Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5)

Title: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5)

Author: J.K. Rowling

Published in: 2003

Date read: 18th January 2005

Score: 5/5

Genre: Childrens' fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" by J.K. Rowling is the fifth book in the series, a pivotal and often darker instalment where Harry grapples with the denial of the wizarding world, the return of Voldemort, and the emotional turbulence of adolescence.

The story begins with Harry Potter enduring a particularly frustrating summer in Privet Drive. He is isolated, receiving no news from his wizarding friends, and increasingly agitated by the Ministry of Magic's public denial of Lord Voldemort's return. After a Dementor attack in Little Whinging forces him to use magic in front of a Muggle (his cousin Dudley), Harry faces a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry, narrowly avoiding expulsion thanks to Albus Dumbledore's intervention.

He is then swiftly taken to Grimmauld Place, the ancestral home of Sirius Black and the secret headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. This clandestine organization, led by Dumbledore and composed of trusted witches and wizards (including Remus Lupin, Mad-Eye Moody, and the Weasleys), is dedicated to fighting Voldemort and his Death Eaters in secret, as the Ministry of Magic, under Cornelius Fudge, refuses to acknowledge the threat.

Back at Hogwarts, Harry, Ron, and Hermione discover that the Ministry's influence extends to the school. A new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge, is appointed. She is a cruel, simpering bureaucrat from the Ministry who embodies their denial and control. Umbridge systematically undermines Dumbledore, refuses to teach practical defensive magic, and institutes draconian rules, punishing students with disturbing methods (like making Harry write lines with a quill that carves the words into his hand).

Frustrated by the lack of proper training and the Ministry's propaganda, Harry, Hermione, and Ron form Dumbledore's Army (D.A.), a secret student organization to teach practical Defence Against the Dark Arts. They meet in the Room of Requirement, with Harry reluctantly serving as their teacher. The D.A. becomes a symbol of resistance against Umbridge's oppressive regime.

As the school year progresses, Harry is plagued by disturbing dreams and visions, often from Voldemort's perspective, due to a psychic connection between them. Dumbledore arranges for Harry to take Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape to block his mind from Voldemort, but the lessons are fraught with tension and animosity.

The climax of the novel occurs when Harry has a vivid vision of Sirius Black being tortured by Voldemort at the Ministry of Magic. Convinced his godfather is in mortal danger, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, and Ginny Weasley infiltrate the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries. They are seeking a prophecy concerning Harry and Voldemort.

However, the vision turns out to be a trap set by Voldemort. The students are ambushed by Death Eaters, including Bellatrix Lestrange, a fanatical follower of Voldemort. A chaotic and destructive battle ensues, with members of the Order of the Phoenix arriving to help. During the fight, Sirius Black is tragically killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, falling through the Veil in the Death Chamber, a devastating loss for Harry.

In the aftermath, Dumbledore arrives and duels Voldemort in the Ministry Atrium. During this epic magical battle, Cornelius Fudge and other Ministry officials finally witness Voldemort's return, shattering their denial. Dumbledore then reveals the prophecy: "neither can live while the other survives," explaining that Harry must eventually kill Voldemort, or be killed by him. Harry ends the book grappling with profound grief, anger, and the heavy burden of the prophecy, knowing that a full-scale war is now inevitable.

Comments:
Well, I thought that the last two had become darker! This introduces children to a variety of situations that some may not have experienced before: loss, powerlessness, injustice, treachery and hopelessness. Harsh lessons, but there is always light at the end of the tunnel.

Books that we've read by J.K. Rowling (7):
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter, #1) (1997), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2) (1998), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3) (1999), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4) (2000), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5) (2003), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6) (2005), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7) (2007)