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Order of the Phoenix (fictional organisation)
Order of the Phoenix (fictional organisation)
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Order of the Phoenix
Left to right: Order of the Phoenix members Mad-Eye Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Albus Dumbledore[a]
UniverseWizarding World
Founded1970s
Location
Leader
PurposeTo prevent Lord Voldemort from conquering the world
AffiliationsDumbledore's Army
EnemiesLord Voldemort, Death Eaters

The Order of the Phoenix is a fictional organisation in the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling. Founded by Albus Dumbledore to fight Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters, the Order lends its name to the fifth book of the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The original members of the Order of the Phoenix include: Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Alastor Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, James Potter, Lily Potter (née Evans), Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Emmeline Vance, Marlene McKinnon, Mary MacDonald, Frank Longbottom, Alice Longbottom, Benjy Fenwick, Edgar Bones, Sturgis Podmore, Caradoc Dearborn, Hestia Jones, Rubeus Hagrid, Fabian Prewett and his twin Gideon Prewett, Dorcas Meadowes, Severus Snape, Aberforth Dumbledore, Elphias Doge, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher and Dedalus Diggle.

Synopsis

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Before the chronology of the Harry Potter novel series starts, the character Lord Voldemort declared war on the Wizarding World. Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts, attempted to stop Voldemort by founding the Order of the Phoenix. Several characters joined the organisation, seeking to prevent Voldemort from taking over the Wizarding World and establishing a tyrannical new world order. During this period, before the events of the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the Order sustained heavy losses, including the murders of minor characters such as the Prewetts, the Bones and the McKinnons. The Longbottoms were also tortured to insanity at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange.

Voldemort's first reign of terror ended after the murders of James and Lily Potter, and the unsuccessful attempt to murder their son, Harry Potter, at the beginning of the series. The spell rebounded on to him and severely diminished Voldemort's powers and, as a result, the Order was temporarily disbanded due to the lack of any further threat.

When Harry reported that Voldemort had returned, towards the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore reactivated the Order. Many of the original members returned and were soon joined by recruits who effectively replaced those who had died in service during the first conflict. The Order established their headquarters at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, Sirius Black's family home, during the interval between the fourth and fifth books in the series. Dumbledore was the Secret-Keeper for the Order, meaning that only he could reveal the location of the Order's headquarters to others. Dumbledore's death in book six made the location vulnerable and it was abandoned in favour of The Burrow as a result.

The Order led the fight against Voldemort in the fifth instalment while Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge refused to accept the return of Voldemort. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, some Order members take turns guarding Sybill Trelawney's prophecy, which referred to Voldemort's downfall and Harry's role in defeating him. Rubeus Hagrid, the Hogwarts Grounds Keeper and an original Member of the Order, was accompanied by Olympe Maxime in an attempt to recruit the giants to the Order's cause. Some members also participated in a battle at the Department of Mysteries near the end of the fifth book. Order members patrolled Hogwarts, the Wizarding school, on the night of Dumbledore's death in Half-Blood Prince, fighting the Death Eaters who managed to enter the castle.

In the series finale, attention turns to escorting the Death Eaters' main target, Harry Potter, from his summer home with the Dursleys to the Weasleys' Burrow. Later in the novel, after Voldemort's takeover of the Ministry had succeeded, some Order members hosted "Potterwatch", a secret pirate radio programme providing news on the Wizarding World that Voldemort's regime did not want the general population to know. During the climax of the book, most of the Order, aided by Dumbledore's Army, the Hogwarts staff and the older students, Slytherin house members included,[4] fought against the Death Eaters in the Battle of Hogwarts, in which several Order members and other allies lost their lives.

Members

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Original Order

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The following characters were members of the Order of the Phoenix during Voldemort's initial rise to power and several years prior to the events of the Harry Potter series. Many of these characters later serve as members of the revived Order.

Character Description and Accomplishments
Sirius Black Falsely accused of murdering twelve Muggles and betraying Lily and James Potter to Voldemort. Escapes from Azkaban and joins the revived Order. Killed by his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange. Godfather of Harry Potter.
Edgar Bones Brother of Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Uncle of Susan Bones. Killed by Death Eaters.
Caradoc Dearborn Went missing during the First Wizarding War. Presumably killed by Death Eaters.
Dedalus Diggle Member of the Advance Guard that helped Harry escape from the Dursleys' house in Order of the Phoenix. Helped the Dursleys find safety in Deathly Hallows. Diggle is portrayed by David Brett in the film adaptation of Philosopher's Stone.
Elphias Doge Writes an obituary for his school friend Albus Dumbledore in The Daily Prophet. Portrayed by Peter Cartwright in the film adaptation of Order of the Phoenix and by David Ryall in Deathly Hallows – Part 1.
Aberforth Dumbledore Brother of Albus Dumbledore. Bartender of The Hog's Head and a member of the revived Order. In Deathly Hallows, he sends Dobby to rescue Harry and other prisoners from Malfoy Manor. He later helps Harry enter Hogwarts.
Albus Dumbledore Founder of the original Order and the architect of its revival. Headmaster of Hogwarts for several decades. He is regarded by many as the greatest wizard of his time, and is reportedly the only wizard Voldemort ever feared.
Benjy Fenwick Blasted to pieces by Death Eaters. Only "bits of him" were recovered.
Arabella Figg An elderly Squib enlisted by Dumbledore to watch over Harry during his childhood from her nearby home. Serves in the revived Order.
Mundungus Fletcher Thief and con man who Dumbledore once helped "out of a tight spot" and in return kept Dumbledore notified of things he would hear from the criminal element of the Wizarding World. He was a reluctant member of the group sent to retrieve Harry in Deathly Hallows and panicked when Voldemort pursued him, disapparating to an unknown location and leaving Alastor Moody to be killed by Voldemort.
Rubeus Hagrid Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts and temporary Care of Magical Creatures Teacher. He was charged with the task of rescuing Harry from the destroyed Potter house in Godric's Hollow on Halloween 1981 and bringing him on Sirius's flying motorcycle to the Dursleys' house. Served in the revived Order. During the escape from the Dursleys, Harry and Hagrid were both nearly killed in the crash of the flying motorcycle.
Alice and Frank Longbottom Neville Longbottom's parents. They were also prominent Aurors and had "thrice defied" Voldemort by 1981. Tortured to the point of insanity with the Cruciatus Curse by a group of Death Eaters led by Bellatrix Lestrange who were looking for information on Lord Voldemort's whereabouts. Since then, Frank and Alice reside in a closed ward of St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, leaving Neville to be raised by his paternal grandmother Augusta Longbottom. James Payton and Lisa Wood portrayed (respectively) Frank and Alice Longbottom briefly in Order of the Phoenix.
Remus Lupin A werewolf and member of the original Order, also served in the revived Order as an integral part of the Advance Guard sent to safeguard Harry Potter, as he was someone whom Harry would recognize and instantly trust. In The Prisoner of Azkaban he became the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher but was later forced to resign after his lycanthropy was revealed to the student body by Professor Snape. Later went underground to infiltrate the Werewolf community, to see whose side they would take in the war. Killed by Antonin Dolohov in the Battle of Hogwarts.[5] While he was a student at Hogwarts, Remus and his three best friends formed a tight-knit clique and called themselves the Marauders. The other members of the Marauders were James Potter (Harry Potter's father), Sirius Black (Harry Potter's godfather), and Peter Pettigrew (he later betrayed the other Marauders by becoming a Death Eater and causing the deaths of Harry's parents, Lily Evans and James Potter).
Dorcas Meadowes The only known member of the Order apart from the Potters who was personally killed by Lord Voldemort during the First War.
Marlene McKinnon Killed by Death Eaters (among them Travers, according to Igor Karkaroff) together with her whole family.
Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody A member of the original Order during the First Wizarding War. Was brought out of retirement by Albus Dumbledore but was attacked, imprisoned, and impersonated by Bartemius Crouch Jr, as he was scheduled to teach the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts during the Triwizard Tournament. Also rejoined to serve in the revived Order. Killed by Voldemort.
Peter Pettigrew He defected to the Death Eaters and betrayed James and Lily Potter, which resulted in their deaths. Served Voldemort during his exile and helped him become corporeal again, for which Voldemort rewarded him with a magical hand. He is killed by his own magical hand after Harry announces that Wormtail owes him for saving his life.
Sturgis Podmore A member of the Ministry of Magic who guarded the Prophecy until he was arrested by a Ministry security guard for trying to break into the Department of Mysteries. For this, he was sentenced to Azkaban for six months.
James and Lily Potter Harry Potter's parents, who first met at Hogwarts. They were killed by Voldemort, who also tried to kill the infant Harry.
Gideon and Fabian Prewett Molly Weasley's brothers, killed during the First War. It took five Death Eaters (including Antonin Dolohov) to kill the two of them. Molly gave Fabian's watch to Harry for his seventeenth birthday.
Severus Snape After learning that Voldemort was planning to kill Lily Potter to get to the young Harry, Snape turned secret agent for Dumbledore against Voldemort. Later served as a re-doubled agent in the second war. He was the Potions Master at Hogwarts, and his Patronus took the form of a doe, the same as Lily Potter's, the only one whom he had ever loved. Snape delivered the Sword of Godric Gryffindor to Harry in the Forest of Dean using his Patronus. Killed by Voldemort's snake Nagini during the Battle of Hogwarts.
Emmeline Vance Part of the Advance Guard that helped Harry in his escape from the Dursleys in the fifth book. Death Eaters killed her in the summer of 1996 while she was safeguarding the prime minister in the Muggle world. She is portrayed by Brigette Millar in Order of the Phoenix.

Revived Order

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These characters joined the Order when Dumbledore revived it after Lord Voldemort's return at the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Character Accomplishments and Operations
Fleur Delacour A French Wizarding student who represents the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in the Triwizard Tournament during Goblet of Fire. Fights in the Battle of Hogwarts. Marries Bill Weasley; the couple later has three children.[6]
Hestia Jones Part of the Advance Guard that helps Harry escape from the Dursleys in the fifth book. She then escorts the Dursleys into hiding at the beginning of the final book, along with Dedalus Diggle.
Minerva McGonagall Deputy Headmistress, Transfiguration teacher, and Head of Gryffindor House at Hogwarts. She only served in the revived Order as she was a spy for the Ministry of Magic during the first war, with great effect due to her Animagus capability. She lost trust in the Ministry due to the behaviour of Fudge and others like Umbridge, therefore joining the Order. Extremely supportive of Dumbledore and his ideals, and briefly served as Headmistress in the time between his death and the appointment of Severus Snape. Led the defence of the castle during the Battle of Hogwarts, and near the end, dueled Voldemort along with Kingsley Shacklebolt and Horace Slughorn.
Kingsley Shacklebolt An Auror, member of The Advance Guard, secretary/bodyguard for the Muggle Prime Minister, leader of the "search" for Sirius Black during Order of the Phoenix, and part of the group that battled the Death Eaters in the Ministry at the end of Order of the Phoenix. Helped organise the Order members and fought during the Battle of Hogwarts, near the end of the battle duelling Voldemort himself. After Voldemort's death, he became Minister for Magic.
Nymphadora Tonks Was a member of the Advance Guard, and a part of the group that battled the Death Eaters in the Ministry at the end of Order of the Phoenix. She was a Metamorphmagus, a person able to change her appearance at will, and an Auror. She married Remus Lupin, and had one child, Teddy Lupin, later revealed to have inherited his mother's metamorphmagus abilities. Later fought Death Eaters during the first attack on Hogwarts. Helped move Harry from the Dursleys to The Burrow in Deathly Hallows. Killed during the Battle of Hogwarts by her aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange.
Arthur Weasley Assisted the Order by helping contact people who would believe Dumbledore and Harry's story in Order of the Phoenix. Bitten by Nagini while guarding the door to the Department of Mysteries in Order of the Phoenix. Helped move Harry from the Dursleys to The Burrow in Deathly Hallows. Fought against Pius Thicknesse, alongside his third son, Percy Weasley, in the Second Battle of Hogwarts.
Bill Weasley Curse-breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank, thus becoming a go-between for the Order and the Goblin community. Attacked and permanently scarred by Fenrir Greyback during first attack on Hogwarts. Helped move Harry from the Dursleys to The Burrow in Deathly Hallows. Fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. Married Fleur Delacour; the couple later had three children.
Charlie Weasley Assigned to recruit foreign Order members during the summer of 1995. Led reinforcements, along with Horace Slughorn, in the Battle of Hogwarts.
Molly Weasley Helped guard the Department of Mysteries in Order of the Phoenix, allowed the Order to use her house as headquarters in Deathly Hallows, and killed Bellatrix Lestrange during the Battle of Hogwarts.

Order members

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This is a list of notable members of the Order of the Phoenix. Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Rubeus Hagrid, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Fred and George Weasley have their own pages, and Peter Pettigrew is listed under Death Eater.

Fleur Delacour

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Fleur Isabelle Weasley (née Delacour) is a student of Beauxbatons Academy in France, and is selected as a champion of the Triwizard Tournament. Her maternal grandmother is a Veela, from whom Fleur inherited her silvery-blonde hair, pale eyes, good looks, and ability to enchant men. Fleur finishes in 4th place in the Triwizard Tournament due to being Stunned during the last task.

In the following year, Fleur works at Gringotts with Bill Weasley, and the pair become engaged. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Fleur and Bill have their wedding and reception at the Burrow, but the event is interrupted when Death Eaters attack.

They begin married life in a house on a beach in Cornwall called Shell Cottage. Fleur and Bill allow Ron to stay with them after he walks out on Harry and Hermione during their hunt for Horcruxes. The newlyweds later provide a safe haven for the trio and others rescued from Malfoy Manor at Shell Cottage. Both Bill and Fleur are combatants for the Order during the Battle of Hogwarts and manage to survive it. The couple go on to have three children: Victoire, Dominique and Louis.[7]

French actress and model Clémence Poésy portrays Fleur in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and both parts of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows film adaptation.

Aberforth Dumbledore

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Aberforth Dumbledore is Albus Dumbledore's younger brother. His first appearance is in Goblet of Fire. After his parents' deaths and Albus' return home to look after their unstable sister Ariana, Aberforth quarrels with his brother and his brother's friend, Gellert Grindelwald, over their plans to start a new order, neglecting Ariana. Grindelwald began torturing him, leading to the three dueling. This argument results in Ariana's accidental death at the hands of one of them. At Ariana's funeral, Aberforth publicly confronts Albus and strikes him, breaking his nose. Eventually, Aberforth becomes the owner and barman of the Hog's Head inn. He is known for his strong affinity with goats. His Patronus takes the form of a goat, and he recounts to the trio that as a boy he fed the goats in company with his sister, Ariana. Aberforth was also tried before the Wizengamot (the Wizard High Court), for performing inappropriate charms on a goat. His tavern also, according to Harry's description in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, has a faint smell of goats. In the film adaptation, a bleating goat can be seen shuffling about in the back of the pub.

It is not until Deathly Hallows that Aberforth plays an important role in the series by taking Harry, Ron, and Hermione into his bar before the Death Eaters can capture them. Aberforth later reveals to the trio some facts they did not know about the history of the Dumbledore family. While being held prisoner in Malfoy Manor, Harry briefly glimpses Aberforth's eye in the remaining shard of the two-way mirror he was given by Sirius and calls for Aberforth's help. Aberforth bought its counterpart from Mundungus Fletcher. Using the mirror to watch over the trio, Aberforth sends Dobby to rescue them and the other prisoners from the Manor. He liked Dobby and was upset to hear Bellatrix Lestrange killed him.

Aberforth allows the resistance fighters to use a secure passageway from the Hog's Head to the Room of Requirement through Ariana's portrait, it being the only unguarded entrance into Hogwarts. This passage is used to evacuate underage students from Hogwarts and, according to Neville, it was also used by members of Dumbledore's Army to get food when they were living in the Room of Requirement because that is one thing the Room of Requirement would not do. Aberforth leaves the Order, believing the war against Voldemort is lost. However, he quickly joins the Battle of Hogwarts and is last seen Stunning Augustus Rookwood. According to Rowling, Aberforth survives the battle, and is still "at the Hog's Head, playing with his goats".[8]

He also appears in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore in which it is revealed that he has an illegitimate son named Aurelius Dumbledore as he had an affair with a woman who also lived in Godric's Hollow. She gave birth to Aurelius but, after sailing on a ship, the child was switched with Corvus Lestrange V by Leta Lestrange. Corvus and Aurelius's mother drowned, but Aurelius was adopted by Mary Lou Barebone who named him Credence Barebone. Years later, Credence transforms into an Obscurus and joins Gellert Grindelwald as he reveals his true identity to him. Credence returns to home with Aberforth when Grindelwald tried to kill him as he foils the latter's plan.

Jim McManus appeared briefly as Aberforth in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.[9] Ciarán Hinds plays Aberforth in a larger role in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. Richard Coyle plays the middle-aged version of the character in the third Fantastic Beasts film, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.

Arabella Figg

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Arabella Doreen Figg, better known simply as Mrs. Figg, is a Squib living undercover as a Muggle and on Dumbledore's orders surreptitiously watches over Harry while he is at home with the Dursleys. She is a Chekhov gun, first mentioned as a seemingly insignificant neighbour in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and not revealed as a member of the magical community until Order of the Phoenix. She has a lifelong love of cats and does "a roaring trade" in crossbred cats and Kneazles, their magical variant.[10] Within the Order of the Phoenix, she functions as one of Dumbledore's liaisons between the magical and Muggle worlds. In Order of the Phoenix, she aids Harry after he and his cousin Dudley Dursley are attacked by two Dementors, and chooses to reveal herself to him. She explains to Harry that she deliberately made Harry's stays with her unpleasant so that the Dursleys would continue to send him to her, though she would have preferred to do otherwise. When the Ministry of Magic tries to have Harry expelled from Hogwarts for underage use of magic (after he cast a Patronus charm to protect himself and his cousin), her testimony before the Wizengamot is crucial in allowing Harry to stay at Hogwarts. However, according to Rowling, Squibs are incapable of seeing Dementors,[10] and it is suggested by her manner during the trial that she has been prompted what to say with regard to the Dementors.[11] In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, she attends Dumbledore's funeral at Hogwarts.

Mrs. Figg is portrayed by Kathryn Hunter in the film adaptation of Order of the Phoenix.

Mundungus Fletcher

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Mundungus Fletcher is mentioned in passing in some of the earlier books in the series, but it is not until the second chapter of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix that he makes his first appearance. The text describes Mundungus as a "squat, unshaven man" with "short, bandy legs", "long, straggly ginger hair", and "bloodshot, baggy eyes that gave him the doleful look of a basset hound". He is involved in many illegal activities, yet he seems confined to relatively minor crimes, such as theft and trading stolen goods on the black market. Many members of the Order have mixed feelings about him, but he is very loyal to Dumbledore, who once got him out of serious trouble. His connections enable him to hear rumours and information circulating in the shadier segments of the Wizarding population - data with the potential to prove instrumental in the fight against Voldemort.

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Mundungus has managed to get out of prison, but the circumstances are unclear. He is confounded by Snape, and gives the idea of using the Polyjuice Potion and six Potter decoys to the Order and helps with the escort of Harry from Privet Drive. He travels with Mad-Eye Moody on a broomstick as one of the Potter decoys. During the flight from Privet Drive, he flees when Voldemort himself shows up. Kreacher later reveals that the property which Mundungus stole from 12 Grimmauld Place in the previous book included a heavy locket from the drawing room. That locket was Slytherin's locket Horcrux. Harry sends Kreacher to capture Mundungus, who reveals that Umbridge took the locket from him under threat of arrest.

Andy Linden plays Mundungus Fletcher in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.

Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody

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Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody is perhaps the most famous Auror in the modern times of the Wizarding World, single-handedly responsible for capturing numerous wizard criminals. Moody's face is badly scarred; he has lost several body parts while fighting Dark wizards, including his left eye, lower left leg, and part of his nose. He has replaced his missing eye with a magical one that can rotate 360 degrees and see through almost everything (including walls, doors, Invisibility Cloaks, and the back of his own head). He walks with a pronounced limp due to his prosthetic leg and uses a walking staff. He frequently exclaims "Constant vigilance!" to encourage wizards to be on their guard against the dark arts, and keeps a number of devices in his office to alert him to the presence of potential enemies. Before his retirement from the Aurors' Office, he was Nymphadora Tonks' mentor.

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Moody is appointed as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, coming out of retirement as a favour to Dumbledore. Shortly before the school year begins, however, Moody is attacked by Barty Crouch, Jr., who subdues him with the Imperius Curse and takes Polyjuice Potion to assume his appearance. He keeps the real Moody alive as a source both of Polyjuice potion ingredients and of personal information helpful in putting the impersonation over and takes Moody's place at Hogwarts. Moody's well-known habit of carrying around his own drinks in a private hip flask allows Crouch to take the Polyjuice Potion as needed to sustain the masquerade without raising suspicion.

After Harry unexpectedly returns alive from the graveyard battle with Voldemort, Crouch/Moody takes Harry back to his office, questions him about Voldemort and what happened in the graveyard, and reveals that he is working for Voldemort. He then prepares to kill Harry, but Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape stop him. Having neglected to take his hourly dose of Polyjuice potion, Crouch transforms back to his own appearance and, under the influence of Veritaserum, confesses everything. Dumbledore then rescues the real Moody from his magic trunk.[12]

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the real Moody has joined the newly re-formed Order and leads the party transferring Harry from 4 Privet Drive to Number 12 Grimmauld Place. He appears at the climax of that book, arriving at the battle at the Department of Mysteries after being tipped off by Snape.[13] In Deathly Hallows, he is killed by Voldemort while the Order is moving Harry to the Weasley house. Harry later discovers that Dolores Umbridge has stolen Moody's magical eye and is using it to watch over her employees; he steals it back and buries it in a forest.

Moody is portrayed by Brendan Gleeson in the film series.[14]

James Potter

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James Potter, nicknamed Prongs, is the father of Harry Potter and husband of Lily Evans/Potter. James met Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew when they were entering Hogwarts. When James, Sirius, and Peter discovered that Remus is, in fact, a werewolf, the three of them illegally learned to become Animagi to accompany Remus safely during his transformations. It is during this time that they discovered almost all the secret passageways of Hogwarts and designed the Marauder's Map. At school, James is said to have been a talented player and the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

Rowling describes James and Harry as having similar attributes: the same thin face, the same untidy black hair, and about the same height at school age. Rowling also describes James as having hazel eyes. Like Harry, James is generally described to be a good, loyal friend who "regarded it as the height of dishonour to mistrust his friends".[15] Characters in the books sometimes comment negatively on James' personality, about which Rowling comments that "there was a lot of good in James".[16]

His popularity was not universal, as a mutual hatred sprang up between him and Snape. Snape constantly tells Harry that James was "exceedingly arrogant",[17] and on one occasion, Sirius admits that he and James could sometimes be "arrogant little berks" but that "James grew out of it". He became Head Boy in his seventh year,[18] along with Lily Evans as the Head Girl.

In Order of the Phoenix, after seeing a scene from Snape's memories within a Pensieve of a fifteen-year-old James and Sirius bullying Snape, Harry momentarily agrees with Snape's assessment of his father's arrogance and doubted if Snape had been correct about his other insults towards James. According to Dumbledore in Philosopher's Stone, James and Snape shared a rivalry not unlike that of Draco and Harry. In addition, Lupin tells Harry that Snape "never lost an opportunity to curse James, so you couldn’t really expect James to take that lying down.".[18] According to an interview with Rowling, "James always suspected Snape harboured deeper feelings for Lily, which was a factor in James' behaviour to Snape."[5] In contrast, when Sirius attempts to lure Snape into the Shrieking Shack where Lupin stays during his werewolf transformations, James prevents him from entering the tunnel under the Whomping Willow, thus saving Snape's life.

After graduating from Hogwarts, James – along with Lily and his friends – become "full-time fighters" for the Order, and do not hold regular jobs, supporting his family and Lupin, whose status as a werewolf made him unemployable, on family gold.[19] In an interview, Rowling revealed that James and Lily were asked by Voldemort to join the Death Eaters, but refused, making it "one strike against them before they were even out of their teens".[20] When his son Harry becomes Voldemort's target, the Potters go into hiding and name Sirius Black as their secret keeper. However, the Potters thought that Sirius was an obvious choice and Black himself suggested, that they could make Pettigrew as their new secret keeper. This was a deal between the four of them (James, Lily, Sirius, Peter), not even the founder of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore, knowing about it. However, on 31 October 1981, the Potters' whereabouts are betrayed by Pettigrew, who turned out to be the spy in the Order of the Phoenix for Lord Voldemort, and they were attacked by him without a warning at their home in Godric's Hollow. James urges his wife to take Harry and run while he holds Voldemort off. Wandless, he is killed.

James and Sirius are the heroes of the Harry Potter prequel, an 800-word story set three years before Harry's birth.[21] The two friends are riding Sirius' motorbike and are chased by two Muggle policemen for breaking the speed limit. The policemen attempt to arrest them when three Death Eaters on broomsticks fly down towards them. James and Sirius use the police car as a barrier and the Death Eaters crash into it. In the end, they escape from the policemen by flying away on the motorbike.

In the film series, James is portrayed by Adrian Rawlins as an adult, Robbie Jarvis as a teenager and Alfie McIlwain as a child.[22]

Lily Potter

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Lily J. Potter (née Evans) is the mother of Harry Potter. She is described as being very pretty,[23] with startlingly green almond-shaped eyes and thick, long, dark auburn hair. She is one of the "all-time favorite students" of star collector Horace Slughorn, who describes her as "vivacious", "charming", "cheeky", and "very funny" and recalls that he "often told her she should have been in Slytherin", although Lily doesn't possess any of the qualities of a typical Slytherin, nor any other characters thought so. In addition, Slughorn says Lily is one of the brightest students he ever taught, with a natural and intuitive ability at Potions.[24][25] Rowling describes Lily as being "a bit of a catch"; she was a popular girl for whom many boys had romantic feelings.[26] Although Lily is Muggle-born, she is an extremely gifted witch at the top of her class. She became Head Girl in her seventh year. Lily's sister Petunia Dursley despised her for being a witch and viewed her as a "freak", although Petunia is later revealed to have been envious of her abilities. Rowling stated that Lily did receive warning letters for testing the limits of the Statute of Secrecy.[27] Lily's Patronus is a doe, presumably to pair with James' Animagus shape of a stag (also the form of Harry's Patronus).[5]

After witnessing a memory from Snape about Lily's and James' time as Hogwarts students, Harry gathers the impression that Lily hated James, but Sirius and Lupin assure him that she did not; they "simply got off on the wrong foot", because Snape and James hated each other, and Snape was Lily's best friend at the time, despite him sorting into Slytherin.[18] Rowling confirmed this view when asked how Lily and James had fallen in love if Lily hated him.[26] Lupin tells Harry that after James matured, Lily started seeing him in their seventh year.[18] Rowling later echoed Lupin's words, describing it as James having to "[tone] down some of his more 'bombastic' behavior".[16] They married soon after leaving Hogwarts, with Sirius as best man at their wedding.

The old, pre-Hogwarts friendship between Lily and Snape is fully revealed in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, along with the fact that Snape harboured unrequited romantic feelings for Lily from childhood. Rowling states that while Lily loved Snape as a friend, she might have returned those romantic feelings if Snape had not become so seriously involved in the Dark Arts.[28] Their relationship ends in their fifth year at Hogwarts, when Snape, in his anger and humiliation at being jinxed by James and Sirius, unthinkingly calls Lily a "Mudblood" after she defended him.

After leaving Hogwarts, Snape becomes a Death Eater and informs Voldemort of half of an overheard prophecy, which Voldemort takes to refer to Lily and her son, Harry. Fearing for Lily's life, Snape joins the Order as a spy for Dumbledore, in exchange for what he hopes will be Dumbledore's protection of Lily. Voldemort offers Lily the chance to step aside before he kills Harry because of Snape's request to spare Lily's life, but Lily refuses and Voldemort kills her.[29] The result of her selfless act of love manifests itself two ways: when Voldemort attempted to kill Harry with the Killing Curse the spell backfired, rendering Voldemort non-corporeal. The lingering protection afforded to Harry by Lily's sacrifice rendered Voldemort unable to touch him physically. The second way in which Harry is protected by Lily's sacrifice occurs when Petunia takes Harry in. Dumbledore tells Harry that Lily's protection was extended to Privet Drive because Lily and Petunia are related by blood. This protection ends when Harry comes of age at 17.

Though Harry bears a great resemblance to his father, it is often noted that he has Lily's eyes. Dumbledore has said that Harry's deepest nature is much more similar to his mother's.[30] In a 1999 interview, Rowling stated that "he has his mother's eyes, and that's very important in a future book".[31] That future book was Deathly Hallows. In Snape's death scene in that novel, after having passed on his memories to Harry, he whispers to Harry: "Look... at... me..." In one of Snape's memories, it is revealed that Dumbledore persuades Snape to protect Harry after Lily's death by mentioning the fact that he has "precisely" the same eyes as his mother. His last words to Harry were simply a desire to see Lily's eyes before he died.

Harry's dead parents are seen five times in the books (not counting their appearances in numerous magical photographs). Firstly in Philosopher's Stone, Harry sees James and Lily in the Mirror of Erised. Secondly during Harry's struggle with Voldemort in Goblet of Fire, they appear momentarily, along with other victims killed by Voldemort's wand. They appear in Snape's memories in both Order of the Phoenix and Deathly Hallows, and finally in Deathly Hallows when Harry makes his self-sacrificing walk into the Forbidden Forest, determined to let Voldemort kill him without offering resistance, Harry's parents walk at his side and Lily tells him how proud they are of him.

In an interview[32] conducted by Daniel Radcliffe, Rowling revealed that Lily Potter's maiden name, Evans, was based on the real name of the author George Eliot, Mary Anne Evans.

Lily is portrayed by Geraldine Somerville as an adult in the film series, and by Susie Shinner as a teenager and Ellie Darcey-Alden as a child.

Kingsley Shacklebolt

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Kingsley Shacklebolt is a senior Auror who acts as informer for the Order within the Ministry of Magic. He is first introduced in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, when he volunteers to be one of the members of the Advance Guard that escorted Harry from the Dursleys' home to Number 12, Grimmauld Place. Kingsley is in charge of the search for Sirius in the Ministry; however, knowing Sirius is innocent, he is supplying the Ministry false information that Sirius is in Tibet. He is present in the scene of the fifth book when Harry is confronted about Dumbledore's Army, after Marietta Edgecombe betrays it to Dolores Umbridge. Kingsley swiftly modifies Marietta's memory, but to avoid suspicion from the Ministry, Dumbledore is forced to hex him too as he flees.

Kingsley takes part in the battle at the Department of Mysteries and appears to be very skilled at duelling as he is seen fighting two Death Eaters at once. However, after Sirius is killed, he continues the duel with Bellatrix Lestrange, during which Kingsley is hit by a spell that causes a "loud bang" and he hits the ground "yelling in pain". In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the new Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, appoints Kingsley to the Muggle Prime Minister's office, posing as a secretary, but being the Prime Minister's guard.

It is revealed in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that Kingsley is one of the few wizards that the Dursleys seem to like, due to his skill at blending in well with Muggles and his calm, collected demeanour. In that book, Kingsley first appears with other Order members to move Harry from the Dursleys' home to safety in the Burrow. Later in the book, he manages to send a timely warning to Bill and Fleur's wedding using his Patronus, a lynx, when Voldemort overthrows the Ministry of Magic, giving the guests a chance to escape. He continues to guard the Prime Minister but is eventually forced to flee. He later is heard preaching equal rights for Muggles and Wizards on the pirate radio programme "Potterwatch" under the pseudonym "Royal". In the Battle of Hogwarts, he is first seen organising those who remained to fight. He is later seen dueling an unnamed Death Eater, and ends up duelling Voldemort himself, alongside Minerva McGonagall and Horace Slughorn, but after Bellatrix's death, Voldemort's anger erupts; Kingsley and the two others are defeated (although not killed). Kingsley is appointed temporary Minister for Magic following the death of Voldemort and the deposition of Voldemort's puppet ruler, Pius Thicknesse. However, it was later revealed by Rowling in an interview that Kingsley did become the new Minister permanently, revolutionising the Ministry itself.[5]

George Harris appeared as Kingsley in the movies Order of the Phoenix and both parts of Deathly Hallows.

Nymphadora Tonks

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A costume worn by Natalia Tena while playing Nymphadora Tonks

Nymphadora Vulpecula Tonks is a Metamorphmagus and an Auror. Her name means “Gift of the Nymph”. She despises her first name and prefers to be called by her surname alone. She is still referred to as "Tonks" by her peers even after her marriage.

She is described as having "a pale heart-shaped face, dark twinkling eyes", and is usually depicted with different hair colours, which she can change at will. Tonks is seen to be notoriously clumsy and unskilled at household spells. Nymphadora is the only daughter of Ted and Andromeda Tonks, the latter being sister to Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy; Nymphadora is therefore Draco Malfoy's first cousin yet she never addresses him as family, alluding to him simply as "the Malfoy boy". Tonks is sorted into Hufflepuff,[33] and graduates from Hogwarts one year before Harry enters, after which she begins three years of Auror training; under Moody's tutelage, she qualifies as an Auror one year before her first appearance in Order of the Phoenix.

Tonks and Kingsley act as spies for the Order in the Ministry. She helps to escort Harry first from the Dursleys' house to Order headquarters, and later to the Hogwarts Express. Tonks later fights the Death Eaters at the Department of Mysteries, in which she is injured by Bellatrix, and has to be taken to St Mungo's. During Half-Blood Prince, Tonks is stationed at Hogsmeade and assigned to guard Hogwarts. Harry observes she is constantly depressed and rarely smiles. Also, he sees her hair is a mousy brown instead of its usual bright bubble-gum pink. After Dumbledore's death, it is revealed that Tonks has fallen in love with Lupin, and her Patronus has, as a result, changed to the form of a wolf. Lupin is reluctant to return her affections arguing that he is "too old, too poor, and too dangerous" for her. Because of this, she falls into a depression that disturbs her magical abilities including her ability to change her appearance at will.

However, early in Deathly Hallows, Tonks announces that she has recently married Remus Lupin. Tonks accompanies twelve Order members to take Harry from the Dursleys' home to The Burrow. She flies with Ron, who impersonates Harry using Polyjuice Potion to throw the Death Eaters off the real Harry's trail. During the aerial battle, Tonks fights Bellatrix again and injures Bellatrix's husband, Rodolphus. Later in the book, Remus reveals Tonks is pregnant. He leaves her for a brief period, believing that he, through their marriage, has caused her to become an outcast and their unborn child would be better off without him, but changes his mind and returns to her side after a heated argument with Harry. In April of the seventh book, Tonks gives birth to Teddy Remus Lupin, named after her father and husband. Towards the end of the book, Tonks and Lupin join the Battle of Hogwarts. During the battle, Tonks is killed by Bellatrix, and Lupin is killed by Antonin Dolohov, leaving Teddy an orphan to be raised by his maternal grandmother, Andromeda.[5] In an interview shortly after the release of Deathly Hallows, Rowling confessed that she had originally intended for Tonks and Lupin to survive the series ending, but felt that she had to kill them after she spared Arthur Weasley in Order of the Phoenix.[34][35]

Natalia Tena played Tonks in the film versions of Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and both parts of Deathly Hallows.

Arthur Weasley

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Arthur Weasley is married to Molly Weasley, with whom he has seven children, including Ron, Harry's best friend. Arthur is described as being tall and thin, and as having a receding hairline and horn-rimmed glasses. An affable, light-hearted man, he tends not to be the authority figure in the family; his wife Molly handles that area. Arthur works for the Ministry of Magic, initially in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. He is obsessed with learning about Muggle customs and inventions and owns a large collection of mostly Muggle used items.

Mr. Weasley first appears in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, when Harry stays with the Weasley family at The Burrow during the summer before the first term of Hogwarts begins. In this book, Lucius Malfoy tries to discredit Arthur when Harry and Ron are seen flying his enchanted car and by placing Tom Riddle's diary in Ginny's cauldron so that she can open the Chamber of Secrets and take the blame for the attacks on Muggle-borns. However, Lucius fails to fulfil his objective and the diary is destroyed.

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, it seems that Arthur does not fully believe the stories of Harry's abuse at the hands of the Dursleys until he witnesses what they think about Harry and the Wizarding World and is stunned to see them so eager to say goodbye to him, before taking him to the Quidditch World Cup. At the beginning of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Mr. Weasley is a member of the Order and accompanies Harry to his visit to the Ministry. During one of his shifts in the Ministry guarding Sybill Trelawney's prophecy, Voldemort's pet snake Nagini attacks him. Harry, who is mentally connected with Voldemort, manages to see this in a vision and is able to warn the Hogwarts authorities. Arthur is subsequently saved just in time and sent to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, where he fully recovers.[36] Rowling has revealed that in the original draft for Order of the Phoenix she planned to kill Arthur.[37] She changed her mind, however, saying that she could not kill Arthur as he is one of the few good fathers in the series. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Arthur appears in the Battle of Hogwarts, in which he loses his son Fred, and is joined by Percy Weasley in defeating Pius Thicknesse.

Arthur Weasley appears in every film except the first and is portrayed by Mark Williams.

Bill Weasley

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William Arthur "Bill" Weasley is the eldest born son of Arthur Weasley and Molly Weasley. He is described to be "hard-working" and "down-to-earth", but possesses a fondness for "a bit of adventure, a bit of glamour".[38] During his time at Hogwarts, Bill becomes both a prefect and Head Boy. Later, he works for Gringotts Bank in Egypt as a Curse-Breaker.

He makes his first full appearance in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, where he is described as being a good-looking young man, sporting long red hair tied back in a ponytail and a single fang earring. When he and Mrs Weasley pay a visit to Hogwarts during the Triwizard Tournament, Fleur eyes him with "great interest". Bill returns to Britain to work with the Order in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. He meets Fleur at Gringotts head office in London where she is employed at the time, giving her lessons to improve her English. After a year-long relationship, the couple gets engaged.

Bill fights against the Death Eaters' attack at Hogwarts near the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, where he is attacked by werewolf Fenrir Greyback, who disfigures him. As Greyback was in human form at the time of the attack, Bill suffers only partial lycanthropy contamination—permanent scarring of his face, and an acquired liking for very rare beef. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Fleur and Bill take part in getting Harry escorted safely from the Dursleys' house. The couple have their wedding there and later provide a safe haven for the trio and several others in their home, Shell Cottage. Both Bill and Fleur were combatants during the Battle of Hogwarts, and both survived the battle. Bill and Fleur later have three children: Victoire, Dominique and Louis.[7]

Richard Fish appeared as Bill briefly in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Domhnall Gleeson, the son of actor Brendan Gleeson (Alastor Moody in the series), plays Bill Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows[39] and the roller coaster ride Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley in Universal Studios Florida.

Charlie Weasley

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Charlie Weasley is the second son of Arthur and Molly Weasley and is described as having a build like that of his brothers Fred and George: shorter and stockier than Bill, Percy and Ron. He has a broad, good-natured face, which is slightly weather-beaten and very freckly. His arms are muscly, and one of them has a long shiny burn. While at Hogwarts, he was a prefect,[40] a Quidditch Captain, and a legendary Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. His skills as a Seeker were so good that it was said, "He could have been capped for England if he hadn't gone off chasing dragons."

After school, Charlie chooses to go to Romania to work with dragons. At Harry, Ron and Hermione's request, he takes Hagrid's baby dragon, Norbert, an illegally hatched Norwegian Ridgeback, into his care in Harry's first year, and he is part of a team of Dragon Keepers that brings four dragons of different breeds to Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament.

During the second rise of Voldemort, Charlie's task in the Order is to try to rally support abroad. Charlie returns to the Burrow in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to participate in his brother Bill's wedding as best man. He enters the later part of the Battle of Hogwarts, alongside Horace Slughorn, at the head of reinforcements for the defenders, and survives the battle without serious injury. He does not marry or have children, since he "preferred dragons to women", according to Rowling.[7]

Alex Crockford appears briefly as Charlie in the film adaptation of Prisoner of Azkaban, when the photograph of Egypt is shown.

Molly Weasley

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Molly Weasley (née Prewett)[41] is the wife of Arthur Weasley. She is the mother of seven children, including Ron Weasley, who becomes Harry Potter's best friend. Molly is born into the pure-blood Prewett family, being the sister of Gideon and Fabian Prewett. The character is first introduced in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, when she kindly tells Harry how to cross the barrier through to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

After the return of Voldemort, Dumbledore asks Molly and Bill to join the Order and fight in the impending Second War. At the beginning of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Molly and Arthur offer the Burrow as Order headquarters when Grimmauld Place is no longer safe. She feels immensely uncomfortable with the trio's decision to drop out of Hogwarts and initially attempts to dissuade them from doing so. As the novel progresses, the family is forced to head for safety at Auntie Muriel's home. At the end of the book, Molly and her entire family fight in the Battle of Hogwarts. She is devastated by the death of her son Fred and is pushed to the edge when Bellatrix Lestrange almost strikes Ginny with the Killing Curse. Enraged, she engages Bellatrix in an intense duel, killing her with a curse that hits her in the chest.[42] Rowling has stated that the reason she had Molly kill Bellatrix was to show Molly's great powers as a witch and to provide a contrast between Molly's consumption with "maternal love" and Bellatrix's with "obsessive love".[43]

The Chicago Tribune's Courtney Crowder lists Molly Weasley as her favourite literary mother, describing her as the "original Mama Grizzly", citing her many touching moments with Harry as well as the final book in the series, where "her feelings jumped off the page" as testament to her strong personality. Crowder summarises Molly's character as "levelheaded, yet willing to fight, intelligent, welcoming, and above all, extremely loving".[44] In a Mother's Day article Molly was also voted the third greatest celebrity mother by The Flowers and Plants association who see the character as "formidable, practical, creative and resourceful".[45] Bob Smietana of Christianity Today links Molly's defence of Ginny in the final book into a wider theme in the series about the strength of parental love, which he feels to carry considerable emotional weight.[46] Empire listed Molly Weasley 24th on their Top 30 Harry Potter characters.[47] Novelist Stephen King notes that when Molly called Bellatrix a "bitch" after she sees the Death Eater trying to kill Ginny, it was "the most shocking bitch in recent fiction", and that it shows how adult the books had become.[48]

Julie Walters portrays Molly Weasley in every film except Goblet of Fire, in which her role in the novel is cut out.[14] In 2003, BBC voted her portrayal of Molly as the second-"best screen mother", behind Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovich.[49] In 2025 Katherine Parkinson was cast as Molly Weasley for the HBO Harry Potter television series.[50]

Notes

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References

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Further reading

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
The Order of the Phoenix is a secret society founded by in the fictional universe created by , established during Lord Voldemort's first rise to power in the 1970s to oppose him and his followers, the Death Eaters. The organization functioned as an underground resistance group, employing covert operations, magical communication via Patronus charms, and strategic alliances to counter the dark forces threatening the . Disbanded after Voldemort's temporary defeat in 1981, the Order was reformed in 1995 upon confirmation of Voldemort's return, with its headquarters initially at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, the ancestral home of the Black family. Led by Dumbledore and including notable members such as "Mad-Eye" Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt, the group focused on protecting —the prophesied "Chosen One"—gathering intelligence, and engaging in direct confrontations, most prominently during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. Despite heavy losses, including the deaths of key figures like and Dumbledore himself, the Order played a pivotal role in the eventual downfall of Voldemort in the Second Wizarding War, embodying themes of , , and resistance against tyranny. Its phoenix symbol, derived from Dumbledore's Patronus and Fawkes the phoenix, represented hope and rebirth amid persecution.

History

Formation

The Order of the Phoenix was founded by circa 1970, coinciding with the official onset of the First Wizarding War, as Voldemort escalated his campaign by recruiting Death Eaters and launching targeted attacks on Muggle-borns and perceived enemies within the wizarding community. This clandestine group emerged as a direct counter to Voldemort's ideological and violent bid for pure-blood supremacy, which threatened the pluralistic structure of wizarding society through documented murders, disappearances, and intimidation tactics that the initially downplayed or failed to address effectively. Dumbledore's initiative stemmed from a clear assessment of Voldemort's actions as a of societal destabilization, prioritizing resistance grounded in the observable patterns of operations over reliance on governmental inertia or public complacency. Unlike formal Ministry responses, which were hampered by bureaucratic caution and underestimation of the threat's scale—evidenced by delayed auror deployments and minimal early interventions—the Order operated independently to disrupt Voldemort's momentum at its roots. In its formative phase, the organization emphasized verifiable intelligence gathering on alliances, safe houses, and planned aggressions, conducting surveillance and reconnaissance to build a factual basis for targeted countermeasures rather than pursuing high-profile advocacy that could compromise secrecy or alert adversaries prematurely. This approach reflected a strategic focus on empirical data from field reports and intercepted communications, enabling proactive defenses against Voldemort's expanding network without exposing nascent operations to broader scrutiny.

Activities During the First Wizarding War

The Order of the Phoenix, operating clandestinely from its formation in the 1970s until Voldemort's temporary defeat in 1981, primarily engaged in defensive and disruptive actions against attacks during the First Wizarding War. These efforts involved intelligence gathering to anticipate Voldemort's moves, targeted protections for vulnerable wizarding families, and occasional direct skirmishes with s, though the group often suffered heavy losses in such engagements. Collaboration with Aurors occurred where feasible, as several Aurors like Alastor Moody were Order members, but the organization's independence grew necessary amid infiltration of official institutions, which compromised coordinated responses. A pivotal focus was safeguarding individuals linked to Sybill Trelawney's 1980 , which foretold a child born at the end of July 1980 to parents who had thrice defied Voldemort, destined to vanquish the . Voldemort, upon learning partial details via , identified and as threats and pursued their families. The Order prioritized the Potters, implementing the Fidelius Charm to conceal their Godric's Hollow residence, with selected as Secret-Keeper—a decision that proved fatal when Pettigrew defected to Voldemort. On 31 October 1981, Voldemort assaulted the protected Potter home, killing James and Lily Potter before attempting to murder infant Harry; the curse's rebound, due to Lily's sacrificial protection, destroyed Voldemort's body and ended the , marking the Order's indirect but decisive contribution to this outcome. Earlier, members like the Prewett brothers, and Fabian, exemplified the Order's combative resolve by fighting valiantly against multiple Death Eaters, though they were ultimately killed, highlighting the high casualties sustained in resisting Voldemort's forces. These operations underscored the Order's role as a vigilant resistance network amid widespread terror, with limited but critical successes amid pervasive losses.

Dissolution After Voldemort's Defeat

Following Lord Voldemort's disappearance on 31 October 1981, after his failed curse on infant rebounded, the Order of the Phoenix disbanded as its members concluded the primary threat had been eliminated. With no apparent signs of organized activity or Voldemort's return, surviving members shifted focus to personal recovery and civilian pursuits, reflecting a broader wizarding societal assumption of lasting . This dissolution was facilitated by several factors, including the deaths of prominent members such as James and Lily Potter, which depleted leadership and morale without a clear successor structure beyond . The Ministry of Magic, under Minister Millicent Bagnold, officially celebrated the war's end by issuing Orders of Merlin to those who had confronted Voldemort, reinforcing the narrative of decisive victory and downplaying residual risks from scattered loyalists. Absent a centralized enemy, the Order's guerrilla operations lacked purpose, leading to its informal dormancy rather than outright abolition. Dumbledore alone sustained informal vigilance, monitoring signs of dark magic resurgence through personal networks and protective enchantments on , but refrained from reconvening the group due to insufficient evidence of imminent danger. This period underscored institutional complacency in the , where optimism about Voldemort's permanent defeat overshadowed proactive defenses, delaying organized resistance until confirmed reports in 1995.

Revival in 1995

reformed the Order of the Phoenix shortly after witnessed Lord Voldemort's resurrection on June 24, 1995, in the Little Hangleton graveyard during the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament. 's direct account, corroborated by the death of Cedric Diggory and the confession of Barty Crouch Jr., provided the empirical confirmation of Voldemort's return, prompting to reactivate the organization despite the Ministry of Magic's official denial under Cornelius Fudge. This revival positioned the Order as an extra-legal resistance group, operating independently to gather intelligence and prepare defenses where governmental institutions refused to acknowledge the threat. Initial efforts focused on securing a secure base of operations at 12 Grimmauld Place, the ancestral home of , which became the Order's headquarters due to its inherent magical protections, including Unplottability and Fidelius Charm compatibility. The property was inherited by Black following his family member's death, enabling its use for clandestine meetings and logistics amid the Ministry's suppression of information about Voldemort's resurgence. To safeguard Potter, the central witness to the , the Order arranged his extraction from the household after a dementor attack on August 2, 1995, in Little Whinging, escorting him to Grimmauld Place by early August. This protection was critical, as the Ministry's denial extended to persecuting Potter for casting a Patronus in self-defense, leading to a disciplinary hearing on August 12, 1995, where Dumbledore intervened to prevent expulsion. These steps underscored the Order's role in circumventing institutional inertia, prioritizing verifiable threats over official narratives.

Role in the Second Wizarding War

The Order of the Phoenix was revived in the summer of 1995 by Albus Dumbledore immediately following Lord Voldemort's return to a physical body at the end of the Triwizard Tournament. As the Ministry of Magic under Cornelius Fudge denied Voldemort's resurgence and launched a campaign to discredit Harry Potter and Dumbledore, the Order operated as the principal underground resistance organization, coordinating efforts to affirm the truth of Voldemort's activities and prepare for escalating conflict. This reformation incorporated both surviving original members and new recruits, establishing 12 Grimmauld Place as a secure headquarters under Fidelius Charm protection. Central to the Order's mandate was the safeguarding of , identified by as Voldemort's destined adversary, and the broader defense of School as a strategic asset harboring potential resistance fighters. In August 1995, following a Dementor attack on Potter at Privet Drive, an Advance Guard of Order members escorted him to safety, initiating ongoing protective measures that included surveillance and relocation protocols. To counteract Ministry propaganda portraying Potter as unstable and Dumbledore as power-hungry, the Order embedded agents like Kingsley Shacklebolt within the Ministry to relay accurate intelligence and subtly challenge disinformation from key positions. As aggression intensified post-1996, particularly after Dolores Umbridge's tenure at and the Ministry's reluctant acknowledgment of the threat, the Order adapted by expanding recruitment and fortifying secrecy protocols amid rising infiltration risks. These adaptations sustained the organization's viability even after Dumbledore's death in June 1997 and the Ministry's overthrow in August 1997, enabling continued disruption of Voldemort's consolidation of power. The Order's persistent resistance from 1995 to 1998 created vital diversions and safe conduits that allowed Potter to pursue the destruction of Voldemort's Horcruxes undetected, while fostering alliances that amplified the scope of opposition without eclipsing individual acts of heroism in the ultimate confrontation. By maintaining operational integrity against mounting losses, including key figures like Alastor Moody, the group ensured the propagation of factual intelligence over regime-controlled narratives, underpinning the collapse of Voldemort's regime in May 1998.

Organizational Structure

Leadership and Command

The Order of the Phoenix operated under the singular leadership of , its founder, who maintained supreme command authority during both the First Wizarding War in the 1970s and the revived organization's activities starting in 1995. 's position derived from his demonstrated strategic acumen, mastery of defensive magic, and intimate knowledge of Voldemort's methods, enabling preemptive actions against threats without reliance on electoral or bureaucratic processes typical of formal institutions like the . Operational command was delegated to competent deputies based on proven expertise rather than rank or tenure, with "Mad-Eye" Moody frequently directing field missions, including the Advance Guard's escort of from Privet Drive to Grimmauld Place on 12 August 1995. Moody's role emphasized vigilance and tactical execution, leveraging his experience as a senior Auror to oversee reconnaissance and protective details amid heightened risks from Voldemort's forces. Similarly, Kingsley Shacklebolt contributed to command through infiltration and intelligence coordination within the Ministry. Decision-making followed a consultative model among core members during gatherings at secure locations like 12 Grimmauld Place, fostering input on immediate threats while deferring to Dumbledore's assessments for overarching strategy, as evidenced by his directives on retrieval and Horcrux pursuits. This prioritized agility and merit-driven hierarchy, avoiding the delays of consensus-only systems to counter the Death Eaters' centralized obedience to Voldemort. Following Dumbledore's death on 30 June 1997, interim leadership devolved to a including Moody and Shacklebolt, though operational cohesion relied on pre-established trust networks.

Recruitment and Vetting

The Order of the Phoenix employed a highly selective recruitment process overseen by founder , who personally identified and approached candidates based on their demonstrated loyalty to the fight against Voldemort and the . Criteria emphasized individuals with advanced magical skills, such as combat proficiency or intelligence gathering, alongside a willingness to defy policies perceived as obstructive or corrupt. Preference was given to those with direct stakes, including former Aurors disillusioned by institutional failures and families victimized by attacks, ensuring recruits possessed both capability and unyielding motivation. Vetting occurred through Dumbledore's extensive personal network and intuitive assessment of character, rather than standardized oaths or interrogations, reflecting the organization's reliance on trust amid wartime . This informal method minimized bureaucratic delays but introduced risks of infiltration or unreliability, as evidenced by the guarded inclusion of Mundungus Fletcher—a petty criminal recruited for his contacts and thieving expertise, yet assigned only peripheral roles due to his history of and unreliability. Such selections underscored the Order's pragmatic calculus: balancing immediate operational needs against the peril of in a conflict where spies could devastate the group.

Secrecy Measures and Headquarters

The primary headquarters of the revived Order of the Phoenix from 1995 to 1996 was Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, a townhouse in London inherited by Sirius Black from his family. This location was safeguarded by the Fidelius Charm, a complex spell that concealed its existence within the soul of a single Secret-Keeper—initially Albus Dumbledore—who alone could reveal the secret to others. The charm's effectiveness stemmed from its reliance on absolute trust in the Secret-Keeper, as breaches historically enabled Voldemort's forces to locate protected targets, underscoring the causal necessity of such isolation to prevent infiltration. To maintain operational security, the Order utilized Patronus Charms for delivering spoken messages, a method devised by Dumbledore that allowed instantaneous, non-interceptable verbal communication among members without physical traces. This approach deliberately eschewed conventional owl post for sensitive information, given owls' vulnerability to interception or tracing by adversaries, prioritizing verbal and ephemeral transmission to minimize leak risks. Coordination with allied groups, such as Dumbledore's Army, incorporated tools like enchanted coins that signaled without conveying content, further reducing exposure to surveillance. Following Sirius Black's death on 18 June 1996 during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, the Order abandoned 12 Grimmauld Place as headquarters, as ownership transferred to and the site's integrity was compromised by the disloyal house-elf Kreacher's interactions with Death Eaters. Subsequent operations shifted to undisclosed venues, reflecting a strategic that favored adaptive over fixed bases, in contrast to the Ministry of Magic's centralized, publicly known structures which proved susceptible to internal subversion. This relocation emphasized empirical lessons from prior intelligence failures, where transparency had facilitated Voldemort's espionage.

Membership

Original Members

The original Order of the Phoenix, established by in the 1970s amid the escalating First Wizarding War, drew its initial membership from a diverse cadre of witches and wizards united by opposition to Lord Voldemort's regime. This core group emphasized frontline resistance over institutional alliances, incorporating skilled Aurors for enforcement expertise, educators for strategic insight, and committed civilians willing to defy Death Eaters directly. Leadership centered on Dumbledore himself, with support from his brother Aberforth Dumbledore, who leveraged his knowledge of local networks and combat experience as a Hog's Head proprietor. Aurors formed a backbone, including "Mad-Eye" Moody, renowned for his vigilance and battle-hardened tactics; Frank and Alice Longbottom, who fought heroically against multiple Death Eaters shortly after their son's birth; and Edgar Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, whose family suffered near-total annihilation by Voldemort's forces. Civilian members exemplified personal stakes in the conflict, such as James and Lily Potter, who thrice evaded Voldemort and protected their infant son Harry through sacrificial magic. This mix reflected pragmatic recruitment prioritizing loyalty and capability, yet exposed members to acute risks, resulting in devastating losses: the Potters were murdered on October 31, 1981; the Longbottoms tortured into permanent insanity by and others; and Bones slain alongside his wife and children. Such attrition rates highlighted the Order's emphasis on direct confrontation, claiming lives of at least half its known originals by war's end.

Additional Members in the Revived Order

The revived Order of the Phoenix, re-established in 1995 following Lord Voldemort's return, recruited several new members absent from the original organization formed in the , thereby broadening its operational reach through familial ties, Ministry infiltration, and specialized skills. These additions compensated for attrition from the First Wizarding War while preserving the group's emphasis on trusted, vetted individuals capable of contributing to intelligence gathering and protective operations. Prominent among the new recruits was Nymphadora Tonks, a young Auror and Metamorphmagus whose ability to alter her appearance aided undercover efforts within the . Joining in the summer of 1995, Tonks participated in the Advance Guard mission to extract from his relatives' home on 31 July 1995 and provided surveillance support at key locations. Her versatility enhanced the Order's espionage capabilities, particularly in monitoring movements. Kingsley Shacklebolt, a senior Auror embedded in the Ministry, offered critical internal intelligence by subtly countering official denials of Voldemort's resurgence. Recruited post-1995, Shacklebolt misdirected investigations into Sirius Black's supposed involvement in the Department of Mysteries incident on 18 June 1996 and later coordinated defensive strategies during escalated conflicts. His position enabled the Order to anticipate governmental interference, bolstering its resilience against institutional opposition. The Weasley family represented a significant expansion via established networks, with Arthur Weasley leveraging his Misuse of Artefacts Office role for Ministry insights starting in 1995. Molly Weasley managed logistics at 12 Grimmauld Place, the Order's headquarters, while Bill Weasley, joining around 1996, monitored Gringotts Bank for potential alliances amid rising tensions. Charlie Weasley contributed indirectly by scouting dragon handlers in for potential foreign support. This familial integration fostered reliable communication channels and domestic security. Fleur Delacour, integrated through her 1997 engagement to Bill Weasley, extended the Order's alliances to international contacts from her Triwizard Tournament background in 1994-1995. Her involvement facilitated coordination during high-risk evacuations, emphasizing the Order's strategic inclusion of peripheral figures to forge broader coalitions without diluting core secrecy. Overall, these recruits shifted the organization toward a more diverse, adaptive structure suited to the Second Wizarding War's demands.

Casualties and Losses

During the First Wizarding War from 1970 to 1981, the Order of the Phoenix endured substantial attrition, with over half of its original roster of approximately 20 to 25 members either killed or incapacitated. Confirmed fatalities included James and Lily Potter, assassinated by Voldemort on 31 October 1981 while under Fidelius Charm protection; Fabian and Gideon Prewett, who were slain by a group of five Death Eaters led by Antonin Dolohov; Marlene McKinnon along with her entire family, targeted by Death Eaters including Travers; Meadowes, personally murdered by Voldemort; and Benjy Fenwick, whose body was found dismembered, indicating a violent end. Caradoc Dearborn disappeared mysteriously and was presumed dead. Additionally, Frank and Alice Longbottom, though not killed, suffered irreversible insanity from Cruciatus Curse torture inflicted by and other Death Eaters in late 1981. These losses stemmed primarily from aggressive fieldwork, informants like Peter Pettigrew's betrayal, and Voldemort's targeted purges, illustrating the vulnerabilities of a small, decentralized group reliant on personal networks rather than broader institutional resources. In the revived Order during the Second Wizarding War from 1995 to 1998, casualties totaled at least seven prominent members, reflecting persistent exposure to ambushes and high-stakes operations despite enhanced secrecy measures. fell to Bellatrix Lestrange's curse on 18 June 1996 amid a Ministry skirmish; Emmeline Vance was eliminated by Death Eaters in a covert ; Alastor Moody died on 27 July 1997 while shielding from Voldemort during an aerial escort; perished on 30 June 1997 from a planned mercy killing by to maintain cover; himself was fatally bitten by Nagini on 2 May 1998; and with Nymphadora Tonks were killed fighting Death Eaters at on the same day. Patterns of loss highlighted the inherent dangers of vigilante tactics—frequent direct confrontations, reliance on double agents prone to exposure, and limited fallback support—contrasting with potentially lower risks in formalized alliances, though the Order's infiltration of compromised institutions like the Ministry amplified betrayal hazards.

Operations and Tactics

Intelligence and Surveillance

The Order of the Phoenix conducted intelligence gathering through informal surveillance and infiltration, relying on members' personal connections and positions rather than institutionalized structures like the Ministry's Auror Office, which provided agility but limited scale. A primary method involved placing observers near high-value targets; Arabella Figg, a Squib affiliated with the Order, maintained residence on Wisteria Walk near Privet Drive specifically to monitor and relay observations of potential threats to . This localized watch extended to noting irregularities such as Dementor attacks, contributing to the Order's independent verification of dangers denied by official channels. Infiltration of bureaucratic and social networks supplemented direct observation. Arthur Weasley, from his role in the Ministry's Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, supplied updates on policy shifts and internal rumors, including early warnings about educational decrees targeting Dumbledore. Similarly, Kingsley Shacklebolt leveraged his Auror position to access departmental proceedings and, under Dumbledore's direction, positioned himself to report on Ministry skepticism toward Voldemort's return while occasionally planting misleading information to shield Order activities. These efforts drew on trusted individuals' discretion, bypassing formal protocols that hampered the Ministry's responsiveness. Key successes included corroborating Voldemort's resurgence through cross-referenced reports from Dumbledore's extensive contacts, achieved months before the Ministry's official acknowledgment on 24 June 1996 following the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. Insights into movements, such as recruitment among werewolves via Remus Lupin's embeds, further informed the Order's strategic awareness without relying on captured artifacts or interrogations. However, the system's dependence on personal loyalty exposed vulnerabilities; unreliable elements like Mundungus Fletcher's sporadic thefts yielded inconsistent data, and individual arrests risked exposing the network, as evidenced by compromised communications during heightened Ministry scrutiny in 1995–1996.

Protective Duties

The Order of the Phoenix's protective duties centered on safeguarding key individuals central to foretelling Voldemort's defeat, with as the primary target due to his survival of the Killing Curse as an infant on 31 October 1981. Initially, during the First Wizarding War, members applied the Fidelius Charm to conceal the Potter family home in Godric's Hollow, designating as Secret-Keeper to embed the location's secret within his soul and render it unlocatable by outsiders. This measure failed when Pettigrew betrayed the secret to Voldemort, enabling the attack that killed James and Lily Potter, though Harry survived. Following Voldemort's return on 24 June 1995, as confirmed by Harry's eyewitness account during the Triwizard Tournament, the revived Order shifted to ongoing surveillance and guardianship of Harry at his and uncle's residence, 4 Drive, Little Whinging, , where he resided during school holidays. Members rotated in shifts to monitor the perimeter and deter threats, relying on the additional protection afforded by Harry's blood ties to , which repelled Voldemort directly until Harry's seventeenth birthday on 31 July 1997. Lapses in vigilance, such as Mundungus Fletcher's abandonment of his post on 2 August 1995, exposed Harry to Dementors dispatched by , underscoring the risks of human error in these rotations despite the Order's intent to provide constant cover. Beyond direct surveillance, the Order extended protections through secure escort protocols for transporting high-value targets like Harry and , minimizing exposure during transit between safe locations, and by establishing Fidelius-secured safehouses such as 12 Grimmauld Place, where Dumbledore served as Secret-Keeper to shield it from infiltration. These efforts prioritized elite guardianship over broad societal defense, focusing resources on prophesied figures to preserve the anti-Voldemort resistance's core assets amid Ministry denial of the Dark Lord's resurgence. This targeted strategy succeeded in preserving life through repeated attempts but imposed trade-offs, isolating him from peer support and intelligence-sharing within the wizarding community, which amplified his frustration and vulnerability to manipulation, as evidenced by his unauthorized formation of in response to perceived abandonment. In-universe reflections, such as Sirius Black's correspondence with Harry, highlight how such seclusion strained morale without yielding comprehensive security against Voldemort's decentralized network.

Combat Engagements

The Order of the Phoenix conducted engagements primarily through small-unit duels and defensive actions, leveraging the exceptional wand skills of members such as , Alastor Moody, and Kingsley Shacklebolt, who were among the most proficient duelists in the . These encounters emphasized rapid, precise spellcasting over mass formations, allowing outnumbered Order fighters to hold ground against larger groups of Death Eaters by exploiting superior technique and adaptability. Standard equipment consisted of personal wands, with no documented use of prohibited dark artifacts, aligning with the group's ethical stance against Voldemort's methods. A key tactical element involved countermeasures to the Unforgivable Curses, particularly the Killing Curse (Avada Kedavra), which could not be deflected by shielding spells like Protego but required physical evasion, disruption of the caster's incantation, or sacrificial intervention to neutralize. Members trained in non-verbal spells and quick reflexes to interrupt such attacks, reflecting a reliance on agility and anticipation rather than direct confrontation. The Cruciatus and Imperius Curses were similarly countered through willpower resistance or preemptive disarming, though success depended on the victim's magical resilience. Against auxiliary threats like Dementors, the Order deployed the Patronus Charm en masse, conjuring corporeal guardians fueled by positive memories to drive off the creatures and protect allies. This spell also served dual purposes in communication during skirmishes, enabling silent coordination without verbal cues. Overall, engagements prioritized incapacitation via spells such as Stupefy and Expelliarmus, minimizing casualties while maximizing disruption, though the Order avoided offensive Unforgivable Curses themselves, adhering to principles of restraint even in dire outnumbered scenarios.

Key Events Involving the Order

Advance Guard Mission

The Advance Guard mission took place on the evening of 6 August 1995, when a nine-member team from the Order of the Phoenix, led by "Mad-Eye" Moody, extracted from his relatives' home at 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, . This operation followed a Dementor attack on Potter and his cousin Dudley Dursley on 2 August 1995 in the same alleyway, which the initially attributed to Potter himself and resulted in his expulsion notice from School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The team members included , Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks, Emmeline Vance, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Sturgis Podmore, and Jones, all of whom volunteered for the high-risk retrieval amid heightened surveillance by the Ministry. Upon arrival, the wizards, cloaked and arriving via broomsticks, identified themselves to Potter—who had been confined indoors without communication from the —and directed him to pack his trunk and Hedwig's cage swiftly. Moody emphasized the urgency due to potential threats and Ministry monitoring, with the group departing immediately under cover of darkness; Potter rode behind Lupin on a broomstick, while others flew individually or in pairs. No disguises such as Polyjuice Potion were employed, relying instead on speed and the element of surprise, though Moody's enchanted magical eye provided reconnaissance for tails. The flight to 12 Grimmauld Place, the Order's secret headquarters in , proceeded without interception, covering the distance in under an hour despite the risks of Muggle detection and aerial pursuit. This successful relocation underscored the Order's capacity for rapid, coordinated action in protective extractions, validating their independent assessment of the Dementor incident as a deliberate provocation by Voldemort's forces despite official denials.

Battle of the Department of Mysteries

The Battle of the Department of Mysteries occurred on 18 June 1996, when five members of the Order of the Phoenix—Alastor Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, , and —rushed to the in response to Harry Potter's vision suggesting Black was under torture by . This intervention followed Potter and several students entering the Department after a trap set by Voldemort to lure Potter and seize a orb pertaining to him and the Dark Lord. The Order members engaged approximately twelve Death Eaters led by Lucius Malfoy in a series of duels across the Department's halls, including the Brain Room, Time Room, and Death Chamber, aiming to protect the students and counter the ambush. The skirmishes resulted in injuries to multiple participants, including Shacklebolt, Lupin, and Tonks, but the pivotal loss was , who was fatally struck by a curse from during a in the Death Chamber and fell through the ancient stone Archway, known as the . Black's death eliminated a core operative who had provided strategic leadership and a secure at 12 Grimmauld Place, thereby reducing the Order's operational capacity and morale at a critical juncture in the escalating conflict. The ambush exposed systemic weaknesses in Order protocols, particularly the unverified dependence on Potter's subjective visions, which Voldemort exploited through Legilimency to fabricate the scenario and draw out defenders. This incident revealed communication deficiencies, as no prior confirmation of Black's peril was sought despite available means like the Order's network or household elf Kreacher, leading to a reactive deployment that played into the enemy's trap. In its aftermath, the battle compelled a reassessment of readiness, emphasizing the perils of psychological deception and the necessity for layered verification to mitigate rash engagements against numerically superior or strategically positioned foes.

Battle of the Seven Potters

The Battle of the Seven Potters occurred on 27 July 1997, when members of the Order of the Phoenix executed a coordinated aerial evacuation of Harry Potter from his childhood home at 4 Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey, to the Burrow, the home of the Weasley family. This operation was necessitated by the impending expiration of the protective enchantment derived from Harry's blood ties to his aunt Petunia Dursley, which would cease at midnight on his seventeenth birthday, leaving him vulnerable to direct attack by Voldemort and his Death Eaters. To counter anticipated ambushes, the Order devised a deception involving Polyjuice Potion: six volunteers ingested the potion mixed with Harry's hair, transforming into identical copies of him to create seven apparent targets, thereby diluting the Death Eaters' ability to identify and pursue the genuine Harry. The participants flew in seven pairs, departing at dusk in staggered directions to maximize confusion and evasion opportunities, utilizing broomsticks for most groups and Sirius Black's enchanted flying motorbike for Harry's pair to accommodate Hagrid's size. The disguised Potters and their escorts were: with Kingsley Shacklebolt; with Nymphadora Tonks; Fred Weasley with Arthur Weasley; George Weasley with ; Fleur Delacour with Bill Weasley; and Mundungus Fletcher with Alastor Moody. Harry flew with , who refused alternative assignments due to his longstanding role as Harry's protector. This tactical dispersion leveraged the element of surprise and the transformative properties of Polyjuice, which lasted sufficiently for the flight despite the potion's typical one-hour duration being extended through careful dosage. Death Eaters, informed by Severus Snape's intelligence and led by Voldemort himself, launched a preemptive aerial assault shortly after takeoff, employing , coordinated pursuits, and dark magic to target the groups. Voldemort personally intervened against Moody's pair, casting the Killing Curse that struck down the veteran Auror after Mundungus Fletcher panicked and Apparated away, abandoning his partner. Other skirmishes included Harry's pursuit by multiple , during which his wand inexplicably resisted Voldemort's Disarming Charm in a Priori Incantatem-like effect; the loss of Harry's owl Hedwig to a stray Killing Curse; and George Weasley's severe injury, losing an ear to a Sectumsempra intended by Snape for a Death Eater but deflected in the chaos. Despite these losses, the operation succeeded in delivering Harry and the surviving participants to the by late evening, with no further Order fatalities beyond Moody and minimal captures, as Mundungus's desertion drew subsequent reprisals against him. The decoy strategy proved effective in safeguarding Harry—the individual central to foretelling Voldemort's defeat—allowing him to proceed with his quest to locate and destroy Horcruxes, thereby preserving the strategic balance against the regime. This engagement highlighted the Order's innovative use of disguise and misdirection amid resource constraints, though it underscored the high risks of open-flight tactics against a numerically superior foe.

Battle of Hogwarts

The Battle of Hogwarts commenced on 2 May 1998, when led Death Eaters, giants, dementors, and other creatures in an assault on the castle to seize following his return from the Forbidden Forest. Surviving members of the Order of the Phoenix, including Kingsley Shacklebolt, , and Nymphadora Tonks, arrived as reinforcements to bolster ' defenses alongside professors, students from , and Ministry allies, coordinating battle plans to repel the invaders. Order members engaged in direct combat across multiple fronts, including the courtyard, corridors, and , targeting Eaters to protect evacuations and hold strategic positions. Shacklebolt assumed a role, dueling Voldemort alongside and Horace Slughorn in the , parrying the Dark Lord's spells until Voldemort shifted focus to Harry. Lupin initially attempted to organize the evacuation of younger students but rejoined the fray, fighting alongside Tonks in defensive actions against advancing forces. Heavy losses marked the Order's participation, with Lupin slain by Antonin Dolohov and Tonks killed by her aunt during skirmishes in the castle's upper levels, leaving their infant son orphaned. These sacrifices, among approximately 50 total defender casualties, underscored the Order's frontline exposure. The Order's coordinated charges and duels delayed advances, enabling Harry to locate and destroy the Horcrux in of Requirement and ultimately confront Voldemort, whose defeat stemmed from the Elder Wand's allegiance rather than collective combat alone. This bridging of organized resistance with ad hoc civilian efforts sustained until the prophecy's fulfillment, without claiming primary agency for Voldemort's downfall.

Effectiveness and Criticisms

Achievements and Contributions

The Order of the Phoenix's efforts during the First Wizarding War (1970–1981) centered on direct opposition to Voldemort and his Death Eaters, including protection of targeted families like the Potters through the Fidelius Charm, which delayed Voldemort's consolidation of power and enabled Harry Potter's survival as the vessel for Voldemort's first defeat on 31 October 1981. This outcome stemmed from the Order's guerrilla tactics and intelligence sharing, which prevented total societal collapse despite heavy losses among members. Reformed in mid-1995 following confirmation of Voldemort's return, the Order provided Harry Potter with secure headquarters at 12 Grimmauld Place, shielding him from surveillance and assassination attempts while coordinating disruptions to Death Eater recruitment and operations. Their surveillance and protective custody exposed early Ministry infiltration by figures like Pius Thicknesse, compelling public acknowledgment of the threat by June 1996 after Albus Dumbledore's testimony, which mobilized wider wizarding resistance. Key operational successes included the Advance Guard's extraction of Harry from Privet Drive on 5–6 August 1995, averting Dementor attack and capture, and the coordinated escort during the Battle of the Seven Potters on 27 July 1997, which relocated Harry to the despite ambushes, preserving his ability to pursue Horcrux destruction. These actions causally sustained Harry's survival, allowing systematic elimination of Voldemort's immortality anchors by 1998. In the Battle of Hogwarts on 1–2 May 1998, Order members such as Kingsley Shacklebolt and led defensive maneuvers, repelling incursions and enabling Harry's confrontation with Voldemort, after which Shacklebolt assumed interim Ministry leadership to stabilize post-victory governance. Overall, these contributions empirically forestalled Voldemort's dominance, with Harry's preserved role proving decisive in the permanent destruction of all Horcruxes and Voldemort's demise.

Shortcomings and Failures

The Order's adherence to strict secrecy protocols, enforced by , inadvertently exacerbated Harry Potter's isolation during the 1995–1996 school year, as key details about in the Department of Mysteries were withheld from him to shield him from Voldemort's psychological manipulations. This paternalistic approach, rooted in Dumbledore's assessment of Harry's emotional vulnerability, prevented open communication and fostered distrust, culminating in Harry's impulsive response to a fabricated vision of Sirius Black's torture on 18 June 1996. Lacking full context on the Order's surveillance rotations and Voldemort's trap, Harry led a group of students into the Ministry, triggering the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and resulting in Sirius's death. The decentralized structure of the Order, comprising a loose network of volunteers operating covertly outside Ministry auspices, constrained its operational scale and contributed to disproportionate casualties relative to its size. In the First Wizarding War (1970–1981), most original members perished due to limited manpower and intelligence-sharing, with survivors numbering fewer than a dozen by 1995. This guerrilla-style framework, while enabling agility against infiltration, forwent synergies with institutional resources, such as the Ministry's Auror corps, potentially averting losses like those of Emmeline Vance and Sturgis Podmore in isolated skirmishes during the Second Wizarding War's early phases. Centralized dependence on Dumbledore's strategic acumen rendered the Order susceptible to single-point failures, as his interpretive errors—such as delayed disclosure of vulnerabilities in Occlumency for Harry—and overarching authority stifled alternative planning. Post-Dumbledore's death on 30 June 1997, the group's cohesion faltered amid leadership vacuums, evidenced by fractured coordination in subsequent operations like the Battle of the Seven Potters, where Alastor Moody was killed due to unmitigated reliance on Dumbledore-era tactics. This over-dependence highlighted the risks of vesting disproportionate control in one individual, whose fallibility was laid bare in misjudgments amplifying broader threats.

In-Universe and Analytical Perspectives

Within the Harry Potter narrative, members of the Order of the Phoenix and their allies regarded the organization as a vital bulwark against Lord Voldemort's resurgence, framing it as a clandestine force essential for countering threats that the initially denied or mishandled. Supporters, including figures like and , emphasized the Order's role in gathering intelligence and protecting key individuals, viewing its secrecy as a pragmatic response to institutional inertia rather than defiance for its own sake. In contrast, Ministry officials under Cornelius Fudge perceived the Order as a subversive group of vigilantes operating without legal sanction, undermining governmental by promoting unverified claims of Voldemort's return and bypassing channels. Fudge's administration, prioritizing stability and public reassurance, dismissed Order activities as disruptive and potentially seditious, exemplified by efforts to discredit Dumbledore and portray the group as a to wizarding order. This viewpoint stemmed from the Order's lack of formal integration with Ministry structures, rendering it extralegal by definition. From the perspective of Death Eaters and Voldemort's adherents, the Order represented a cadre of ideological opponents—often derided as blood traitors or sympathizers with Muggle-borns—whose interference perpetuated resistance to pure-blood supremacy. Death Eaters, committed to Voldemort's vision of wizarding dominance, likely equated Order members with terrorists intent on sabotaging the new regime, as evidenced by their aggressive countermeasures in direct confrontations, though explicit in the texts frames such conflicts in terms of existential enmity rather than formal legal condemnation. Analytically, the Order's structure demonstrated efficacy in circumventing captured institutions like the Ministry during periods of denialism, enabling agile, targeted operations that prioritized verifiable intelligence over bureaucratic consensus; this approach aligns with causal mechanisms where decentralized networks outperform rigid hierarchies under existential threats. However, its opacity fostered risks of internal miscommunication and overreliance on Dumbledore's personal judgment, potentially amplifying errors in a high-stakes environment lacking mechanisms. , drawn predominantly from Dumbledore's longstanding professional and personal networks, ensured and competence but invited critiques of insularity, favoring proven reliability over broader inclusion that might introduce infiltration vulnerabilities— a grounded in the imperative of operational security over egalitarian representation.

Symbolism and Themes

The phoenix emblem of the Order represents and renewal, drawing from mythological traditions where the bird cyclically dies in flames and rebirths from its ashes, embodying endurance amid destruction. This symbolism aligns with the organization's history of reconstitution, first formed in the 1970s to combat Voldemort's initial rise and reformed in 1995 after his return, when official authorities dismissed the threat. Fawkes, Albus Dumbledore's phoenix and a de facto patronus for the group, reinforces themes of loyalty and sacrificial aid; the bird heals severe injuries, counters lethal curses, and facilitates escapes, mirroring the Order's reliance on individual acts of over institutional power. Such motifs underscore causal resilience: repeated renewal despite losses, as phoenixes withstand and regenerate, paralleling the members' persistence against overwhelming odds. Broader themes evoked by the Order include rebellion against denialist and the necessity of clandestine unity in . Operating in secrecy due to Ministry suppression under Cornelius Fudge—who prioritized political stability over empirical warnings of Voldemort's resurgence—the group highlights the tension between truth-seeking vigilance and authoritarian control, where personal choices and interpersonal bonds drive resistance rather than top-down enforcement. The phoenix's dual nature—fiery destruction yielding life—also evokes the costs of defiance, with members facing , , and , yet fostering through resolve against ideological and fear-mongering . This contrasts the Death Eaters' coerced hierarchies, emphasizing voluntary alliance rooted in shared over coerced submission.

References

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