Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth instalment of the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling. It was published in July 2003.
The novel begins with Harry spending his summer with the Dursleys. It is an extremely hot summer and Harry has heard nothing from his friends or anyone else in the wizarding world. Frustrated, he later takes a walk to the park, where he encounters his cousin, Dudley Dursley. Harry has been suffering nightmares about Cedric Diggory, a student who was murdered by Lord Voldemort in Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts. Dudley, who has just parted from his gang, teases Harry about the nightmares. Harry loses his temper with Dudley and they suddenly find themselves being attacked by Dementors, which are creatures that drain whoever they go near of happiness. Harry saves Dudley from the Dementors by using a Patronis Charm. He then encounters Arabella Figg, an old woman who lives next door to the Dursleys, and discovers that she is a squib, which is a person who is born to magical parents but possesses no magical ability themselves.
Harry takes Dudley home. Dudley is distraught from his encounter with the Dementor and is physically sick as a result. Harry’s aunt and uncle are horrified and angry at Harry, believing that it is his fault that their son is in such a state. Harry then receives a letter from the Ministry of Magic informing him that he has been expelled from Hogwarts for using magic outside of school and that he is to attend a disciplinary hearing. Furious at what happened, Harry’s uncle Vernon locks him in his bedroom. Harry is later rescued by an advance guard who are members of a secret organisation known as the Order of the Phoenix, which was formed by Albus Dumbledore to fight Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
Harry is taken to number twelve Grimmauld Place, in London. This location is the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. Whilst there, Harry meets up with his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. His meeting with them is less than pleasant however, as he is angry with them for not contacting him all summer. Harry also meets up with his godfather, Sirius Black, an ex-prisoner of Azkaban who was wrongly accused of committing a series of murders. The members of the Order inform Harry that Voldemort is building up an army and is in the process of trying to retrieve a secret weapon.
Later, Mr Weasley, Ron’s dad, travels with Harry to the disciplinary hearing. Harry goes inside the room alone and encounters the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, who seems keen to see Harry face expulsion. Fudge refuses to believe that Voldemort is back, and accuses Harry of lying. With the help of headmaster Dumbledore and Arabella Figg, who was a witness to the Dementor attack, Harry has the charges against him dropped and is free to continue his education at Hogwarts.
Back at Grimmauld Place, Ron and Hermione receive letters from Hogwarts informing them that they have been made prefects of Gryffindor House. Harry isn’t surprised that Hermione has been made a prefect as she is a top student, but he finds himself shocked and even jealous that Ron has been selected as a prefect over him.
Later, on the train journey to Hogwarts, Harry meets Luna Lovegood, a girl who has a wild imagination and as a result is seen has being a bit strange by the other students.
At the welcome feast, Harry learns that his new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher will be Delores Umbridge, a ministry official who was present at Harry’s disciplinary hearing. Hermione states that Umbridge has been appointed as a teacher so that the Ministry can interfere at Hogwarts. Umbridge’s patronising manner quickly irritates the students. During the first lesson with her, the students are disappointed to discover that Umbridge will not be giving them any practical work, but will instead be setting them theory work. Several students complain loudly and Umbridge begins to lose her temper. Harry pushes it further by stating that if they do not undertake any practical work in their lessons, they will be unable to defend themselves in real-life situations, such as when encountering Voldemort. Furious, Umbridge gives Harry a detention.
Harry’s dislike of Umbridge increases when, during detention, she makes him write lines with a pen that causes his blood to be used as a replacement for ink. As a result, Harry’s hand is scarred. Harry becomes increasingly bad-tempered and continually snaps at Ron and Hermione as a result.
Later, Umbridge is appointed High Inquisitor at Hogwarts, This gives her the power to assess and dismiss other teachers and to set strict rules for students. She sacks Sybil Trelawney, who teaches Divination, and Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper and teacher of Care of Magical Creatures. Her sacking of Hagrid is partly due to her intense dislike of half-breeds, as Hagrid is a half-giant.
With their important OWL examinations coming up, Hermione worries about how they can properly defend themselves without the practical work in Defence Against the Dark Arts. She arranges a visit to the Hogs Head, a pub in the village Hogsmeade, where a bunch of students are waiting. Her idea is for Harry to teach the students how to defend themselves. She believes that his encounters with Voldemort are enough for him to teach the students to defend themselves. Harry agrees to teach them and they set up a group called "Dumbledore’s Army". Harry is particularly pleased to see that Cho Chang, a girl he likes and the ex-girlfriend of Cedric, has joined the group. Cho sends off several signals that indicate that she likes Harry and the two of them eventually share a kiss after one of Harry’s teaching sessions at Christmas.
Meanwhile, Harry has been having a series of strange dreams, which involve him trying to get through a door in the Depart of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic. That Christmas, he has an extremely disturbing dream where he is a snake. In the dream, the snake viciously attacks Mr Weasley, injuring him badly. Harry knows that the event has really taken place and Ron’s dad is found just in time. Harry begins to feel distanced from his friends and everyone around him, as he believes that something is wrong with him as a result of his dreams. Mr Weasley makes a full recovery.
Students and teachers at the school are horrified to discover that a mass breakout has taken place at Azkaban. Meaning that Voldemort’s most faithful Death Eaters have broken free, including Bellatrix Lestrange, who tortured the parents of Neville Longbottom, Harry’s schoolmate.
Things continue to go wrong when Dumbledore’s Army are discovered by the Inquisitorial Squad, a group consisting of mainly Slytherins, including Draco, who were recruited by Umbridge. It is then discovered that a girl named Marietta, a friend of Cho’s and a member of Dumbedore’s Army, revealed the secret location to Umbridge.
Later, Ron’s brothers, Fred and George, decide to leave school for good, causing choas in the process, to open their own joke shop. Umbridge becomes headmistress after Dumbledore takes the blame for Harry’s secret meetings.
Harry has lessons with his potions master Snape, where he is taught Occlumency, which will enable him to stop Voldemort from intruding his mind. The lessons go wrong when Harry, who is practising and trying to stop Snape from intruding in his mind, accidentally sees into Snape’s mind. During this moment, Harry ends up in Snape’s thoughts and witnesses his own father bullying Snape, which explains Snape’s hatred towards both Harry’s dad and Harry himself.
During an OWL exam later, Harry has a vision of Sirius being tortured by Voldemort. Worried, he tells Ron and Hermione that he needs to get to the Ministry, which is where he saw Sirius being tortured. Hermione tells Harry that Voldemort may simply be tricking Harry into thinking that Sirius is there, but Harry does not listen. Umbridge and the Inquisitorial Squad try to stop the trio, But Hermione tricks Umbridge, leading Umbridge to what she thinks is Dumbedore’s secret weapon but is actually Grawp, Hagrid’s giant half-brother, who is being hidden in the forest. Whilst there, Umbridge is attacked by centaurs.
The trio, along with Luna, Neville and Ron’s sister Ginny, travel to the ministry. They seek out the room from Harry’s dreams and just as Harry grabs a glass ball, the group are surrounded by Death Eaters. The glass ball is revealed to be a prophecy, which is the weapon that Voldemort is after.
Later, members of the Order arrive, including Sirius, who, just as Hermione had said, had not been captured. During a battle, the prophecy is broken. Harry watches in horror as his godfather is hit by a jet of light from Bellatrix’s wand. Sirius falls back through a veiled archway. Harry attempts to go after him, but is stopped by Remus Lupin, who informs Harry that Sirius is gone. Dumbledore is also present, having arrived just before Sirius was killed.
Distraught and angry, Harry chases Bellatrix. Voldemort then appears and a duel takes place between him and Dumbledore. Voldemort then possesses Harry briefly in the hope that it will force Dumbledore to kill him. Harry fights it however, and at that moment Cornelius Fudge, along with other ministry officials, appear and realise that Harry and Dumbledore were telling the truth all along – Voldemort is back.
Voldemort disapparates and takes Bellatrix with him. The rest of the Death Eaters, including Lucius Malfoy, Draco’s father, are captured. Harry, full of grief from the death of his godfather, is angry at Dumbledore, who explains about the prophecy. He informs Harry that the prophecy was made by Professor Trelawney when Harry was a baby. She revealed that "the one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches…born to those who have thrice defied him".
Since Harry’s parents and Neville Longbottom’s parents had both defied Voldemort this amount of times, it meant that both Harry and Neville were seen as a threat to him. However, it was Harry that Voldemort saw as more of a threat, as Harry was a half-blood like Voldemort himself.
It is at this moment that Dumbledore, who has been reinstated as headmaster, displays how much he cares for Harry. He explains to Harry that he did not make Harry a prefect as he felt Harry already had too many responsibilities.
Harry wonders if it is possible that Sirius could be a ghost, so he goes to see another ghost named Nearly-Headless Nick. Nick explains that Sirius will not come back as a ghost because he did not fear death. He explains that Sirius has moved on, which saddens Harry further.
Later, as Harry is about to leave, Alastor Moody, an Order member, offers support by warning Uncle Vernon, who has come to collect Harry at the station, not to mistreat Harry. Harry leaves with his uncle, leaving Ron and Hermione and preparing himself for yet another summer with the Dursleys.
The novel begins with Harry spending his summer with the Dursleys. It is an extremely hot summer and Harry has heard nothing from his friends or anyone else in the wizarding world. Frustrated, he later takes a walk to the park, where he encounters his cousin, Dudley Dursley. Harry has been suffering nightmares about Cedric Diggory, a student who was murdered by Lord Voldemort in Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts. Dudley, who has just parted from his gang, teases Harry about the nightmares. Harry loses his temper with Dudley and they suddenly find themselves being attacked by Dementors, which are creatures that drain whoever they go near of happiness. Harry saves Dudley from the Dementors by using a Patronis Charm. He then encounters Arabella Figg, an old woman who lives next door to the Dursleys, and discovers that she is a squib, which is a person who is born to magical parents but possesses no magical ability themselves.
Harry takes Dudley home. Dudley is distraught from his encounter with the Dementor and is physically sick as a result. Harry’s aunt and uncle are horrified and angry at Harry, believing that it is his fault that their son is in such a state. Harry then receives a letter from the Ministry of Magic informing him that he has been expelled from Hogwarts for using magic outside of school and that he is to attend a disciplinary hearing. Furious at what happened, Harry’s uncle Vernon locks him in his bedroom. Harry is later rescued by an advance guard who are members of a secret organisation known as the Order of the Phoenix, which was formed by Albus Dumbledore to fight Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
Later, Mr Weasley, Ron’s dad, travels with Harry to the disciplinary hearing. Harry goes inside the room alone and encounters the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, who seems keen to see Harry face expulsion. Fudge refuses to believe that Voldemort is back, and accuses Harry of lying. With the help of headmaster Dumbledore and Arabella Figg, who was a witness to the Dementor attack, Harry has the charges against him dropped and is free to continue his education at Hogwarts.
Back at Grimmauld Place, Ron and Hermione receive letters from Hogwarts informing them that they have been made prefects of Gryffindor House. Harry isn’t surprised that Hermione has been made a prefect as she is a top student, but he finds himself shocked and even jealous that Ron has been selected as a prefect over him.
Later, on the train journey to Hogwarts, Harry meets Luna Lovegood, a girl who has a wild imagination and as a result is seen has being a bit strange by the other students.
At the welcome feast, Harry learns that his new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher will be Delores Umbridge, a ministry official who was present at Harry’s disciplinary hearing. Hermione states that Umbridge has been appointed as a teacher so that the Ministry can interfere at Hogwarts. Umbridge’s patronising manner quickly irritates the students. During the first lesson with her, the students are disappointed to discover that Umbridge will not be giving them any practical work, but will instead be setting them theory work. Several students complain loudly and Umbridge begins to lose her temper. Harry pushes it further by stating that if they do not undertake any practical work in their lessons, they will be unable to defend themselves in real-life situations, such as when encountering Voldemort. Furious, Umbridge gives Harry a detention.
Harry’s dislike of Umbridge increases when, during detention, she makes him write lines with a pen that causes his blood to be used as a replacement for ink. As a result, Harry’s hand is scarred. Harry becomes increasingly bad-tempered and continually snaps at Ron and Hermione as a result.
Later, Umbridge is appointed High Inquisitor at Hogwarts, This gives her the power to assess and dismiss other teachers and to set strict rules for students. She sacks Sybil Trelawney, who teaches Divination, and Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper and teacher of Care of Magical Creatures. Her sacking of Hagrid is partly due to her intense dislike of half-breeds, as Hagrid is a half-giant.
With their important OWL examinations coming up, Hermione worries about how they can properly defend themselves without the practical work in Defence Against the Dark Arts. She arranges a visit to the Hogs Head, a pub in the village Hogsmeade, where a bunch of students are waiting. Her idea is for Harry to teach the students how to defend themselves. She believes that his encounters with Voldemort are enough for him to teach the students to defend themselves. Harry agrees to teach them and they set up a group called "Dumbledore’s Army". Harry is particularly pleased to see that Cho Chang, a girl he likes and the ex-girlfriend of Cedric, has joined the group. Cho sends off several signals that indicate that she likes Harry and the two of them eventually share a kiss after one of Harry’s teaching sessions at Christmas.
Meanwhile, Harry has been having a series of strange dreams, which involve him trying to get through a door in the Depart of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic. That Christmas, he has an extremely disturbing dream where he is a snake. In the dream, the snake viciously attacks Mr Weasley, injuring him badly. Harry knows that the event has really taken place and Ron’s dad is found just in time. Harry begins to feel distanced from his friends and everyone around him, as he believes that something is wrong with him as a result of his dreams. Mr Weasley makes a full recovery.
Students and teachers at the school are horrified to discover that a mass breakout has taken place at Azkaban. Meaning that Voldemort’s most faithful Death Eaters have broken free, including Bellatrix Lestrange, who tortured the parents of Neville Longbottom, Harry’s schoolmate.
Things continue to go wrong when Dumbledore’s Army are discovered by the Inquisitorial Squad, a group consisting of mainly Slytherins, including Draco, who were recruited by Umbridge. It is then discovered that a girl named Marietta, a friend of Cho’s and a member of Dumbedore’s Army, revealed the secret location to Umbridge.
Later, Ron’s brothers, Fred and George, decide to leave school for good, causing choas in the process, to open their own joke shop. Umbridge becomes headmistress after Dumbledore takes the blame for Harry’s secret meetings.
Harry has lessons with his potions master Snape, where he is taught Occlumency, which will enable him to stop Voldemort from intruding his mind. The lessons go wrong when Harry, who is practising and trying to stop Snape from intruding in his mind, accidentally sees into Snape’s mind. During this moment, Harry ends up in Snape’s thoughts and witnesses his own father bullying Snape, which explains Snape’s hatred towards both Harry’s dad and Harry himself.
During an OWL exam later, Harry has a vision of Sirius being tortured by Voldemort. Worried, he tells Ron and Hermione that he needs to get to the Ministry, which is where he saw Sirius being tortured. Hermione tells Harry that Voldemort may simply be tricking Harry into thinking that Sirius is there, but Harry does not listen. Umbridge and the Inquisitorial Squad try to stop the trio, But Hermione tricks Umbridge, leading Umbridge to what she thinks is Dumbedore’s secret weapon but is actually Grawp, Hagrid’s giant half-brother, who is being hidden in the forest. Whilst there, Umbridge is attacked by centaurs.
The trio, along with Luna, Neville and Ron’s sister Ginny, travel to the ministry. They seek out the room from Harry’s dreams and just as Harry grabs a glass ball, the group are surrounded by Death Eaters. The glass ball is revealed to be a prophecy, which is the weapon that Voldemort is after.
Later, members of the Order arrive, including Sirius, who, just as Hermione had said, had not been captured. During a battle, the prophecy is broken. Harry watches in horror as his godfather is hit by a jet of light from Bellatrix’s wand. Sirius falls back through a veiled archway. Harry attempts to go after him, but is stopped by Remus Lupin, who informs Harry that Sirius is gone. Dumbledore is also present, having arrived just before Sirius was killed.
Distraught and angry, Harry chases Bellatrix. Voldemort then appears and a duel takes place between him and Dumbledore. Voldemort then possesses Harry briefly in the hope that it will force Dumbledore to kill him. Harry fights it however, and at that moment Cornelius Fudge, along with other ministry officials, appear and realise that Harry and Dumbledore were telling the truth all along – Voldemort is back.
Voldemort disapparates and takes Bellatrix with him. The rest of the Death Eaters, including Lucius Malfoy, Draco’s father, are captured. Harry, full of grief from the death of his godfather, is angry at Dumbledore, who explains about the prophecy. He informs Harry that the prophecy was made by Professor Trelawney when Harry was a baby. She revealed that "the one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches…born to those who have thrice defied him".
Since Harry’s parents and Neville Longbottom’s parents had both defied Voldemort this amount of times, it meant that both Harry and Neville were seen as a threat to him. However, it was Harry that Voldemort saw as more of a threat, as Harry was a half-blood like Voldemort himself.
It is at this moment that Dumbledore, who has been reinstated as headmaster, displays how much he cares for Harry. He explains to Harry that he did not make Harry a prefect as he felt Harry already had too many responsibilities.
Harry wonders if it is possible that Sirius could be a ghost, so he goes to see another ghost named Nearly-Headless Nick. Nick explains that Sirius will not come back as a ghost because he did not fear death. He explains that Sirius has moved on, which saddens Harry further.
Later, as Harry is about to leave, Alastor Moody, an Order member, offers support by warning Uncle Vernon, who has come to collect Harry at the station, not to mistreat Harry. Harry leaves with his uncle, leaving Ron and Hermione and preparing himself for yet another summer with the Dursleys.
