Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix Book Cover

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Year One at Hogwarts Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Year Two at Hogwarts Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Year Three at Hogwarts Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Year Four at Hogwarts Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Year Five at Hogwarts Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth book in the series. The first four Potter novels came out one per year and the long wait for the fifth book built up the interest to a fever pitch. During the intervening three years the first two of the Harry Potter films was released, Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them were published, the first Harry Potter convention was planned to be held in Orlando a few weeks after the release, and Harry Potter fandom grew into a worldwide phenomenon.

It was published on 21 June 2003.

Resources:

Reader’s Guide to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

a complete chapter-by-chapter guide with notes and commentary

OP1 – Dudley Demented

In which Harry is angry and picks on Dudley, Dudley is attacked by dementors, and their neighbor Mrs. Figg returns.

OP2 – A Peck of Owls

In which Harry is expelled from Hogwarts, Uncle Vernon swears, Aunt Petunia reveals knowledge of the Wizarding world, Dumbledore interferes and Harry is no longer expelled, but suspended pending a Ministry of Magic disciplinary hearing.

OP3 – The Advance Guard

In which Harry is rescued from number four Privet Drive, Remus Lupin and Alastor “Mad Eye” Moody are reintroduced, and Harry meets Nymphadora Tonks for the first time.

OP4 – Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place

In which Harry is reunited with Ron and Hermione, learns of the Order of the Phoenix, and is reunited with his godfather, Sirius Black.

OP5 – The Order of the Phoenix

In which Harry learns of Sirius Black’s family background, and Molly and Sirius have a row regarding what is best for Harry.

OP6 – The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black

In which Harry, Sirius, and the Weasleys clean the Black house; Kreacher, the Black family house-elf, shows another darker side to house-elves; Harry is shown the Black family tree; and we learn that Sirius is not only related to the Weasleys and Tonks, but to the Malfoys and the Lestranges.

OP7 – The Ministry of Magic

In which Arthur Weasley takes Harry to the Ministry of Magic for his scheduled hearing and Harry gets a look at the Ministry building and the setup of its offices.

OP8 – The Hearing

In which Harry attends his hearing, Fudge continues to disbelieve him about Voldemort’s return, and Dumbledore arrives to assist Harry. Mrs. Figg testifies and Harry is cleared of all charges.

OP9 – The Woes of Mrs. Weasley

In which Ron and Hermione become prefects, Harry is jealous, and Mrs. Weasley’s boggart is revealed.

OP10 – Luna Lovegood

In which Harry and the Weasleys are late for the Hogwarts Express (again), Harry and Ginny encounter Neville on the train, and they are introduced to Luna Lovegood and her father’s magazine, The Quibbler. Cho Chang makes a brief appearance, and Harry sees what actually pulls the school carriages.

OP11 – The Sorting Hat’s New Song

In which the start-of-term-feast takes place, the Sorting Hat gives warning in its new song, Harry recognizes Dolores Umbridge as she is introduced as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and Harry learns that not everyone believes that Voldemort is back.

OP12 – Professor Umbridge

Tower

In which Fred and George advertise for volunteers to test their products, the trio discusses their schedules and the upcoming O.W.L.s, Harry has an outburst in Defence Against the Dark Arts, Umbridge assigns him detention for a week, and McGonagall warns him to keep his temper under control.

OP13 – Detention with Dolores

In which Hermione stops the twins from experimenting on first years, Ron tries to stop unknowing house-elves from taking Hermione’s knitted hats, and Professor Grubbly-Plank teaches Care of Magical Creatures as there is still no sign of Hagrid. Harry serves Umbridge’s detentions, in which an enchanted quill cuts lines into the back of his hand, and Ron tries out for and makes the Gryffindor team as Keeper.

OP14 – Percy and Padfoot

In which Harry sends a letter to Sirius, he encounters Cho Chang and she calls him brave, and the Gryffindor team’s first practice is less than spectacular. Percy sends Ron a letter warning him against continuing his friendship with Harry, and Sirius communicates with Harry through the common room fire.

OP15 – The Hogwarts High Inquisitor

In which Umbridge is made Hogwarts High Inquisitor, and Harry loses his temper again in Defence Against the Dark Arts, serving another week’s detention. Umbridge observes the professors in class, and Ron and Hermione try to convince Harry to give Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons.

OP16 – In the Hog’s Head

In which Harry, Hermione, and Ron hold a meeting at The Hog’s Head to discuss with other students the possibility of Harry giving them Defence lessons, and Hermione tells Ron and Harry that Ginny is dating Michael Corner.

OP17 – Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four

In which the High Inquisitor orders all Student Organizations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs disbanded, Harry and Ron learn that boys are not allowed in the girls’ dormitory, Hedwig is hurt coming back from London, and Sirius is almost caught by Umbridge in the Gryffindor common room fireplace.

OP18 – Dumbledore’s Army

In which Harry again dreams of the windowless corridor with the door at the end, Dobby tells Harry about the Room of Requirement, and Dumbledore’s Army meets for the first time.

OP19 – The Lion and the Serpent Starlink battle for atlas trailer.

In which Gryffindor defeats Slytherin, but Harry, Fred, and George are given a lifetime ban from Quidditch by Umbridge for fighting with Malfoy.

OP20 – Hagrid’s Tale

In which Hagrid returns and tells the story of his journey with Madame Maxime to the land of the giants, where they were unsuccessful in gaining an alliance.

OP21 – The Eye of the Snake

In which Hagrid’s class is observed by Umbridge, Ginny Weasley replaces Harry as Gryffindor’s Seeker, Dumbledore’s Army meets again, and Harry and Cho kiss. In a dream, Harry witnesses Arthur Weasley being bitten by a huge snake.

OP22 – St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries

In which Arthur Weasley is rushed to St. Mungo’s Hospital, Dumbledore sends Harry and the Weasleys back to Sirius’ house, and they visit Arthur in hospital as he makes his recovery.

OP23 – Christmas on the Closed Ward

In which Harry speculates on why Dumbledore will not look him in the eye, Hermione joins Harry and the Weasleys at Grimmauld Place for Christmas, and Percy sends back his Weasley sweater. They visit Arthur in St. Mungo’s, encounter Gilderoy Lockhart, and see Neville with his gran visiting his parents.

OP24 – Occlumency

In which Harry and the Weasleys return to Hogwarts after the holidays and Harry begins Occlumency lessons with Snape, during which Harry sees the dark corridor in the Department of Mysteries that he often dreams about.

OP25 – The Beetle at Bay

In which there is a mass breakout from Azkaban, a Ministry worker dies under suspicious circumstances, and Umbridge bans the teachers from giving students information unrelated to their subjects. Harry and Cho go on a date to Hogsmeade, and Hermione and Luna Lovegood arrange for Harry to tell Rita Skeeter his story, to be published in Luna’s father’s paper, The Quibbler.

OP26 – Seen and Unforseen

In which Hermione gives Harry advice on his love life, Gryffindor continues its losing streak at Quidditch, and Harry’s article is published in The Quibbler – which is quickly outlawed at Hogwarts by Umbridge. Harry has another disturbing dream from Voldemort’s point of view, Harry continues his Occlumency lessons with Snape, Trelawney is sacked, and Firenze the centaur is hired to teach Divination.

OP27 – The Centaur and the Sneak

In which Harry and his classmates have their first Divination lesson with Firenze, Marietta Edgecombe tells Umbridge of the D.A.’s meeting but suffers the effects of Hermione’s jinx, Dobby warns Harry that the D.A. has been found out, and Harry denies the meetings to Fudge and Umbridge. Kingsley Shacklebolt modifies Marietta’s memory, and Dumbledore takes the blame and leaves Hogwarts.

OP28 – Snape’s Worst Memory

In which Umbridge replaces Dumbledore as Head of Hogwarts, the students (with the help of Fred’s and George’s inventions) rebel while the staff sit back and watch, and Umbridge tries to get Harry to tell her where Dumbledore is hiding. Harry confronts Cho about her friend Marietta, continues his Occlumency lessons with Snape, and while poking around in Snape’s Pensieve discovers that his father may have been every bit as arrogant as Snape had previously told him.

OP29 – Career Advice

In which Harry tells Ginny of his desire to talk to Sirius, receives career advice from Professor McGonagall, breaks into Umbridge’s office to use her floo to talk to Sirius about his father, and Fred and George leave Hogwarts.

OP30 – Grawp

In which Harry recalls the dream again, the Gryffindors play Ravenclaw for the final match of the Quidditch season, and Hagrid introduces Harry and Hermione to his half-brother, Grawp, making them promise to look after Grawp if he has to leave. Gryffindor wins the match and the Quidditch Cup, and Ron is carried triumphantly off the pitch.

OP31 – O.W.L.S.

In which Harry and Hermione tell Ron about Grawp, the fifth years take their O.W.L.s, Hagrid is sacked, McGonagall is stunned, and Harry dreams that Sirius is being tortured.

OP32 – Out of the Fire

In which Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna help Harry break into Umbridge’s office, Kreacher leads Harry to believe that Sirius is at the Department of Mysteries, and Hermione tricks Umbridge into taking her and Harry into the Forbidden Forest.

OP33 – Fight and Flight

In which Hermione and Harry lead Umbridge into the Forbidden Forest, Umbridge insults the centaurs and they take her away, Grawp rescues Harry and Hermione from the centaurs, and Ron rejoins them with Neville, Ginny, and Luna, who insist on helping them in their fight. Luna suggests using the thestrals to get them to London.

And

OP34 – The Department of Mysteries

In which Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Luna fly to London on thestrals, they are allowed access to the Ministry of Magic through the telephone booth, and they enter the Department of Mysteries – specifically the room containing small glass spheres, one of which is marked with Harry’s name, and is later discovered to be a prophecy.

OP35 – Beyond the Veil

In which Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, and other Death Eaters arrive and attempt to take the prophecy away from Harry. The D.A. members fight the Death Eaters and are separated. Hermione is hurt, Neville’s nose is broken, and when they are reunited with the others, Ginny’s ankle is broken and Ron is badly injured. Later, Luna is hurt. Remus, Sirius, Dumbledore, and other members of the Order of the Phoenix arrive to fight the Death Eaters. Sirius duels with Bellatrix and loses his life through the veil.

OP36 – The Only One He Ever Feared

In which Harry pursues Bellatrix and learns he is incapable of an Unforgivable Curse; Voldemort shows up; Dumbledore saves Harry from the Killing Curse; Fudge and other Ministry members witness Voldemort’s return; and Dumbledore reinstates himself as Headmaster.

OP37 – The Lost Prophecy

In which Harry has his final outburst in anguish over Sirius’ death, and Dumbledore tells him everything – about why he must return to the Dursleys every year, about the prophecy, about how Voldemort marked him as his equal, about how it could as easily been Neville, and about how either Harry or Voldemort must die. Dumbledore also admits to allowing his emotions to blur his judgment with Harry.

OP38 – The Second War Begins

In which Ron and Hermione are recovering from their injuries, Fudge publicly admits to Voldemort’s return, McGonagall returns from St. Mungo’s, and Harry asks Nearly Headless Nick about ghosts. Harry rides home with Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna on the train; Moody, Lupin, and Tonks meet him at the train station and warn the Dursleys to be good to him during the summer.

Dedication

To Neil, Jessica and David,
who make my world magical.
Neil is Dr. Neil Murray, JKR's husband. Jessica and David are her children. Jessica has the singular distinction of being the first person to appear in two of Jo's dedications -- she was mentioned in the dedication of book one.

Interesting facts and notes

Original Bloomsbury cover art:

The original Bloomsbury cover by Jason Cockroft portrays a phoenix rising from flames. A single gold feather decorates the spine of the book. The battle in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic appears on the back cover, with the symbol-filled ceiling and the gold statues of the Fountain of Magical Brethren. Harry and Dumbledore are seen amidst waves of water, wandsout and ready.

Title pages:

Pertinent text from the title pages: [image]

First published in Great Britain in 2003
Copyright © 2003 J.K. Rowling
Cover illustrations by Jason Cockroft © 2003 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Harry Potter, names, characters and related indicia are
copyright and trademark Warner Bros., 2000 [TM]The moral right of the author has been asserted

The 'moral right' which Rowling is claiming is part of the European copyright law. It allows Rowling to maintain a level of control over the Harry Potter stories, characters, etc. even though she has sold rights to Warner Bros. and other companies, and is therefore a very good thing for the integrity of the Harry Potter stories. This moral right is not recognized by the United States, although some US copyright law does approximate the moral right clause of the Berne Convention.

Original Scholastic cover art:

The US cover was painted by Mary GrandPré. It shows Harry in the circular room at the entrance to the Department of Mysteries.

At 870 pages, this is the longest of the Harry Potter books.

  • The Braille version of the novel consists of about 1440 pages split between sixteen bound volumes (source: BBC).

Characters Introduced

AuthorJ.K. Rowling
UK Edition 2003 Bloomsbury
Publication June 2003
Abbreviation Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Commentary

Harry Potter is spending another tedious summer with hisdreadful Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon when a group of evil spiritscalled “dementors” stage an unexpected attack on Harry and his cousin Dudley.After using magic to defend himself, Harry is visited by a groupof wizards and whisked off to number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.Number twelve is the home of Harry’s godfather, Sirius Black, andthe headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. The Order is a groupof wizards, led by Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, dedicatedto fighting evil Lord Voldemort and his followers. The Order isforced to operate in secrecy, outside of the jurisdiction of theMinistry of Magic, which is headed by the dense and corrupt CorneliusFudge. Fudge refuses to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned.

Harry used magic to fight off the dementors, and sinceunderage wizards are not permitted to use their wands outside ofschool, he must face a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry. WithDumbledore’s help, Harry is cleared and permitted to return to HogwartsSchool of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Reunited with his best friends, Ron and Hermione, Harry returnsto Hogwarts and learns that Dolores Umbridge, an employee of Fudge,will be his new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. The SortingHat, which traditionally sorts all new students into one of fourhouses, cautions the students against becoming too internally divided.Meanwhile, the wizard newspaper, the Daily Prophet,continues printing untrue and unfair stories about Harry. Many ofhis classmates are whispering about him behind his back, but Harryignores them and tries to concentrate on his studies, since allfifth-year students at Hogwarts are required to take O.W.L.s, or OrdinaryWizarding Level examinations.

Umbridge refuses to teach her students how to performDefense spells, and before long, Fudge appoints her High Inquisitorof Hogwarts, giving her the authority to inspect all faculty membersand evaluate their skills. In desperation, Harry, Hermione, andRon form their own Defense Against the Dark Arts group, also knownas the D.A., or Dumbledore’s Army. Twenty-five other students sign up,and they meet as often as possible to learn and practice Defense spells.Harry wishes desperately to contact his godfather Sirius to discussthe situation, but Umbridge is inspecting all Owl Mail and patrollingthe fires that students can use to make contact with wizards residingoutside of Hogwarts. Umbridge openly dislikes Harry, whom she considersa liar, and eventually bans him from the Gryffindor Quidditch team.Ron’s twin brothers, Fred and George, storm out of Hogwarts in protest,moving to London where they plan to open a joke shop using the moneyHarry won last year in the Triwizard Tournament.

Harry continues to have upsetting dreams about walkingdown a corridor at the Department of Mysteries, deep inside theMinistry of Magic. At the end of the corridor, Harry goes throughseveral doors and enters a room full of dusty glass spheres. Harryalways wakes up before he finds out what the dream means or whatthe spheres signify. One night, Harry has a vision where he inhabitsthe body of a large snake, and attacks Ron’s father. Harry wakesup horrified, and Professor McGonagall takes him to Dumbledore immediately. Dumbledoreuses the portraits on the walls of his office to raise an alert,and Mr. Weasley is promptly rescued by two members of the Order.Dumbledore then demands that Harry take Occlumency lessons withProfessor Snape, which should help Harry protect his mind againstfurther invasions by Lord Voldemort.

Harry is unsuccessful at Occlumency because he has suchdifficulty clearing his mind of all thoughts, making it difficultfor him to focus on closing his mind off to all outside influence.Meanwhile, his scar (from the attack in which Voldemort killed Harry’sparents) burns horribly every time Voldemort experiences a powerfulemotion. The D.A. continues to meet regularly, and Harry’s peersshow great improvement until they are caught by Umbridge. Dumbledore takesfull responsibility for the group and resigns as Headmaster. Umbridgetakes over his position. The students begin taking their O.W.L.exams, and Harry has another vision, this time about Sirius beingheld captive and tortured by Voldemort. Horrified, Harry becomesdetermined to save him. Hermione warns Harry that Voldemort maybe deliberately trying to lure Harry to the Department of Mysteries,but Harry is too concerned about Sirius to take any chances.

Harry sneaks into Umbridge’s office, and, using her fireplace, transportshimself to Twelve Grimmauld Place to look for Sirius. Kreacher,the Black house elf, tells Harry that Sirius is at the Ministryof Magic. Harry returns to Hogwarts to find that he and his friendshave been caught in Umbridge’s office. Hermione and Harry convinceUmbridge to follow them into the forest, where they claim to behiding a weapon for Dumbledore. Once in the forest, Centaurs carryUmbridge away. Harry and his friends climb aboard flying horsescalled thestrals and speed off to the Ministry. Once they arrive,Harry cannot find Sirius and realizes that Hermione was right. Harryalso sees that one of the glass spheres has his name on it, as wellas Voldemort’s. Harry grabs the sphere, and Death Eaters surroundto attack, demanding that Harry hand over the prophecy. Employingall of their Defense skills, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna,and Neville have moderate success fighting the Death Eaters, butthey are ultimately helped enormously by the arrival of several membersof the Order. In the midst of the fight, Harry drops the glass sphere,and it shatters. Meanwhile, Sirius’ own cousin, Death Eater BellatrixLestrange, kills Sirius. Harry is devastated.

Dumbledore appears and corrals the Death Eaters. Voldemort andLestrange escape, just as Fudge shows up. Dumbledore sends Harryback to school, where he explains how the sphere was a prophecy,which stated that Harry has a power that Voldemort does not knowabout. Dumbledore explains that this power is love. The prophecygoes on to claim that Harry will either destroy Voldemort or bedestroyed by him. Dumbledore takes this opportunity to tell Harrywhy he must spend his summers with the Durselys in Little Whinging.Because Harry’s mother died to save him, he is blessed with herlove, a blessing that can be sealed only by blood. Harry’s AuntPetunia, his mother’s sister, makes that bond complete by takingHarry into her home. As long as he still calls Little Whinging home,Harry is safe. With this news, Harry returns to his Aunt and Uncle’shouse for one more miserable summer.