Recaps

Harry and Ron received their Hogwarts supply lists, which suggested a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had been chosen. Ron was stunned to discover he had been made a Gryffindor prefect, leaving the twins incredulous and Harry’s own appointment unresolved.

• Mido brought Harry and Ron their Hogwarts letters and supply lists at 12 Grimmauld Place.
• Harry noticed Wilbert Slinkhard’s Defensive Magical Theory on the book list and wondered who had chosen it.
• Fred and George speculated that Dumbledore had found a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and discussed how hard the post was to fill.
• Ron stared silently at his unopened Hogwarts letter until one of the twins took it from him.
• A Gryffindor Prefect Badge bearing Ron’s initials fell from the envelope, surprising Ron, Harry, and the twins.

Mrs. Weasley held a dinner to celebrate Ron and Hermione becoming prefects, where the guests joked about Ron and Harry not being appointed. Mr. Weasley arrived from a Ministry assignment with the unpopular Mundungus Fletcher, whose presence dampened the celebration.

• Mrs. Weasley hosted a dinner for Ron and Hermione, and Sirius joked that Harry becoming a prefect would have worried him about Hogwarts.
• Sirius and Lupin recalled their school days, including Lupin's time as a prefect and James and Sirius's frequent detentions.
• Mr. Weasley returned from official business in Serbia and congratulated Ron and Hermione, while teasing Ron about his appointment.
• Mundungus Fletcher entered with Mr. Weasley, and Mrs. Weasley, Sirius, Lupin, and Tonks reacted with displeasure.

Harry asked to join the Order of the Phoenix, but Sirius and the others refused because he was still underage. He learned about Mundungus Fletcher’s past dealings with the twins, then Ron worried about taking his Ordinary Wizarding Levels after neglecting his studies.

• Harry told Sirius he wanted to join the Order of the Phoenix, but Sirius, Lupin, and the adults refused to involve the children yet.
• Mrs. Weasley praised Sirius’s maturity and gave him an extra chicken leg, while Ron admitted he had also hoped to join the Order.
• Harry learned that Mundungus had profited from buying cauldrons of dubious origin, though the money meant little to him.
• Harry learned that Mundungus had once supplied the twins with hard-to-obtain materials before their expanding business connections made him unnecessary.
• Harry doubted Mundungus could be relied upon in a crisis because he had spent away his earnings and was now broke.
• Ron told Hermione he felt nervous about his Ordinary Wizarding Levels after doing little homework during the previous year.

Harry overheard Kingsley, Sirius, and Moody discuss Dumbledore’s decision not to make him a prefect and the Daily Prophet’s attacks on him, then spent the remaining days before school studying with Ron and Hermione. The Weasleys prepared for the new school year, and Ron passed his old broom to Ginny before an unspecified incident disrupted their quiet days.

• Harry overheard Kingsley ask Sirius why Dumbledore had not made Harry a prefect and say Harry needed reassurance amid the Daily Prophet’s slander.
• Sirius and Moody defended Harry’s resilience, and Harry returned to bed without revealing that he had been listening.
• Harry and Ron reviewed their lessons with Hermione’s help while Mrs. Weasley bought their school supplies.
• Ron received a new Nimbus broom and gave his old broom to Ginny, reflecting on the Weasley family’s past hardships.
• An unspecified event disturbed the otherwise peaceful days before school began.

Harry and the others traveled from the Black Mansion to King's Cross in Sirius's dangerously fast car, accompanied by several guards. At the station, Harry spotted Cho Chang and called to her, but she rolled her eyes and stayed with her parents.

• Hermione organized the group’s school supplies, and Sirius provided a car to take them to the station with their guards.
• In the car, Lupin reassured Hermione about the ride and explained that he would warn her before they stopped.
• Sirius sped to King's Cross in under half a minute, leaving Mrs. Weasley and Tonks feeling sick and vowing not to ride with him again.
• Harry noticed Lupin avoid Tonks’s gaze and wondered why their relationship seemed different from the year before.
• Harry spotted Cho Chang at the platform and called to her, but she rolled her eyes and stayed with her parents.

Neville waited at St. Mungo’s Hospital while Master Brach treated his parents’ soul injuries. His aunt’s account of Brach’s expertise gave Neville hope, though he was still waiting to learn whether the treatment had worked.

• Neville waited outside the ward with his grandmother and Aunt Britney while Master Brach treated Frank and Alice Longbottom.
• Britney reassured Neville that Master Brach had studied the soul for over fifty years and had recently developed new ideas about soul injuries.
• Neville recalled how practicing the ancient magic Harry taught him had improved his memory and seemed to strengthen his soul.
• Neville had practiced meditation for years, hoping his strengthened soul might eventually help his parents recover their awareness.
• Neville learned that Master Brach, Curilta Brach, was a renowned potions grandmaster and leading healer who had been researching soul injuries with wizards from the New Continent.

Harry rode to Hogwarts alone until Luna Lovegood joined him, and he bought several holiday issues of The Quibbler from her. As first-years stared at him with suspicion, Harry shut the compartment door, and Luna told him that Wrackspurts were in his head.

• Harry sat alone in a compartment and read a supplementary charms book while waiting for the train to depart.
• Luna Lovegood entered Harry’s compartment, bringing her trunk and several copies of The Quibbler.
• Harry bought one copy of each holiday issue Luna had and began reading them as the train left the station.
• Several first-years visited Harry’s compartment and gave him odd looks, so he shut the door.
• Luna told Harry that Wrackspurts were in his head, and Harry considered whether her unusual claims might be true.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Luna discussed the new prefects on the Hogwarts Express, including Pansy Parkinson’s surprising appointment. Ron suggested patrolling the carriages, but before they decided, Draco Malfoy arrived with Crabbe and Goyle, prompting Harry to reflect on Crabbe’s parents’ deaths in Serbia.

• Qiu fled after Ron interrupted her and Harry, and Harry complained that they had returned at a very bad time.
• Ron told Harry that Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson were Slytherin’s prefects, while Hermione and Luna discussed why Pansy might have been chosen.
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione went over the prefects from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, including Anthony Goldstein, Padma, Macmillan, and Abbott.
• Ron proposed that they patrol the carriages, and Hermione accused him of wanting to exercise his authority.
• Draco Malfoy arrived with Crabbe and Goyle, and Harry recalled that Crabbe’s parents had been extradited to Serbia and died there.

Harry traveled to Hogwarts with his friends, reunited with Qiu, and worried when Hagrid was absent from the platform. He learned Qiu knew Thestrals pulled the carriages and found comfort in her reassurance, while the reason for Hagrid’s absence remained unclear.

• Hermione teased Harry about staring at Qiu’s compartment, and the group chatted about Neville and hoped his parents would recover.
• Cedric visited the compartment and told Harry that he and his father believed Harry and Dumbledore.
• Hermione and Ron went to the prefects’ compartment, then Harry left the train with Luna, Qiu, and Marietta.
• Harry looked for Hagrid but saw Professor Slughorn gathering the first years, leaving him to wonder whether Hagrid had lost his teaching qualifications.
• Qiu told Harry that Thestrals were not evil or ill-omened, and comforted him when he admitted he could see them.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione worried that Umbridge might be returning to Hogwarts as a professor while they watched the Sorting Ceremony. The Sorting Hat’s warning about enemies outside the school left them uneasy as Dumbledore began the feast.

• Harry, Ron, and Hermione speculated that Umbridge might teach Defense Against the Dark Arts or Care of Magical Creatures.
• Professor McGonagall brought the new students into the Great Hall, and the Sorting Hat sang about hungry-eyed enemies and the need for unity.
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione wondered whether the song was a warning, and Nearly Headless Nick said the Sorting Hat felt responsible for warning the school.
• McGonagall completed the Sorting Ceremony, and Dumbledore announced the start of the feast.

Harry and the others attended the Welcome Feast, where Peeves unusually caused a disturbance before Dumbledore began his announcements. Dumbledore introduced Dolores Umbridge, who interrupted him and began addressing the students.

• Peeves splashed Ginny with soup and other liquids, then fled when Nick confronted him.
• Hermione wondered why Peeves had caused trouble at a feast, and Ron nearly choked while eating.
• Dumbledore reminded students about school rules and announced that Care of Magical Creatures would be compulsory for younger students and that Dolores Umbridge had joined the staff.
• Dumbledore began discussing Quidditch but stopped when Umbridge stood and coughed to interrupt him.
• Umbridge thanked Dumbledore and told the students she was happy to be back at Hogwarts.

Hermione realized Umbridge’s speech signaled that the Ministry of Magic was beginning to interfere with Hogwarts, leaving her and the others concerned about whether even Dumbledore could stop it. After Hermione led the first years away, Fred and George teased Harry about how he had looked as a first year.

• Hermione told Harry, Ron, and the others that Umbridge’s speech showed the Ministry of Magic was seeking influence over Hogwarts.
• Harry and Ron wondered whether Dumbledore could prevent the Ministry from interfering as Hermione led the first years to their dormitories.
• Harry asked Fred whether he had seemed as clueless as the first years, and Fred pretended to be George.
• Fred and George joked that Harry’s eyes had not been clear and unclouded, then escaped before he could react.

Harry found the Gryffindors gathered to assure him they did not believe the Daily Prophet’s attacks on him and Dumbledore. Angelina explained that the Ministry had repeatedly proved untrustworthy, leaving Harry reassured by his friends’ support.

• Harry entered the crowded Gryffindor Common Room with Neville and learned that Seamus’s mother had believed the Daily Prophet’s claims about him.
• Seamus jokingly described Harry as a bully, show-off, and habitual deceiver before insisting Harry would never lie about something important, making the Common Room laugh.
• Harry thanked the Gryffindors for standing by him and admitted he had worried they might believe the newspaper’s accusations.
• Lee Jordan dismissed the idea that the students would trust Fudge over Dumbledore, and Angelina reminded everyone of the Ministry’s past failures.

Harry and Ron joined an early Quidditch training run and learned that Cedric wanted Hagrid’s help remembering a sculpture in the underwater plaza from the Triwizard Tournament. The chapter ended with the group struggling to recall the plaza’s details because the Champions had focused on rescuing their treasures.

• Seamus woke Harry and Ron for exercise, and Angelina gathered the Gryffindor Quidditch players to run around the Castle.
• Harry noticed Hagrid’s Hut was still shut and worried about Hagrid’s absence, having written to Sirius without receiving a reply.
• The Gryffindors met Cedric and the Hufflepuff team, and Cedric asked Harry and Ron whether they remembered the underwater plaza from the Tournament.
• Cedric asked about a sculpture in the plaza, but Harry, Ron, and the other players could barely recall seeing one.
• The narration explained that the spectators’ magic followed the Champions, who had concentrated on their treasures rather than the plaza’s other features.

Fred and George recruited Hogwarts students to suggest products while Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Qiu prepared for the new school year. Harry searched foreign newspapers for news of Voldemort but found nothing.

• Fred and George conducted market research and gathered students’ ideas for joke products and short-acting illness potions.
• Harry realized the illness potions could help students skip lessons as their exams approached.
• Hermione studied the fifth-year material and questioned why the new Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook contained only theory, while Ron tried to memorize the school rules.
• Hermione helped Neville prepare for classes, and Harry kept Qiu company as she grew unhappy about Hogwarts students supporting the Tutshill Tornados.
• Harry collected foreign wizarding newspapers with Dobby’s help but found no news about Voldemort.

Harry excelled in Ancient Runes while wondering about Professor Babbling and Sirius, then joined his classmates for their first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson with Umbridge. The students saw that the classroom had been rearranged for lessons focused on theory, and they feared the subject would change for the worse.

• Harry became the top Ancient Runes student in his year, and Professor Babbling encouraged him to continue the subject in sixth year.
• Harry wondered whether Professor Babbling and Sirius could reconcile their past differences as Voldemort returned.
• At lunch, Ron suggested Hermione write to Krum, hoping she could get him a Quidditch jersey.
• Harry, Ron, Hermione, and their classmates arrived for their first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson with Umbridge.
• The students found the classroom filled with long tables and a blackboard, unlike the practical lessons Lupin and Moody had taught.

In Defense Against the Dark Arts, Umbridge ordered the students to copy notes and read Wilbert Slinkhard’s textbook, while Hermione challenged the course’s lack of practical defensive magic. The chapter ended with Hermione proving she had read the book by answering Umbridge’s question about a specific section.

• Umbridge made the students copy three lines and follow her required response to questions.
• Harry obeyed for the moment but watched Umbridge and considered confronting her if she showed prejudice toward Muggle-born students.
• Hermione raised her hand and told Umbridge that the textbook contained nothing about how to use defensive magic.
• Umbridge challenged Hermione to identify the contents of a section, and Hermione answered correctly without hesitation.

Umbridge defended her risk-free Defense course, but Hermione, Ron, Seamus, and Winnie challenged how it could prepare students for real dangers. Umbridge claimed teachers would protect them in class, though several students still had questions.

• Umbridge said the Ministry’s course would teach defense spells safely, and Ron asked how students could defend themselves if attacked outside class.
• Seamus argued that he needed defense training because his own frequent explosions could happen in any lesson.
• The class confirmed Seamus’s reputation, and Winnie asked how the other students could protect themselves from his explosions.
• Umbridge said professors would be there to help, but several students kept their hands raised.

Harry challenged Umbridge’s denial that Voldemort had returned, prompting her to assign him detention and send him to Professor McGonagall with a sealed message. On his way to the Transfiguration office, Harry drove Peeves away with a Spirit-Binding Charm.

• Harry insisted that Voldemort had returned and challenged Umbridge to say that Voldemort was dead.
• Umbridge assigned Harry detention for the next evening and wrote a sealed note for him to take to Professor McGonagall.
• Harry left class with the unopened note and headed toward the Transfiguration office.
• Peeves dropped ink bottles at Harry, but Harry blocked the ink with a Shield Charm.
• Harry cast a Spirit-Binding Charm, and Peeves fled through a wall.

Harry faced growing disbelief among Hogwarts students after claiming Voldemort had returned, while Umbridge encouraged students to spy on one another. After a troubled night of dreams involving Voldemort and Death Eaters, Harry wondered whether they were connected to the soul fragment in his mind but hesitated to seek help.

• Some Gryffindors questioned how Harry could have survived Voldemort, and Harry privately remembered the many circumstances that had saved him.
• Ron told Harry that Umbridge was asking students to report anyone who discussed Voldemort's return, leaving Gryffindor with no clear way to resist.
• Harry had repeated dreams of Voldemort, Wormtail, and unidentified Death Eaters celebrating, and he suspected the dreams might be connected to Voldemort's soul fragment in his mental world.
• Ron urged Harry to tell Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall about the dreams, but Harry hesitated and went with Ron to breakfast.

Harry faced a week of detention with Umbridge that would keep him from important Quidditch tryouts and practice. He went to her office, where its cat-themed decorations made clear how completely its former teaching purpose had disappeared.

• Angelina Johnson confronted Harry about missing Friday practice, Saturday tryouts, and a practice match because of his detention.
• Harry refused to ask Umbridge to excuse him because he would not take back what he had said about Voldemort's return.
• Harry reassured Qiu, Ron, and Hermione before heading alone to Umbridge's office.
• Umbridge let Harry into her office, where he saw lace-covered furniture, dried flowers, and decorative plates showing cats in bows.

Harry discovered that Umbridge's enchanted quill made the words he wrote appear painfully on her hand instead. After he forced her to cancel his punishment, Harry went to the Great Hall and told Ron and Lavender what had happened.

• Harry noticed that the red marks appeared on Umbridge's hand as he wrote with her quill.
• Harry wrote the sentence repeatedly, causing Umbridge pain until she snatched away the parchment.
• Harry refused to hand over the quill until Umbridge canceled his punishment and the remaining sessions for the week.
• Harry left Umbridge's office and went to the Great Hall, where he told Ron and Lavender what had happened.

Harry returned safely from Umbridge’s punishment, reunited with Qiu, and went back to his heavy fifth-year workload. In the Gryffindor Common Room, Hermione revealed the mysterious box she had been hiding, leaving Harry and Ron stunned.

• Qiu greeted Harry with relief in the Library, hugged him outside, and warned him not to underestimate Umbridge or the Ministry.
• Harry and Qiu studied together, then wandered around the Castle before Harry walked her back to Ravenclaw Common Room.
• The twins organized a celebration after Ron spread news that Harry had dealt with Umbridge, while Hermione urged everyone to stay cautious.
• Harry noticed the box Hermione had been keeping beside her, and Ron pointed out that she was obviously hiding something.
• Hermione lifted the cloth from the box, and Harry and Ron were stunned by what they saw.

After Gryffindor’s Quidditch tryouts, Angelina worried about the team’s future, though Harry and Ron gave the current lineup strength. Harry then experienced a strange dream in which he watched events through an uncontrollable viewpoint as a pale young man entered a shabby room.

• Angelina and the Gryffindor players found that the tryouts produced few promising recruits, and McLaggen was best suited to Keeper despite Ron already holding the position.
• Angelina worried that several seventh-year starters would graduate, while Katie pointed to Harry, Ron, Seamus, Parvati, and Ginny as reasons for optimism.
• The players joked that Qiu could distract Harry during a Quidditch match, and Ron reminded Harry that he had recently grinned when Qiu smiled at him.
• Harry opened his eyes in a shabby room and realized he could see through a viewpoint he could not control.
• A pale young man entered the room, and Harry could not hear what he said.

Harry told Professor McGonagall that he had been having strange dreams involving Peter, and she brought him to Dumbledore. Dumbledore suspected the dreams were connected to Voldemort regaining his strength and reminded Harry of their discussion about Harry’s connection to him.

• Harry visited Professor McGonagall after the Quidditch practice match and described his strange dreams, which had begun around a year earlier.
• Professor McGonagall took Harry to Dumbledore’s office, where they learned from Headmaster Phineas’s portrait that Dumbledore would return soon.
• Dumbledore arrived by fireplace, and Professor McGonagall told him about Harry’s dreams.
• Dumbledore said the dreams did not seem particularly serious and suspected they were linked to Voldemort regaining his strength.