father but now he hates his father. Harry is also confused about why Lily married James if she hated him and if James forced Lily to so he tries to talk to Sirius and Lupin.

The Weasley twins set off one last distraction so that Harry can talk to Sirius and Lupin via the fireplace in Umbridge’s office. Eventually they are caught so they decide to leave school, using the winnings from the Triwizard Tournament that Harry had given them to finally start their joke shop. While talking to Sirius and Lupin, Harry learns that James and Lily started dating in the seventh year after James became a little less conceited.

Harry and the others witness a group of people attempting to capture Hagrid to expel him during their O.W.L.s. Professor McGonagall intervenes and is hit with a large number of Stun Charms, which requires her to be hospitalized at St. Mungo’s. During another one of his exams, Harry dozes off and has a dream which seems to complete the journey down the hallway as Voldemort, he has Sirius captured in the Department of Mysteries, and is torturing him slowly.

Harry and his crew make a desperate attempt to contact Sirius via the fireplace in Umbridge’s office but the Black family’s house-elf tells Harry that Voldemort has taken his godfather, and Umbridge and her gang of students, all Slytherin capture Harry’s gang. Harry learns that it was she who sent the dementors on him last summer. Thinking fast Hermione makes up a story that they were trying to contact Dumbledore saying that the weapon is ready.

Both Harry and Hermione know there isn’t a weapon but Umbridge believes Hermione so they lead her into the woods knowing the centaurs are disposed in hatred against adult wizards. The centaurs take Umbridge away and are about to do the same to Harry and Hermione, when Hagrid’s half-brother a small giant named Grawp appears and distracts the centaurs. The rest appear and they all decide to fly on thestrals (horse-like creatures which only people who have seen death can see) to the Ministry of Magic to rescue Sirius.

After arriving at the Department of Mysteries, they do not find Voldemort and Sirius but a bunch of Death Eaters. The vision of Sirius’s torture at the Department of Mysteries was a trap and Harry is there to retrieve a prophecy. Voldemort wants the prophecy because it will tell him why he was left powerless when he tried to kill Harry when he was a baby.

A great chase begins, with the students versus the Death Eaters. Then most of the adult members who are in the Order of the Phoenix appear to save the students (who most are injured and were near defeat). During the battle though the glass sphere, which held the prophecy, is shattered, and the prophecy is recited but nobody hears it. The most tragic thing that happens is that Sirius is fatally struck by a curse from the wand of his cousin and Death Eater, Bellatrix Lestrange. Sirius falls through a veil held inside of an archway and supposedly dies. Then in the nick of time, Dumbledore shows up and ropes off most of the Death Eaters, but one escapes.

Harry then chases after Bellatrix, hungry for revenge for what she did to Sirius, and as he is catching up with her in the main atrium of the Ministry of Magic, Lord Voldemort appears inside the atrium. He and Dumbledore duel, and after a dramatic fight, Voldemort flees via disapparating and takes Bellatrix with him.

Dumbledore then explains much to Harry as the story draws to a close. It is clear now that either Harry or Neville Longbottom would overtake Lord Voldemort so he chose to try to kill Harry. It is also strange that Voldemort chose to kill the half blood like himself but not the pure blood. Harry also learns the reason that he had to stay with the Dursleys. As Harry’s mother died for him, imparting him with magical protection through her sacrifice, he is safe in the Dursley’s home as Aunt Petunia shares Lily Potter’s blood, therefore the protection extends to the Dursley home and Voldemort can’t hurt him there.

In the end, Harry goes back to the Dursley’s, but now without Vernon and Petunia getting a very stern talking-to by a number of wizards in the Order including Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley, and Moody. And Harry goes back for another dreadful summer at the Dursley’s.