Recaps

Harry and his friends considered whether a Horcrux had been hidden in the Lestrange vault at Gringotts, then turned their attention to the approaching Wizard Level Examinations. The exams began after Ministry wizards cleared Hogwarts of its pranks, and Dean Thomas was relieved that the results would arrive in July.

• Harry and his friends reasoned that the Lestrange family vault at Gringotts might have held a Horcrux, leaving them wondering what object the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters sought in the Department of Mysteries.
• Hermione reminded Harry and Ron to focus on the approaching Wizard Level Examinations, while Harry warned Ron that the cheap brain-boosting potions sold by students were likely ineffective.
• Professor McGonagall gave the students final exam precautions as exam day arrived.
• Umbridge brought Ministry wizards to Hogwarts, and they cleared the Castle's Stink Pellets, Dungbombs, and swamps near her office and the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
• Harry and Ron heard that someone, apparently from Hufflepuff, had warned that the pranks would return if Umbridge stayed next school year.
• Dean Thomas was delighted that the exam results would arrive by owl in July, after the holidays had begun.

Harry and the other students began their Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations, starting with Charms theory. After the exam, Hermione worried that some of her answers might not have been good enough, though Harry and Ron were astonished by how many examples she had written.

• Professor Marchbanks told Umbridge that she doubted the Ministry could capture Dumbledore, prompting Harry to remark that older people were wiser.
• Harry and the other students waited for the examinations to begin, then the fifth-years entered the Great Hall for their Charms theory exam.
• Harry saw that the paper had one hundred questions, found them easy, and finished the examination without much difficulty.
• The students left the exam relieved, but Hermione looked troubled by several answers.
• Hermione explained that she had listed seventeen situations for the Cheering Charm and nine ways to counter the Hiccuping Jinx, leaving Harry and Ron stunned.

Harry and his classmates took their Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Ancient Runes exams. Their Defense exam went especially well, and the chapter left Harry noticing how few students had continued Ancient Runes to fifth year.

• Harry and Ron felt confident about their Charms results, while Hermione seemed dissatisfied.
• Harry and Ron assessed their Transfiguration performances differently, and Harry expected at least an Exceeds Expectations overall.
• Harry thought he had done average work in Herbology and was more likely to earn an Exceeds Expectations than an Outstanding.
• Harry and his classmates completed the Defense Against the Dark Arts exam successfully despite Umbridge watching, and Harry and Hermione earned extra marks for their Corporeal Patronuses.
• Harry and Hermione began the Ancient Runes exam with only four other students, and Professor Babbling noted that two Gryffindors had continued the subject unusually long.

Percy warned Ron in a coded letter that Umbridge had recruited three Aurors and five Hit Wizards, though Harry and his friends did not know why. Harry and Ron then took their Potions exam, and Harry later learned Hagrid was supervising the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test rather than their exam, easing their concerns.

• Percy sent Ron a coded letter reporting that Umbridge had added three Aurors and five Hit Wizards to her staff.
• Harry and his friends wondered what Umbridge intended to do with her new Ministry helpers and decided to wait for more information.
• Harry and Ron took the Potions exam, and Harry thought he had a good chance of earning an Exceeds Expectations or an Outstanding.
• Harry and his friends worried when Professor Grubbly-Plank guided their Tuesday exam instead of Hagrid.
• Harry learned at lunch that Hagrid was guiding students taking the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test, and he relaxed.

During the Astronomy examination, Harry watched Ministry of Magic wizards attack Hagrid and Professor McGonagall, leaving both in danger. Hagrid blew a bone flute and fought back, but the battle was still unfolding.

• Harry saw a Ministry wizard stun Fang and attack Hagrid at his hut.
• Hagrid fought back against the Ministry wizards while the students and Professor Tofty watched from the Astronomy Tower.
• Professor McGonagall rushed to Hagrid's aid, but Umbridge and three other figures ambushed her with Stunning Spells and knocked her down.
• Hagrid pulled out a bone flute and blew it, then moved among the attackers and held out against at least eleven wizards.
• Draco Malfoy mocked Hagrid, and Harry warned him to stop as Hagrid remained in grave danger.

After Hagrid drove off Umbridge’s party with Flyclaw, news of the attack spread through Hogwarts and students worried about Professor McGonagall. Harry and his friends learned she was safe at St. Mungo’s as the Wizard Level Examinations continued with History of Magic.

• Hagrid’s display with Flyclaw stunned the students and examiners, while Harry reflected that a dragon would have been far more dangerous.
• Umbridge posted a notice forbidding discussion of Hagrid, but students continued spreading the news and criticizing her authority.
• Students worried that Professor McGonagall might not recover after Umbridge’s group hit her with several Stunning Spells.
• Harry and his friends learned that Hagrid had gone to meet Dumbledore’s contact in Hogsmeade and that McGonagall had been taken to St. Mungo’s.
• The Wizard Level Examinations continued, and Harry faced the History of Magic exam despite his poor knowledge of the subject.

Harry fainted outside Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom after seeing a vision from Voldemort's perspective at the Department of Mysteries. He woke beside a worried Ginny, while neither of them understood that their soul fragments had reacted when Ginny touched him.

• Harry saw Voldemort and the Death Eaters enter the Department of Mysteries to search for an important object, with Bellatrix Lestrange among them.
• Harry woke on the floor outside Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom, where Ginny asked whether he was hurt.
• Harry recalled the vision and suspected Voldemort had gone to the Ministry to retrieve something that might not be a Horcrux.
• Ginny blamed Black Ginny for taking her to practice magic in the Chamber of Secrets, and Black Ginny stayed quiet as Ginny's anger grew.
• Black Ginny did not know that her touch had triggered an effect like that of a Horcrux because she was unaware of the soul fragment in Harry's mind.

Harry gathered Ron, Lavender, Hermione, and Ginny to discuss a dangerous matter, while Ginny concealed that she had used magic to return quickly. After Ginny insisted on joining them, Harry explained the situation, and Ron said the Dark Lord seemed to have felt an unusually intense emotion.

• Harry questioned Ginny about how she had returned so quickly, and she claimed she had used a secret passage to Honeydukes.
• Ginny and Black Ginny privately acknowledged that Ginny had actually used magic to travel and had been prepared with an explanation.
• Harry suggested Ginny stay out of the dangerous matter, but Ginny insisted she was capable of helping, so Ron agreed she could come.
• Harry led the group to an empty classroom and explained the situation to Ron and Hermione.
• Ron said the Dark Lord seemed to have experienced a particularly intense feeling, even stronger than when the Death Eaters escaped from Azkaban.

Harry and his friends decided to go to the Ministry of Magic after Hermione realized Voldemort might have left the Death Eaters searching there. Neville and Luna then found them as they prepared to act.

• Harry and the others worried when their owl failed to return with news from the Ministry of Magic.
• Hermione noticed Voldemort’s final words suggested he had left the Ministry, prompting Harry and Ron to consider confronting the Death Eaters.
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione agreed that capturing a Death Eater could help prove Voldemort had returned, and Qiu joined them.
• Neville and Luna arrived looking for Dobby and found Harry’s group in the secluded classroom.

Harry and his companions found Umbridge’s office empty of Floo Powder and debated how to reach London, but Umbridge arrived with Ministry reinforcements and blocked their way. Harry, Ron, and Ginny attacked the Ministry wizards, leaving the remaining Aurors and Hit Wizards readying their wands for a fight.

• Harry and his companions found no Floo Powder in Umbridge’s office and considered traveling to St. Mungo’s Hospital before taking the Knight Bus.
• Cedric explained that ordinary fireplaces could not connect them directly to the Ministry, while Luna noted that Diagon Alley was closed for the night.
• Umbridge appeared with seven or eight Ministry wizards and told Harry and the others they were going nowhere.
• Harry ordered his companions to attack and disarmed a Ministry wizard, while Ginny used the Bat-Bogey Hex and Ron cast Petrificus Totalus.
• Harry caught a returning Disarming Charm with his left hand and stunned the last wizard who had raised his wand.
• Umbridge accused Harry and the others of attacking Ministry personnel as the remaining Aurors and Hit Wizards drew their wands.

Harry and the others abandoned their plan to travel through Hogsmeade and St. Mungo’s, then followed Harry outside the castle as a strange flock of winged creatures appeared. Ginny recognized them as Byakhee, and her discomfort vanished as Black Ginny reacted to them through their shared vision.

• Harry reassured the others that the chained Dementors could not reach Umbridge, then stunned Dawlish and the other wizards and hid them in a broom cupboard.
• Harry said they needed to reach the Ministry of Magic and rejected using Hogsmeade’s fireplaces because the Ministry might be monitoring them.
• Luna suggested flying to the Ministry on Thestrals, but Harry led the group along the path toward Hogsmeade instead.
• More than a dozen strange winged creatures appeared in the sky, making most of the young wizards feel dizzy and sick.
• Ginny heard Black Ginny identify the creatures as Byakhee, and her discomfort immediately disappeared.

Harry and the others rode a Byakhee to the Ministry of Magic and entered without difficulty. They found the Ministry deserted and reached the Department of Mysteries, where they entered a familiar circular room with thirteen doors.

• Harry and the others flew to the Ministry of Magic on the Byakhee, which vanished after they dismounted.
• Cedric got the group visitor badges by saying their names and explaining that he had come to see his father.
• Harry and the others entered the Ministry and found its entrance hall empty, making them suspect that something was wrong.
• The group took a lift to the Department of Mysteries and walked down a corridor to a black door.
• Harry and the others entered a circular room with thirteen identical doors, and the door behind them closed silently.

Harry and his friends searched the Department of Mysteries for the object Voldemort sought, but found an enormous room filled with dusty, labeled crystal balls instead. As Harry sensed something unusual and the group recognized names including Cassandra and Rowena Ravenclaw, they realized the room might hold prophecies.

• Harry and his friends entered the apparently empty room, and Harry wondered whether Voldemort had already found the object or whether his vision had been a hallucination.
• Hermione suggested Harry might have seen an earlier event, while Ron guessed the Death Eaters might have found the object but not yet delivered it to Voldemort.
• Harry began sensing something unusual and led the others into the vast room, where they found numbered cabinets full of dusty crystal balls with names and dates.
• Hermione and Qiu recognized labels connected to Elena Cassandra Trelawney and Rowena Ravenclaw.
• Cedric suggested the crystal balls were prophecies and recalled that Hogwarts had employed the famous diviner Elena Cassandra Trelawney.

Harry and his companions were surrounded by Death Eaters after Harry took the Prophecy Orb, and Lucius Malfoy demanded that he surrender it. Harry refused, while Bellatrix Lestrange threatened Hermione and the Death Eaters revealed that Voldemort had expected Harry to come; the confrontation continued when Harry spoke Voldemort’s name.

• More than a dozen hooded Death Eaters appeared and surrounded Harry and his eight companions.
• Lucius Malfoy revealed himself and demanded that Harry hand over the object, while Bellatrix Lestrange named it the Prophecy Orb.
• Bellatrix threatened to kill Hermione, and Lucius said the others could leave unharmed if Harry surrendered the orb.
• Harry refused to hand over the orb if anyone might be hurt and asked how the Death Eaters had known they would come.
• Lucius said Voldemort had predicted Harry’s arrival, and the Death Eaters reacted angrily when Harry spoke Voldemort’s name.

Harry and the other young wizards ambushed Bellatrix and the Death Eaters with coordinated spells and an explosive, supercharged Stink Pellet. The group fled toward a distant doorway while the Death Eaters were overwhelmed by the pellet’s foul smoke.

• Bellatrix used a Summoning Charm to snatch the Prophecy Orb, but Harry and the other eight young wizards attacked, knocking down or stunning several Death Eaters.
• A skilled Death Eater blocked Harry’s Sword Beam Charm, but the summoned object exploded in Bellatrix’s hand as a supercharged Stink Pellet.
• Bellatrix, Lucius Malfoy, and the other Death Eaters began vomiting from the intense stench while Harry and the others ran toward a distant doorway.
• Bellatrix and six other Death Eaters cast Bubble-Head Charms, but the pellet’s adhesive yellow-green smoke flooded their bubbles and knocked them flat.
• The Death Eater who reacted too slowly remained standing in a daze.

Harry and eight companions escaped the Death Eaters by breaking Prophecy Orbs and sealing a door with Ancient Magic, but Bellatrix and Antonin Dolohov caught up as they fled through the clock room. The group reached another doorway, only for a Smoke Sparrow to block their way.

• Harry shattered the shelves of Prophecy Orbs, creating illusions that distracted no one, but Bellatrix and Antonin crashed into his invisible Truth Barrier.
• Harry and Hermione sealed the door behind the group, and they ran through the clock room as the Death Eaters broke free.
• Antonin Dolohov recognized Harry's seal as Ancient Magic and broke through the door while Bellatrix pursued the group.
• Harry blocked Bellatrix's spell with a Shield Charm, but a Smoke Sparrow swept around Qiu and the others and blocked the doorway.

Harry and the others escaped the Death Eaters in the Ministry of Magic after Harry broke Bellatrix’s Dark Magic and Neville captured Rodolphus Lestrange. They took the lift toward the exit with the Prophecy Orb, while the Death Eaters pursued them through the rotating rooms.

• Neville knocked down and captured Rodolphus Lestrange as Harry tore apart Bellatrix’s Dark Magic with one hand.
• Hermione remembered the doors’ relative positions and led Harry and the others through the black door back to the corridor.
• Harry shut and sealed the doors behind them while Luna brought down the lift.
• The Death Eaters found the group’s route, but Harry and the others rode the lift upward before they could follow.
• Harry carried the Prophecy Orb in his Extension Bag, and the group hoped to escape with Rodolphus captured.

Harry, Neville, and Ron fought Lucius, Bellatrix, and Antonin at the Ministry of Magic, with Harry defeating Lucius while the others’ duels remained contested. As the wider battle began, a young red-haired girl turned a Death Eater’s Green Flame back on him.

• Harry’s Sword Beam Charm shattered Lucius’s shield and cut off a large portion of his hair, while Lucius dodged the blow and fell to the ground.
• Neville’s spell clashed with Bellatrix’s, but Bellatrix gradually forced their contest toward Neville.
• Ron’s Black Smoke Magic pressured Antonin’s defenses until Antonin dispersed it with Concussive Magic.
• A Death Eater sent Green Flame toward several young wizards, and a red-haired girl changed it to dark red and sent it back at him.

Neville, Luna, and Cedric combined their attacks against Bellatrix, disarming her and then striking her with Petrificus Totalus. Bellatrix’s clothing hardened against the spell and she staggered but remained standing, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Luna knocked Bellatrix’s wand from her hand, and Neville drove a Stunning Spell toward Bellatrix.
• Bellatrix dodged Neville’s spell, disarmed Luna with a spell cast from her finger, and summoned her wand back.
• Cedric defeated a Dark Wizard with a well-aimed Stunning Spell, then summoned Bellatrix’s wand before she could reclaim it.
• Neville hit Bellatrix with Petrificus Totalus while Luna recovered her wand using her wrist-guard cord.
• Bellatrix’s clothing hardened where Neville’s spell struck her chest, but she only staggered and roared.

Harry and the young wizards fought the Death Eaters in the Ministry of Magic, but reinforcements arrived for both sides. The Order of the Phoenix joined the battle, leaving Harry and his friends safely attacking from the rear.

• Harry used the Maxim Shield to block Lucius's spells, then stunned him and knocked him unconscious.
• More than a dozen Death Eaters arrived by lift, surrounding Harry and the young wizards.
• Harry apologized for his decision, but Ron and Cedric stood by him as the group prepared to keep fighting.
• Amos Diggory appeared and joined Cedric, followed by Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Arthur Weasley, Nymphadora Tonks, Alastor Moody, and other Order members emerging from the fireplace.
• Antonin Dolohov and Moody exchanged threats, and a spell triggered a battle between the Order and the Death Eaters.
• The adults pulled Harry and the others to the rear, where the young wizards sneaked attacks while the battle continued.

Voldemort arrived at the Ministry of Magic and demanded that Harry hand over the Prophecy Orb, threatening the Order of the Phoenix. Sirius attacked him, but Voldemort countered and fired the Killing Curse, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Voldemort appeared, and Wormtail told him that the Death Eaters had failed to obtain the Prophecy Orb.
• Voldemort demanded the orb from Harry and offered to spare those present if Harry surrendered it.
• Sirius challenged Voldemort and attacked him with the Annihilation Charm, but Voldemort deflected the spell.
• Voldemort fired Avada Kedavra at Sirius, who used the Rift Slowing Charm to buy time and escape with Harry.
• Bellatrix identified Sirius's spell while watching Cedric, who held her original wand, and Voldemort questioned how useful the magic would be.

Voldemort attacked Harry and the Order of the Phoenix with a growing storm of red lightning after Harry used Fiendfyre, forcing several Order members to defend against repeated strikes. The chapter ended with an old man in a shabby room addressing a visitor he had expected.

• Voldemort explained that he had prepared a countermeasure for Fiendfyre and was surprised when Harry recalled the spreading flames.
• Voldemort conjured a black cloud and sent a bolt of red lightning at Harry and the Order of the Phoenix.
• Professor McGonagall, Lupin, and Mr. Weasley combined their spells to block the first bolt.
• Voldemort sent two lightning bolts, which Lupin, Professor McGonagall, Mr. Weasley, and Sirius blocked together.
• Voldemort formed three more bolts and taunted the Order as they prepared for the next attack.
• An old man in a shabby room told the person standing opposite him that he had thought they would never come.

Harry discovered that the Patronus Charm countered Voldemort’s red lightning, and Professor McGonagall used her Patronus to destroy the black cloud. The Ministry officials arrived to find Voldemort and the Order facing off, and Umbridge recognized him.

• The Order of the Phoenix struggled to withstand Voldemort’s red lightning for seven rounds as he watched them calmly.
• Harry cast the Patronus Charm, and his silver lion blocked all ten lightning bolts in the ninth round without harm.
• Lupin realized the Patronus Charm countered the lightning, and Professor McGonagall sent her Patronus cat into the black cloud and tore it apart.
• Voldemort praised Harry and Professor McGonagall while she stayed focused on him.
• Rufus Scrimgeour, Cornelius Fudge, and Dolores Umbridge emerged from the fireplaces and saw Voldemort with the Death Eaters.
• Umbridge recognized Voldemort and froze in shock.

Voldemort unleashed the Ancient Magic Annihilation Wave against the Order of the Phoenix and Ministry personnel, but Professor McGonagall shielded them with eight stone giants. Voldemort prepared to cast the spell again while the damaged giants left McGonagall with no clear way to protect everyone.

• Harry recognized Voldemort's spell as the Ancient Magic Annihilation Wave, and Sirius identified it by name.
• Ministry and Order wizards tried unsuccessfully to stop the wave as it swept through the hall.
• Professor McGonagall summoned eight stone giants, which formed a golden shield and sheltered the Order and Ministry personnel.
• The Annihilation Wave reduced the hall's stone pillars to dust, but the shield held and everyone behind it remained unharmed.
• Voldemort mocked McGonagall and cast another Annihilation Wave, while she realized her damaged magic puppets could not withstand it.

Voldemort launched a sudden, deadly attack on Harry, who survived first through Sirius’s protective charm and then by blocking the Killing Curse with Maxim Shield. The battle continued with Voldemort closing in on Harry, while the onlookers were left stunned by Harry’s defense.

• Voldemort crossed the room in a burst of speed and struck Harry with a black magical blade, shattering Sirius’s protective charm but throwing Harry out of its path.
• Sirius fired purplish-red lightning at Voldemort, who casually deflected it and sent another spell toward Harry.
• Lupin ensnared Voldemort’s wrist with a silver chain, but Voldemort destroyed it along with other spells and charged Harry again.
• Voldemort cast Avada Kedavra at Harry, who stopped the Killing Curse with Maxim Shield.
• Voldemort and the other fighters stared in bewilderment after Harry survived the curse.