Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Chapter by Chapter

chapter synopses by Maureen Knight
notes by Steve Vander Ark and Michele L. Worley

Chapter One - Dudley Demented
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 1)

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

Chapter Two - A Peck of Owls
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 2)

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.

Chapter Three - The Advance Guard
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 3)

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.

Chapter Four - Number Twelve Grimmauld Place
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 4)

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

Chapter Five - The Order of the Phoenix
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 5)
In which Harry learns of Sirius Black's family background, and Molly and Sirius have a row regarding what is best for Harry.

Chapter Six - The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 6)
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.

Chapter Seven - The Ministry of Magic
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 7)

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.

Chapter Eight - The Hearing
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 8)

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.

Chapter Nine - The Woes of Mrs. Weasley
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 9)

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

Chapter Ten - Luna Lovegood
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 10)

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.

Chapter Eleven - The Sorting Hat's New Song
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 11)

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.

Chapter Twelve - Professor Umbridge
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 12)

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.

Chapter Thirteen - Detention With Dolores
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 13)

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.

Chapter Fourteen - Percy and Padfoot
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 14)

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.

Chapter Fifteen - The Hogwarts High Inquisitor
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 15)

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.

Chapter Sixteen - In The Hog's Head
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 16)

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.

Chapter Seventeen - Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 17)

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.

Chapter Eighteen - Dumbledore's Army
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 18)

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.

Chapter Nineteen - The Lion and the Serpent
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 19)

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

Chapter Twenty - Hagrid's Tale
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 20)

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.

Chapter Twenty-One - The Eye of the Snake
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 21)

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.

Chapter Twenty-Two - St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 22)

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.

Chapter Twenty-Three - Christmas on the Closed Ward
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 23)

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.

Chapter Twenty-Four - Occlumency
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 24)

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.

Chapter Twenty-Five - The Beetle at Bay
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 25)

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.

Chapter Twenty-Six - Seen and Unforeseen
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 26)

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.

Chapter Twenty-Seven - The Centaur and the Sneak
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 27)

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.

Chapter Twenty-Eight - Snape's Worst Memory
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 28)

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.

Chapter Twenty-Nine - Career Advice
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 29)

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.

Chapter Thirty - Grawp
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 30)

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.

Chapter Thirty-One - O.W.L.S
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 31)

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.

Chapter Thirty-Two - Out of the Fire
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 32)

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.

Chapter Thirty-Three - Fight and Flight
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 33)

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.

Chapter Thirty-Four - The Department of Mysteries
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 34)

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.

Chapter Thirty-Five - Beyond the Veil
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 35)

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.

Chapter Thirty-Six - The Only One He Ever Feared
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 36)

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.

Chapter Thirty-Seven - The Lost Prophecy
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 37)

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.

Chapter Thirty-Eight - The Second War Begins
(Reader's Guide to Chapter 38)

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.