Plot
Trouble before school
Harry is spending another miserable summer at Privet Drive: not only is he bracing himself for Voldemort's return, but he has had little contact from the wizarding world. When Harry and his cousin Dudley are attacked by Dementors in Little Whinging, Harry repels them with a Patronus Charm. An owl letter soon arrives stating Harry has been expelled from Hogwarts for performing magic outside school. Several more letters arrive in quick succession: Arthur Weasley and Sirius Black instruct Harry to remain in the house, while another overturns his expulsion and orders him to appear at a hearing at the Ministry of Magic.
Order of the Phoenix members arrive to escort Harry to their secret headquarters at the Black family home, Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place in London. The Weasley family, Hermione Granger, and Harry’s godfather Sirius Black are there. Harry learns that Voldemort is building an army and is attempting to retrieve a "weapon". A few days later, Arthur Weasley escorts Harry to his hearing where he is cleared after testimony from Albus Dumbledore and Harry's neighbour, Arabella Figg.
Problems at Hogwarts
Ron and Hermione are named prefects, leaving Harry somewhat jealous. At Hogwarts, they are surprised that Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister and who presided at Harry's hearing, has been appointed as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Hermione infers that the Ministry is interfering with Hogwarts, and it is soon apparent that Hermione is correct; Umbridge teaches only Ministry approved theory rather than practical defence methods, and appears to be there primarily to spy on the school. She is soon appointed as High Inquisitor, arbitrarily imposing strict rules and regulations. She also harbours racial hatred for "half-breeds," such as centaurs, werewolves, and similar creatures. She considers Rubeus Hagrid (a half-giant) and Sybill Trelawney incompetent, who is soon sacked. Hagrid is dismissed later as well. Although Dumbledore is unable to prevent Trelawney's dismissal, he invokes his authority to allow her to remain in the castle and appoints a new Divination teacher — the centaur, Firenze.
Harry has been having disturbing dreams about running down a hallway and attempting to open a door in the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries. He also dreams he is a snake attacking Ron's father. Mr. Weasley is indeed found injured at the Ministry, suffering from severe venomous snake bites, which causes Harry to fear that he is being possessed by Voldemort. In response, Dumbledore has Severus Snape teach Harry Occlumency to block his mind from intrusion, but their mutual animosity ends their lessons prematurely.
Hermione blackmails journalist Rita Skeeter into writing a favourable article about Harry witnessing Voldemort's return. Ravenclaw student Luna Lovegood's father publishes the story in his magazine, The Quibbler. Furious, Umbridge bans the tabloid from the school. The story spreads rapidly, however, gathering support for Harry.
Dumbledore's Army and the Student Revolt
Hermione convinces Harry to secretly teach students Defense Against the Dark Arts. They name their clandestine group "Dumbledore's Army", or "D.A." for short, to mock the Ministry of Magic, which fears Dumbledore is creating a secret wizard army. Under Harry's tutoring, the group, consisting of Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs, learn how to defend themselves against the Dark Arts. When Umbridge uncovers the group's meetings, Dumbledore claims that he organized it, to protect the students from reprisal. Confronted by two Aurors (Dawlish and Shacklebolt), Minister Fudge, Percy Weasley and Umbridge, Dumbledore easily overpowers them and is spectacularly whisked away by his phoenix, Fawkes.
Umbridge is appointed Headmistress and imposes even tighter control on the school. Fed up, The Weasley twins instigate and lead a revolt, creating non-stop chaos throughout the school. The staff purposely do nothing to help Umbridge regain control. Fred and George are caught, but summoning their confiscated brooms, they zoom off, leaving the school for good to open their own joke shop in Diagon Alley, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
Visions
Harry receives a vision that Sirius is being tortured at the Department of Mysteries, although Hermione suspects it may be a trap. Harry desperately attempts to contact Sirius at Grimmauld Place via the Floo Network in Umbridge's office fireplace, but he is caught. Umbridge reveals it was she who sent the Dementors to attack Harry during the summer. As she is about to use the illegal Cruciatus Curse on him, Hermione claims that Dumbledore has hidden a powerful weapon in the Forbidden Forest. She leads Harry and Umbridge into the forest where they encounter the centaurs. Umbridge foolishly insults them and an angry centaur picks up Umbridge and carries her off screaming into the woods. When Hagrid's giant half-brother, Grawp, crashes onto the scene, Hermione and Harry escape amid the chaos. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, along with fellow D.A. members Ginny, Neville, and Ravenclaw Luna fly to the Ministry of Magic on the school's Thestrals, unaware they are being lured into a trap.
Battle at the Department of Mysteries
When they arrive at the Department of Mysteries, they are ambushed by Death Eaters. The students heroically defend themselves, but are outmatched. As they are nearly defeated, Order members arrive. During the ensuing battle, the glass prophecy sphere that Voldemort was seeking is shattered and the prophecy lost. Sirius is blasted with a spell by his Death Eater godfather , Bellatrix Lestrange, and falling backwards, disappears through a mysterious veiled archway. Lupin restrains Harry, who tries to rescue Sirius, telling him Sirius is dead. The Death Eaters are captured, except for Bellatrix Lestrange, who Harry pursues into the atrium. Lord Voldemort appears and attacks Harry, but he is saved by Dumbledore, who duels Voldemort. Ministry of Magic employees arrive in time to see the Dark Lord before he Disapparates, taking Lestrange with him. Cornelius Fudge finally admits that Voldemort has returned, and Rita Skeeter's story is reprinted in the Daily Prophet, exonerating Harry and Dumbledore.
Later, Dumbledore apologizes to Harry for withholding information over the past five years. He reveals the lost prophecy given to him by Sybill Trelawney, for it was to him that it was first told: either Harry or Voldemort must die at the hands of the other, for neither can live while the other survives. Dumbledore also reveals that, due to when the boy was predicted to be born, Neville Longbottom could also have been the child in the prophecy. Dumbledore believes Voldemort chose to attack Harry because he is a half-blood like himself; Neville is a pureblood. In so doing, the Dark Lord marked Harry as his equal. Dumbledore also discloses why he continues to send Harry back to the Dursleys' home for the summer. He tells Harry that when his mother died to protect him, this initiated an ancient magic. As long as Harry stays at the house of his blood-relative long enough to call it a home, it would provide for him a shield protection not even Voldemort is able to overcome. Furthermore, Dumbledore explains to Harry why he had not made him a prefect: he thought that Harry had enough to worry about and did not want to burden him with more responsibilities.
Dealing with loss
Shortly before the school year ends, Harry seeks Nearly Headless Nick. He asks him if Sirius can come back as a ghost. Nick explains that Sirius "will have...gone on", as it is only those wizards and witches who fear death that choose to remain on Earth as ghosts. Still grieving, Harry finds Luna Lovegood hanging posters in the hall asking about the whereabouts of her missing possessions. She tells Harry that while some students harass her by taking her things and hiding them, she says that, "They'll come back in the end, they always do." Taking this in context with his recent loss, Harry feels slightly better.
At King's Cross station, several Order members escort Harry to meet the Dursleys. Alastor Moody warns Vernon Dursley that if they give Harry any trouble over the summer, they will intervene. Harry leaves with the Dursleys to head back to 4 Privet Drive
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