Harry Potter, #5

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

by J.K. Rowling

Genre

Fantasy, Young Adult, Children's

Year

2003

Pages

870

Contents

Beyond the Veil

Previous: The Department of Mysteries Next: The Only One He Ever Feared

Overview

Harry and friends are cornered by Death Eaters in the Hall of Prophecy. A chaotic chase through the Department of Mysteries ends with injuries, capture attempts, and the prophecy’s destruction. The Order arrives to help, Dumbledore appears, and Bellatrix’s spell knocks Sirius through the Veil, leaving Harry devastated.

Summary

Lucius Malfoy and Death Eaters surround Harry’s group, demanding the prophecy. Bellatrix Lestrange taunts them and threatens Ginny, but Malfoy forbids smashing the sphere. Stalling for time, Harry learns the orb concerns a prophecy about Voldemort and himself and that only the subjects can retrieve it. On Harry’s signal, the six blast shelves, unleashing spectral prophecies and chaos, then flee.

Separated in the Department of Mysteries, Harry, Hermione, and Neville duel Death Eaters in the Time Room; Hermione silences one but is felled by Dolohov’s slashing curse. A Death Eater’s head is trapped in the time bell jar, morphing grotesquely. Harry stuns Dolohov and confirms Hermione is alive. Neville, with Hermione’s wand and a broken nose, helps carry her as they push on.

They reunite with Luna, Ron, and Ginny in the rotating corridor. Ron is delirious from a jinx; Ginny’s ankle is broken. Pursued into the Brain Room, they try sealing doors, but more Death Eaters pour in. Ron summons a brain that ensnares him; Ginny is stunned; Luna is knocked out. Harry and Neville draw pursuers away; Harry tumbles into the Death Chamber, where more Death Eaters converge around the Veil.

Lucius Malfoy captures Neville and Bellatrix tortures him with the Cruciatus Curse, forcing Harry to offer the prophecy. As Malfoy reaches for it, members of the Order—Sirius, Lupin, Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley—arrive, turning the battle. In the melee, Harry and Neville fight free; Dolohov is twice bound; Macnair is stunned. Malfoy tackles Harry, and in the struggle the prophecy is kicked and shatters, its contents lost.

Dumbledore arrives, swiftly subduing fleeing Death Eaters. Sirius duels Bellatrix, laughing off her first curse, but her second red jet strikes him. Sirius falls backward through the Veil and vanishes. Harry races to the dais, but Lupin restrains him, telling Harry there is nothing he can do—Sirius is gone.

Who Appears

Harry Potter

Leads his friends, stalls Death Eaters, orchestrates escape, battles fiercely; loses the prophecy and witnesses Sirius fall beyond the Veil.
Bellatrix Lestrange

Sadistic Death Eater; taunts Harry, tortures Neville, duels Sirius, and casts the spell that precedes Sirius’s fall.
Lucius Malfoy

Death Eater leader in the raid; demands the prophecy, threatens Harry’s friends, and battles until the Order arrives.
Neville Longbottom

Bravely fights despite injuries and broken wand; resists torture, saves Harry, but accidentally helps break the prophecy.
Hermione Granger

Duels skillfully, silences a Death Eater, then is felled by Dolohov’s curse; unconscious but alive.
Ron Weasley

Hit by a befuddling jinx; delirious and ensnared by a summoned brain’s tendrils.
Ginny Weasley

Injured in the planet room; fights on a broken ankle before being stunned.
Luna Lovegood

Assists Ginny, seals doors, then is blasted unconscious by incoming Death Eaters.
Sirius Black

Arrives with the Order, duels fiercely; struck by Bellatrix and falls through the Veil to his death.
Albus Dumbledore

Arrives at the climax, subdues Death Eaters with decisive magic; too late to save Sirius.
Remus Lupin

Fights to protect Harry; shields him from Malfoy and holds Harry back after Sirius falls.
Nymphadora Tonks

Arrives with the Order, stuns at least one foe, then is blasted down the steps.
Kingsley Shacklebolt

Battles multiple Death Eaters, including Rookwood, during the chaotic melee.
Alastor Moody

Joins the fight; injured and loses his magical eye in the fray.
Antonin Dolohov

Seriously injures Hermione, duels Harry and Sirius; twice body-bound by Harry.
Walden Macnair

Attacks Harry; is stunned after Neville jabs his eye through his mask.
Augustus Rookwood

Mask-less Death Eater who duels Kingsley during the battle.