Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the fifth novel in the Harry Potter series. It follows Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including the surreptitious return of the antagonist Lord Voldemort, O.W.L. exams, and an obstructive Ministry of Magic. The novel was published on 21 June 2003 by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom, Scholastic in the United States, and Raincoast in Canada. It sold five million copies in the first 24 hours of publication.It is the longest book of the series.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix won several awards, including the American Library Association Best Book Award for Young Adults in 2003. The book was also made into a 2007 film, and a video game by Electronic Arts.

Plot

During the summer, Harry Potter and his cousin Dudley are attacked by Dementors. Forced to use magic to fend them off, Harry is expelled from Hogwarts, but his expulsion is postponed pending a hearing at the Ministry of Magic. Harry is whisked off to Number 12, Grimmauld Place, the childhood home of Sirius Black, by a group of wizards belonging to the Order of the Phoenix.

Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger explain that the Order is a secret organisation led by Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, dedicated to fighting Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny Weasley and Fred and George Weasley learn that Voldemort is seeking something he lacked prior to his defeat. The Ministry, led by Cornelius Fudge, refuses to accept Voldemort's return, and are running a smear campaign against Harry and Dumbledore. At the hearing, Dumbledore defends Harry, who is cleared of all charges.

At Hogwarts, Dolores Umbridge, a senior Ministry employee, becomes the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. She refuses to believe in Voldemort's return, and clashes with Harry, punishing him by having him magically carve "I must not tell lies" into the back of his hand. She also refuses to teach her students how to perform defensive magic, prompting Harry, Ron, and Hermione to form their own Defence group with other students. Umbridge, empowered by the Ministry to interfere in Hogwarts as the new High Inquisitor, bans unapproved clubs, forcing the group, now called Dumbledore's Army, to meet in secret in the Room of Requirement to practice under Harry's instruction.

One night, Harry has a vision of Voldemort's snake Nagini seriously injuring Arthur Weasley. Harry tells Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore, and Arthur is rescued. Dumbledore arranges for Harry to take Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape, another member of the Order, to protect his mind against invasions by Voldemort. Umbridge is eventually given a tip-off about Dumbledore's Army, and to prevent Harry's expulsion, Dumbledore takes responsibility for the group, and goes into hiding. Umbridge becomes headmistress.

Harry's Occlumency lessons go poorly. During one, Snape is called away, leaving behind Dumbledore's Pensieve. Harry uses the Pensieve, and sees a memory of Snape being bullied by his father, James Potter, and Sirius. Snape catches Harry and ends his lessons in a fit of rage. Harry makes no further effort to protect his mind, and during exams, Harry has a vision of Sirius being tortured by Voldemort in the Department of Mysteries. Harry uses Umbridge's fireplace to contact Grimmauld Place, and Kreacher, Sirius' house elf, claims he is gone.

Umbridge catches Harry and asks Snape for Veritaserum to question Harry, which he claims not to have. Harry covertly warns Snape of Sirius, which Snape claims to not understand. Umbridge reveals she had ordered the Dementor attack on Harry, and decides to interrogate him with the Cruciatus Curse. Hermione intervenes, convincing Umbridge that they are hiding a weapon of Dumbledore's in the Forbidden Forest. Harry and Hermione lead her there, into an area inhabited by centaurs. Umbridge provokes them, and they take her captive.

Harry and Hermione escape the centaurs. Luna, Ron, Ginny, and Neville join them, and they fly to the Ministry on Thestrals, to rescue Sirius. Once in the Department of Mysteries, they fail to find him, instead finding a glass sphere bearing Harry's and Voldemort's names. Death Eaters led by Lucius Malfoy attack them, revealing that Harry was lured here with a fake vision to secure the sphere, which is what Voldemort seeks – a recording of a prophecy concerning Harry and Voldemort.

Harry and his friends, soon joined by members of the Order, battle the Death Eaters. During the fight, Neville accidentally destroys the prophecy, and Bellatrix Lestrange kills Sirius. Harry chases after her, but is no match. Voldemort arrives to kill Harry, but Dumbledore arrives as well, dueling Voldemort to a stalemate. Voldemort possesses Harry, in an attempt to get Dumbledore to kill Harry, but Harry fights off the possession, and Voldemort escapes just as Fudge arrives. Having seen Voldemort, Fudge accepts the truth.

In his office, Dumbledore explains that Snape had understood Harry's warning, and had alerted the Order. Dumbledore also reveals that Kreacher had informed Lucius' wife of Harry and Sirius's closeness, which Voldemort had then exploited. Dumbledore also reveals that Harry is safe from Voldemort with the Dursleys, as by taking Harry in, Petunia, Lily's sister, seals the protection Harry's mother gave him. Furthermore, Dumbledore reveals the contents of the prophecy, which foretold the birth of someone with the power to defeat Voldemort. One of Voldemort's followers had overheard part of the prophecy, and informed Voldemort, who then tried to kill the baby Harry. The rest of the prophecy, which Voldemort did not hear, hinted that Voldemort would mark his opponent as an equal, and that eventually, one would kill the other.

Overwhelmed by the prophecy and mourning the loss of Sirius, Harry grows sullen, although the wizarding community now affords him great respect. Motivated by his friends, Harry returns to the Dursleys.