Harry Potter, #5
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
by J.K. Rowling
Contents
The Order of the Phoenix
Overview
Sirius confirms 12 Grimmauld Place is his ancestral home and Order headquarters. Over dinner, tensions flare between Sirius and Molly over how much Harry should know. Harry learns Voldemort is recruiting secretly while the Ministry denies his return and undermines Dumbledore. Talk stops when Molly intervenes after a hint of a new weapon.
Summary
Sirius leads Harry to the basement kitchen of 12 Grimmauld Place, revealing it is his late parents’ house and now Order headquarters. The room is crowded with Order members and Weasleys preparing dinner amid clutter and magical mishaps. Sirius, confined by both the Ministry’s pursuit and Dumbledore’s caution, voices bitterness about his enforced idleness and the house’s grim state.
As they eat, household cleanup plans are discussed, Tonks entertains with metamorphmagus tricks, and Arthur, Bill, and Lupin debate goblin politics. Mundungus amuses some with shady tales, drawing Molly’s ire. Underneath the banter, Sirius’s sarcasm signals frustration, and Molly’s disapproval of Mundungus underscores tensions within the Order.
After pudding, Sirius challenges the rule of secrecy around Harry. Molly insists Harry is too young, while Sirius argues Harry’s experiences entitle him to answers. The dispute escalates, with Molly accusing Sirius of conflating Harry with James. Mr. Weasley and Lupin mediate; Lupin suggests giving Harry the general picture. Molly grudgingly allows Fred and George to stay, but sends Ginny upstairs amid renewed shrieks from Mrs. Black’s portrait.
Harry asks about Voldemort’s activities. Sirius and Lupin explain there have been no conspicuous murders because secrecy serves Voldemort after Harry exposed his return to Dumbledore. The Order is working to block his plans, chiefly his recruitment of followers and Dark creatures. Tonks and Arthur detail the Ministry’s denial under Fudge, who fears Dumbledore, leans on the Daily Prophet, and is discrediting Dumbledore internationally and legally.
The group emphasizes their limited ability to spread the truth due to legal and reputational risks, noting allies like Kingsley Shacklebolt. Pressed on Voldemort’s aims beyond recruitment, Sirius hints at “a weapon” he lacked before. Molly returns and ends the briefing, asserting boundaries and refusing Harry’s request to join the Order. Lupin supports closing the discussion, and the teens are sent to bed.
Who Appears
- Harry PotterSeeks answers about Voldemort; learns of secret recruitment, Ministry denial, and hints of a new weapon; denied Order membership.
- Sirius BlackHost and owner of Grimmauld Place; frustrated by confinement; pushes to inform Harry; clashes with Molly; hints at Voldemort’s new weapon.
- Molly WeasleyManages dinner and house; opposes telling Harry too much; clashes with Sirius; ultimately ends the briefing and sends youths to bed.
- Remus LupinMediates dispute; supports giving Harry the general picture; explains Ministry politics and Voldemort’s secrecy; backs ending discussion.
- Arthur WeasleyHelps cook; explains Fudge’s fear of Dumbledore; balances Molly’s stance with limited support for informing Harry.
- Bill WeasleyDiscusses goblins; confirms Order’s efforts to warn people; notes Dumbledore’s standing and Voldemort’s fear of him.
- Nymphadora TonksProvides levity with metamorphmagus tricks; supports explanation of Ministry denial; helps in the kitchen.
- Mundungus FletcherShifty Order member; apologizes for abandoning duty; shares dubious dealings; valued for criminal contacts.
- Ron WeasleyDemands inclusion; stays for the briefing and expects Harry to share details with him and Hermione.
- Hermione GrangerWants information; remains for the briefing; listens to the Order’s assessment of Voldemort and the Ministry.
- Fred WeasleyOf age; causes kitchen chaos with magic; argues for inclusion and stays to hear the briefing.
- George WeasleyOf age; joins Fred’s antics; argues to stay and hears the Order’s update.
- Ginny WeasleyProtests exclusion but is sent to bed before the main briefing.