Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Chapter Twenty-One:
The Eye of the Snake

"What did he say prefers the dark - did you hear?"

Synopsis by Maureen Knight
Notes and links by Steve Vander Ark and Michele L. Worley

U.S. hardcover edition: pages 441 - 465
U.K. hardcover edition: pages aaa - bbb
U.K. paperback edition: pages 486 - 512
Timeframe: Sunday, 8 November - Wednesday, 18 December, 1995 [Y15]

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.

Interesting facts and notes about the text of this chapter:

Again we see thestrals and the entrance to the Department of Mysteries in this chapter, although the two are not yet linked.

the bruises that had been purple on Saturday night

'HA!'

Characters introduced in this chapter:

• Tenebrus

• (unnamed) large snake that bit Arthur Weasley (in Harry's vision)

• (unnamed) second-years who jump when Ron yells in the Common Room

Characters returning in this chapter:

• Bell, Katie

• Brown, Lavender

• Chang, Cho

• Crabbe, Vincent

• Edgecombe, Marietta

• Finnigan, Seamus

• Goyle, Gregory

• Granger, Hermione

• Hagrid, Rubeus

• Johnson, Angelina

• Jordan, Lee

• Longbottom, Neville

• Lovegood, Luna

• Malfoy, Draco

• McGonagall, Minerva

• Nott, Theodore (as a 'stringy Slytherin boy')

• Parkinson, Pansy

• Patil, Padma

• Patil, Parvati

• Potter, Harry

• Smith, Zacharias

• Spinnet, Alicia

• Thomas, Dean

• Umbridge, Dolores

• Weasley, Arthur (in Harry's vision)

• Weasley, Fred

• Weasley, George

• Weasley, Ron

Characters mentioned in this chapter:

• Black, Sirius

• Diggory, Cedric

• Dobby

• Dumbledore, Albus (as 'the headmaster')

• Fridwulfa

• Grubbly-Plank, Wilhelmina

• Kirke, Andrew

• Krum, Viktor

• Peeves

• Riddle, Tom Marvolo (as Voldemort)

• Sloper, Jack

• Weasley, Ginny

• Weasley, Molly

• (unnamed) Neville's grandad, who he saw die

• (unnamed) Hogwarts house-elves

Settings and locations introduced or returning in this chapter:

• Forbidden Forest

• Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

  • Great Hall

  • Gryffindor Tower:

    • common room

    • Harry's dormitory

  • Room of Requirement

• Ministry of Magic Headquarters (in Harry's vision, though he doesn't realize it yet)

Settings and locations mentioned in this chapter:

• Burrow, the

• Hogsmeade

• Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

• greenhouses

• Hagrid's hut

Exceptional character moments:

• Umbridge, who again speaks to Hagrid as though he is mentally deficient.

Spells:

• Apparition (mentioned)

• Impediment Jinx

• Patronus

• Stunning Spells

• (unnamed) 'complicated little wave' Hermione uses to steam-dry her robes (and later melt snow)

Links and Resources:

• Bestiary

  • chimaera

  • knarl

  • thestrals

  • Nargles

• Chocolate Frog cards

• D.A., the

• Harry's dreams

• Gryffindor Quidditch Team

Memorable lines:

• "Well Hagrid," [Umbridge] turned to look up at him again, speaking once more in that loud, slow voice, "I think I've got enough to be getting along with.... You will receive" - she mimed taking something from the air in front of her - "the results of your inspection" - she pointed at the clipboard - "in ten days' time." She held up ten stubby little fingers, then, her smile wider and more toadlike than ever before beneath her green hat, she bustled from their midst.

• "[Thestrals] are very interesting, aren't they? The way some people can see them and some can't! I wish I could." "Do you?" Harry asked her quietly.

• Dobby had taken it upon himself to decorate the place for Christmas. He could tell the elf had done it, because nobody else would have strung a hundred golden baubles from the ceiling, each showing a picture of Harry's face and bearing the legend HAVE A VERY HARRY CHRISTMAS!

• "Mistletoe," said Luna dreamily, pointing at a large clump of white berries placed almost over Harry's head. He jumped out from under it. "Good thinking," said Luna very seriously. "It's often infested with nargles."

• "Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have."

Strictly British:

• crackers

• git

• happy Christmas

• loo

• prefect

Timelines/Calendar:

The chapter begins on the Sunday in November immediately following the Gryffindor-Slytherin match and continues through to the evening of the final D.A. meeting. We know it's a Wednesday because Hermione says two days later that it's the last day of term, so with the calendar we've been using for the term, that would make this 18 December.