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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Book 5 Part 1
Description: Las tediosas vacaciones de verano en casa de sus tios todavia no han acabado y Harry se encuentra más inquieto que nunca. Apenas ha tenido noticias de Ron y Hermione, y presiente que algo extraño está sucediendo en Hogwarts. En efecto, cuando por fin comienza otro curso en el famoso colegio de magia y hechiceria, sus temores se vuelven realidad. El Ministerio de Magia niega que Voldemort haya regresado y ha iniciado una campaña de desprestígio contra Harry y Dumbledore, para lo cual ha asignado a la horrible profesora Dolores Umbridge la tarea de vigilar todos sus movimientos. Asi pues, además de sentirse solo e incomprendido, Harry sospecha que Voldemort puede adivinar sus pensamientos, e intuye que el temible mago trata de apoderarse de un objeto secreto que le permitiría recuperar su poder destructivo.
766 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2003
1513 people are currently reading
34631 people want to read
About the author
J.K. Rowling
624 books232k followersSee also: Robert Galbraith
Although she writes under the pen name J.K. Rowling, pronounced like rolling, her name when her first Harry Potter book was published was simply Joanne Rowling. Anticipating that the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman, her publishers demanded that she use two initials, rather than her full name. As she had no middle name, she chose K as the second initial of her pen name, from her paternal grandmother Kathleen Ada Bulgen Rowling. She calls herself Jo and has said, "No one ever called me 'Joanne' when I was young, unless they were angry." Following her marriage, she has sometimes used the name Joanne Murray when conducting personal business. During the Leveson Inquiry she gave evidence under the name of Joanne Kathleen Rowling. In a 2012 interview, Rowling noted that she no longer cared that people pronounced her name incorrectly.
Rowling was born to Peter James Rowling, a Rolls-Royce aircraft engineer, and Anne Rowling (née Volant), on 31 July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, England, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Bristol. Her mother Anne was half-French and half-Scottish. Her parents first met on a train departing from King's Cross Station bound for Arbroath in 1964. They married on 14 March 1965. Her mother's maternal grandfather, Dugald Campbell, was born in Lamlash on the Isle of Arran. Her mother's paternal grandfather, Louis Volant, was awarded the Croix de Guerre for exceptional bravery in defending the village of Courcelles-le-Comte during the First World War.
Rowling's sister Dianne was born at their home when Rowling was 23 months old. The family moved to the nearby village Winterbourne when Rowling was four. She attended St Michael's Primary School, a school founded by abolitionist William Wilberforce and education reformer Hannah More. Her headmaster at St Michael's, Alfred Dunn, has been suggested as the inspiration for the Harry Potter headmaster Albus Dumbledore.
As a child, Rowling often wrote fantasy stories, which she would usually then read to her sister. She recalls that: "I can still remember me telling her a story in which she fell down a rabbit hole and was fed strawberries by the rabbit family inside it. Certainly the first story I ever wrote down (when I was five or six) was about a rabbit called Rabbit. He got the measles and was visited by his friends, including a giant bee called Miss Bee." At the age of nine, Rowling moved to Church Cottage in the Gloucestershire village of Tutshill, close to Chepstow, Wales. When she was a young teenager, her great aunt, who Rowling said "taught classics and approved of a thirst for knowledge, even of a questionable kind," gave her a very old copy of Jessica Mitford's autobiography, Hons and Rebels. Mitford became Rowling's heroine, and Rowling subsequently read all of her books.
Rowling has said of her teenage years, in an interview with The New Yorker, "I wasn’t particularly happy. I think it’s a dreadful time of life." She had a difficult homelife; her mother was ill and she had a difficult relationship with her father (she is no longer on speaking terms with him). She attended secondary school at Wyedean School and College, where her mother had worked as a technician in the science department. Rowling said of her adolescence, "Hermione [a bookish, know-it-all Harry Potter character] is loosely based on me. She's a caricature of me when I was eleven, which I'm not particularly proud of." Steve Eddy, who taught Rowling English when she first arrived, remembers her as "not exceptional" but "one of a group of girls who were bright, and quite good at English." Sean Harris, her best friend in the Upper Sixth owned a turquoise Ford Anglia, which she says inspired the one in her books.
Although she writes under the pen name J.K. Rowling, pronounced like rolling, her name when her first Harry Potter book was published was simply Joanne Rowling. Anticipating that the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman, her publishers demanded that she use two initials, rather than her full name. As she had no middle name, she chose K as the second initial of her pen name, from her paternal grandmother Kathleen Ada Bulgen Rowling. She calls herself Jo and has said, "No one ever called me 'Joanne' when I was young, unless they were angry." Following her marriage, she has sometimes used the name Joanne Murray when conducting personal business. During the Leveson Inquiry she gave evidence under the name of Joanne Kathleen Rowling. In a 2012 interview, Rowling noted that she no longer cared that people pronounced her name incorrectly.
Rowling was born to Peter James Rowling, a Rolls-Royce aircraft engineer, and Anne Rowling (née Volant), on 31 July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, England, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Bristol. Her mother Anne was half-French and half-Scottish. Her parents first met on a train departing from King's Cross Station bound for Arbroath in 1964. They married on 14 March 1965. Her mother's maternal grandfather, Dugald Campbell, was born in Lamlash on the Isle of Arran. Her mother's paternal grandfather, Louis Volant, was awarded the Croix de Guerre for exceptional bravery in defending the village of Courcelles-le-Comte during the First World War.
Rowling's sister Dianne was born at their home when Rowling was 23 months old. The family moved to the nearby village Winterbourne when Rowling was four. She attended St Michael's Primary School, a school founded by abolitionist William Wilberforce and education reformer Hannah More. Her headmaster at St Michael's, Alfred Dunn, has been suggested as the inspiration for the Harry Potter headmaster Albus Dumbledore.
As a child, Rowling often wrote fantasy stories, which she would usually then read to her sister. She recalls that: "I can still remember me telling her a story in which she fell down a rabbit hole and was fed strawberries by the rabbit family inside it. Certainly the first story I ever wrote down (when I was five or six) was about a rabbit called Rabbit. He got the measles and was visited by his friends, including a giant bee called Miss Bee." At the age of nine, Rowling moved to Church Cottage in the Gloucestershire village of Tutshill, close to Chepstow, Wales. When she was a young teenager, her great aunt, who Rowling said "taught classics and approved of a thirst for knowledge, even of a questionable kind," gave her a very old copy of Jessica Mitford's autobiography, Hons and Rebels. Mitford became Rowling's heroine, and Rowling subsequently read all of her books.
Rowling has said of her teenage years, in an interview with The New Yorker, "I wasn’t particularly happy. I think it’s a dreadful time of life." She had a difficult homelife; her mother was ill and she had a difficult relationship with her father (she is no longer on speaking terms with him). She attended secondary school at Wyedean School and College, where her mother had worked as a technician in the science department. Rowling said of her adolescence, "Hermione [a bookish, know-it-all Harry Potter character] is loosely based on me. She's a caricature of me when I was eleven, which I'm not particularly proud of." Steve Eddy, who taught Rowling English when she first arrived, remembers her as "not exceptional" but "one of a group of girls who were bright, and quite good at English." Sean Harris, her best friend in the Upper Sixth owned a turquoise Ford Anglia, which she says inspired the one in her books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,346 reviews
August 5, 2016
Can we talk about the fact that Sirius hated Grimmauld Place just as much as Harry hated Privet Drive. Yet Dumbledore made both of them remain in a toxic environment for their own "safety".
October 13, 2018
Oh, this book is just full of a bit of everything. I love how they keep me interested. It draws me right into that world that she has so brilliantly created.
I love the Weasley twins. They are just so much fun. I love how they are so rebellious and they take it to a new level in this book when they go up against Umbridge. They really are brilliant and they put that to what they love and are good at. I just love them!
Delores Umbridge is a hag! I’m not even sure that I loathe Voldemort as much as I do her. She is such a despicable character. She is cruel beyond words and whenever she is in the story I just cringe. I think the highlight of the book is when she is carried off. Oh that woman!
I love the characters that begin to emerge and grow in this book. Neville, even though is constantly told how horribly he is at everything, grows stronger and has more confidence. He is one of my favorite characters. He is the underdog that really just grows on you. And Luna is such a little airheaded character, but there is something that I find charming about her. In this book you start to learn more about Ginny too and I love watching her become a part of the group.
Then there are the death eaters that begin to emerge and the death that is shocking and so sad. Filled with emotional ups and downs, this is just another great book. The story never gets dull.
I love the Weasley twins. They are just so much fun. I love how they are so rebellious and they take it to a new level in this book when they go up against Umbridge. They really are brilliant and they put that to what they love and are good at. I just love them!
Delores Umbridge is a hag! I’m not even sure that I loathe Voldemort as much as I do her. She is such a despicable character. She is cruel beyond words and whenever she is in the story I just cringe. I think the highlight of the book is when she is carried off. Oh that woman!
I love the characters that begin to emerge and grow in this book. Neville, even though is constantly told how horribly he is at everything, grows stronger and has more confidence. He is one of my favorite characters. He is the underdog that really just grows on you. And Luna is such a little airheaded character, but there is something that I find charming about her. In this book you start to learn more about Ginny too and I love watching her become a part of the group.
Then there are the death eaters that begin to emerge and the death that is shocking and so sad. Filled with emotional ups and downs, this is just another great book. The story never gets dull.
February 16, 2017
Mudbloods and werewolves, traitors and thieves, suspense, secrets and thrilling action.
An excellent series to begin with, it just keeps on getting better & better!
An excellent series to begin with, it just keeps on getting better & better!
August 29, 2023
Pues una maravilla, claro, como ya sabía de mis chorrecientas lecturas anteriores. Ya no se trata de sacarle más jugo, es cómo me hace sentir.
Realmente aquí aparece un personaje al que odio más que a Voldemort, que por lo menos es un malo a lo grande no el piojo resucitado insufrible este, que aguantamos todo el libro. Qué ganas de que le cayera un piano encima!. Hubiera querido que cayera en un descrédito público más oficial, como merecía. Pero bueno, qué se le va a hacer!. Pues ala! A ver la peli. Goodreads lectores (Libre)
Realmente aquí aparece un personaje al que odio más que a Voldemort, que por lo menos es un malo a lo grande no el piojo resucitado insufrible este, que aguantamos todo el libro. Qué ganas de que le cayera un piano encima!. Hubiera querido que cayera en un descrédito público más oficial, como merecía. Pero bueno, qué se le va a hacer!. Pues ala! A ver la peli. Goodreads lectores (Libre)
May 19, 2020
I am a huge Harry Potter fan and eagerly followed each book as it came out once I was old enough to understand these things (which was when I was around 6). This was the first book that I remember anticipating the arrival of - and when it did arrive, I was really disappointed.
It is without a doubt the worst book in the series. It is overly long - it could be around a third of the length and still contain everything of importance - fails to make its point most of the time, and mostly seems to function as a plot filler between the revelations of Goblet of Fire and the preparations for war in Half Blood Prince. If JK Rowling and her books had not been so famous at this point, and editor would have pulled this to shreds because of the sheer quantity of unnecessary 'waffling'. As it is, I feel rather that this book was hurried out to meet demand as soon as it was finished without proper editing - because the fact that the plot has not been finalised and the writing style not polished is all too evident throughout.
When I first read this book, aged 6, I wondered if my dislike of it was because it was aimed for someone older. I didn't struggle with it length or vocabulary wise - I read a ridiculous number of books aimed for older children at a very young age - but I was still prone to not fully understanding the points being made due to lacking life experience. I therefore turned to my parents for their opinions on the book. My father, a man who has never been very fond of Harry Potter, gave an extremely scathing report which I didn't entirely agree with - it has some good moments and does deserve some credit - but my mother matched my views nearly exactly. She believed that it was an interesting idea, but said with far too many words with lots of extra bits added in as fillers unnecessarily. Perhaps my view now is heavily influenced by that - I must have been prone to simply agreeing with my elders as a 6 year old - but even when I re-read it now, I find myself thinking the same things.
Harry Potter is an amazing series of books, and I believe that the mahority of people will enjoy reading them. I also wouldn't advise skipping this book simply because it is weaker than the others. However, in my opinion this book is the main fault in the series, and simply doesn't have the same excellence that all the others display.
It is without a doubt the worst book in the series. It is overly long - it could be around a third of the length and still contain everything of importance - fails to make its point most of the time, and mostly seems to function as a plot filler between the revelations of Goblet of Fire and the preparations for war in Half Blood Prince. If JK Rowling and her books had not been so famous at this point, and editor would have pulled this to shreds because of the sheer quantity of unnecessary 'waffling'. As it is, I feel rather that this book was hurried out to meet demand as soon as it was finished without proper editing - because the fact that the plot has not been finalised and the writing style not polished is all too evident throughout.
When I first read this book, aged 6, I wondered if my dislike of it was because it was aimed for someone older. I didn't struggle with it length or vocabulary wise - I read a ridiculous number of books aimed for older children at a very young age - but I was still prone to not fully understanding the points being made due to lacking life experience. I therefore turned to my parents for their opinions on the book. My father, a man who has never been very fond of Harry Potter, gave an extremely scathing report which I didn't entirely agree with - it has some good moments and does deserve some credit - but my mother matched my views nearly exactly. She believed that it was an interesting idea, but said with far too many words with lots of extra bits added in as fillers unnecessarily. Perhaps my view now is heavily influenced by that - I must have been prone to simply agreeing with my elders as a 6 year old - but even when I re-read it now, I find myself thinking the same things.
Harry Potter is an amazing series of books, and I believe that the mahority of people will enjoy reading them. I also wouldn't advise skipping this book simply because it is weaker than the others. However, in my opinion this book is the main fault in the series, and simply doesn't have the same excellence that all the others display.
October 20, 2012
This book makes for uncomfortable reading at the start - Harry is in a very dark place in the beginning, both mentally and physically. Rowling's great storytelling keeps you on board though, and finally, at chapter 10 Harry is on the train to Hogwarts and all seems well... The lighter mood is short-lived. Harry is no longer the school hero, he's viewed with suspicion - an outsider. What 15 year old wouldn't identify with Harry here? The arrival of the wonderful antagonist Professor Umbridge puts you firmly on Harry's side and makes you stay with him until she is banished. The ending is unexpected and difficult to take in. Loose ends are tied and as a reader some questions answered. However some more questions are raised, paving the way for the story to continue of course. The ending is not happy though and you feel rather empty as you finish the book, as you imagine Harry to feel.
A wonderful book but I'm going to give myself a break before reading the next one!
A wonderful book but I'm going to give myself a break before reading the next one!
November 29, 2018
The fun and excitement never ends.
November 13, 2018
I genuinely can't get over how much they changed in the films...I always said the fifth movie was my least favourite, and maybe I was too young to fully understand the book as I never enjoyed it as much as the others...but now I think it could be up there. Oh Sirius.
July 31, 2015
Even though I'd read this before and recently re-watched the film, I found myself staying up far too late last night (well, into this morning actually) to finish this book because I was enjoying it so much. That said, you can tell that J.K. Rowling is a parent because she has so perfectly captured that "I'm 15, I know everything, I don't have to listen to anyone else" within Harry that I just wanted to reach into the pages and slap him at times. I remembered all the key parts of the book (especially those that made it into the film) but was delighted to be reminded of all kinds of things that I'd forgotten - 'Weasley is our King', the astronomy examiner being just as distracted as the students, Peeves being given free reign .... I quite enjoyed myself.
September 10, 2024
Dude, I was pissed off for 80% of this book. I HATE that bitch Umbridge and why did no one believe Harry!!!!! Ugh I was so annoyed for so many pages then the END !! WHAT! Dumbledore kinda hid that big old secret for awhile
December 18, 2022
Sirius!!!
May 18, 2025
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ — Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
A deeply emotional turning point — darker, heavier, and brilliantly human.
After the the awe and wonder of the previous four books, Order of the Phoenix plunges us into the storm. This is no longer a tale of magical whimsy with just a hint of danger — this is war brewing, truth being twisted, and a boy forced to grow up far too fast.
Harry is no longer the wide-eyed orphan discovering his place in a hidden world. Here, he is battered by grief, distrust, and the suffocating weight of being disbelieved — even by his own community. And that’s exactly what makes this book so powerful: it dares to explore the uncomfortable, the frustrating, and the tragic. Harry's anger is raw. His isolation feels real. His heartbreak when Sirius falls... is devastating.
There are many unforgettable elements:
The rise of Dolores Umbridge, the true villain of bureaucracy and cruelty wrapped in pink. A masterstroke of horror in soft pastels.
The expansion of the magical world through the Department of Mysteries — eerie, enigmatic, and full of narrative intrigue.
The D.A. (Dumbledore's Army), giving us that hopeful flicker of rebellion and student empowerment.
And most of all: the growth of Neville Longbottom, our dear Marcel Lubbermans. From a bumbling background figure to a boy standing tall in the face of death.
The pacing can be slow in the middle, and Harry's temper might grate — but that’s part of the beauty. He’s fifteen. He’s traumatised. And he’s real. His flaws are what make him worthy of following. This book doesn't pamper you; it prepares you.
The final chapters explode into intensity. The fight at the Ministry is a chaotic crescendo of magic, dread, and loss. And then… silence. As the veil takes Sirius, and with him, another piece of Harry's soul.
The truth comes out. Voldemort is back. The Ministry can no longer deny it. The second war has begun.
And yet, the book leaves us with something like hope — fragile, painful, but burning. Because Harry still stands. His friends still stand. And love, ultimately, is still on his side.
Final Verdict:
This is not the easiest Harry Potter book to read — but perhaps the most important one so far. A story about grief, growth, and the unbearable cost of truth. It earns its place in the series with emotional maturity, layered characters, and the start of something bigger than Hogwarts itself.
4 out of 5 stars — and absolutely continuing with Book Six.
A deeply emotional turning point — darker, heavier, and brilliantly human.
After the the awe and wonder of the previous four books, Order of the Phoenix plunges us into the storm. This is no longer a tale of magical whimsy with just a hint of danger — this is war brewing, truth being twisted, and a boy forced to grow up far too fast.
Harry is no longer the wide-eyed orphan discovering his place in a hidden world. Here, he is battered by grief, distrust, and the suffocating weight of being disbelieved — even by his own community. And that’s exactly what makes this book so powerful: it dares to explore the uncomfortable, the frustrating, and the tragic. Harry's anger is raw. His isolation feels real. His heartbreak when Sirius falls... is devastating.
There are many unforgettable elements:
The rise of Dolores Umbridge, the true villain of bureaucracy and cruelty wrapped in pink. A masterstroke of horror in soft pastels.
The expansion of the magical world through the Department of Mysteries — eerie, enigmatic, and full of narrative intrigue.
The D.A. (Dumbledore's Army), giving us that hopeful flicker of rebellion and student empowerment.
And most of all: the growth of Neville Longbottom, our dear Marcel Lubbermans. From a bumbling background figure to a boy standing tall in the face of death.
The pacing can be slow in the middle, and Harry's temper might grate — but that’s part of the beauty. He’s fifteen. He’s traumatised. And he’s real. His flaws are what make him worthy of following. This book doesn't pamper you; it prepares you.
The final chapters explode into intensity. The fight at the Ministry is a chaotic crescendo of magic, dread, and loss. And then… silence. As the veil takes Sirius, and with him, another piece of Harry's soul.
The truth comes out. Voldemort is back. The Ministry can no longer deny it. The second war has begun.
And yet, the book leaves us with something like hope — fragile, painful, but burning. Because Harry still stands. His friends still stand. And love, ultimately, is still on his side.
Final Verdict:
This is not the easiest Harry Potter book to read — but perhaps the most important one so far. A story about grief, growth, and the unbearable cost of truth. It earns its place in the series with emotional maturity, layered characters, and the start of something bigger than Hogwarts itself.
4 out of 5 stars — and absolutely continuing with Book Six.
June 17, 2017
What I love most about this book is how we experience along with Harry his developing understanding of the wizarding world. In the first book it's much more about the magic of the, well, magical world and his school, which still has some darkness. In the second Harry starts to learn more about wizard history but it's still grounded in Hogwarts history. In the third, his understanding of his family and who shaped his life is expanded. In the fourth, he starts to see beyond the world of Hogwarts and British wizarding to a wizard world beyond that. And in this one, he learns first-hand (ugh, bad inadvertent pun!) about the government of the wizard world. Both the horrifying Professor Umbridge and the Ministry of Magic figure prominently in this as Harry really starts to understand the world he lives in and what the stakes are.
I also love the Dumbledore's Army aspect and the kid's empowering themselves. Plus, Luna Lovegood! Love her!
I also love the Dumbledore's Army aspect and the kid's empowering themselves. Plus, Luna Lovegood! Love her!
February 12, 2017
This one's one of my most favourite in the Harry Potter series, probably because of all the characters like Neville, Luna and Ginny. We get to watch them become much more confident wizards and witches, and I found the relationship of Harry and Sirius striking close to home for me personally. I just can't believe it's taken me so long to finally read this book - should've done it when it first came out. A wonderful modern classic.
September 5, 2020
It had too many extra pages. And killed the one character I truly got to love. I wanted to give it 1 star just out of anger. But a book that makes me feel all that deserves more than 4. I'm not angry anymore. And i'm giving 4 for those unnecessary thickness of the book.
December 20, 2021
THE MOST WELL EXECUTED AND WELL WRITTEN BOOK IN THE SERIES
December 14, 2022
Is it just me, or does Harry become more annoying in every book?
Edit: based on feedback from one of my students, I need to edit this review. Harry's annoying behaviour is probably the result of everything that has happened in his life. But, you know, there's more in the wizarding world than Harry Potter. Just saying. Great book, though. Lots of adverbs and adjectives.
Edit: based on feedback from one of my students, I need to edit this review. Harry's annoying behaviour is probably the result of everything that has happened in his life. But, you know, there's more in the wizarding world than Harry Potter. Just saying. Great book, though. Lots of adverbs and adjectives.
January 10, 2014
Harry Potter is attacked by a couple of Dementors with his cousin Dudley. He produces a Patronus charm but is called for hearing at the Ministry of Magic. To top it all up he thinks that Dumbledore along with Hermione and Ron and the some others, even Sirius are hiding something very important from him. Moreover after the Dementor attack, he is locked all the time in his room at the Dursley house.
When the Dursleys are out, Harry is busted out of the house by Lupin, Mad-Eye Moody, Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Sturgis Podmore and Hestia Jones. They go to the headquarters of the Order Of the Phoenix. It is a group of people who believe that Voldemort is back and are willing to fight against him at the cost of their own lives. He is angry at Ron and Hermione because while he was locked up all day at the Dursleys, they were together having fun.
Harry also has to go for Occlumency classes with his least favourite teacher, Professor Snape. He feels bad about himself because his father and Sirius used to bully Snape for no particular reason. Soon after, he gets a vision that Mr. Weasley was being attacked by a snake. Thanks to Harry some people from the order got there in the nick of time to save him. But he gets to know that this connection between him and Voldemort may be because he was possessed by the Dark Lord.
At Hogwarts, his life is practically ruined by Dolores Umbridge[senior undersecretary to the minister for magic and defense against the dark arts teacher and high inquisitor at Hogwarts]. She banns him from playing Quidditch, gives him detention for any excuse, puts the Inquisitorial Squad[ people sided with Dolores] after him. But Harry starts a Dumbledore’s Army who secretly practice defense against the dark arts taught by Harry.
They are caught and are punished. But Harry and his friends escape and follow Harry who has had a vision showing that Sirius was being tortured in the Department Of Mysteries. But it turned out that Voldemort had purposely sent Harry a false alarm. This led to a tragic incidence, Sirius's death.Harry is heartbroken but he recovers soon enough and goes back to the Dursleys.
This book exceeds all my expectations. It is outstanding. It is also the fattest book in the series.
When the Dursleys are out, Harry is busted out of the house by Lupin, Mad-Eye Moody, Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Sturgis Podmore and Hestia Jones. They go to the headquarters of the Order Of the Phoenix. It is a group of people who believe that Voldemort is back and are willing to fight against him at the cost of their own lives. He is angry at Ron and Hermione because while he was locked up all day at the Dursleys, they were together having fun.
Harry also has to go for Occlumency classes with his least favourite teacher, Professor Snape. He feels bad about himself because his father and Sirius used to bully Snape for no particular reason. Soon after, he gets a vision that Mr. Weasley was being attacked by a snake. Thanks to Harry some people from the order got there in the nick of time to save him. But he gets to know that this connection between him and Voldemort may be because he was possessed by the Dark Lord.
At Hogwarts, his life is practically ruined by Dolores Umbridge[senior undersecretary to the minister for magic and defense against the dark arts teacher and high inquisitor at Hogwarts]. She banns him from playing Quidditch, gives him detention for any excuse, puts the Inquisitorial Squad[ people sided with Dolores] after him. But Harry starts a Dumbledore’s Army who secretly practice defense against the dark arts taught by Harry.
They are caught and are punished. But Harry and his friends escape and follow Harry who has had a vision showing that Sirius was being tortured in the Department Of Mysteries. But it turned out that Voldemort had purposely sent Harry a false alarm. This led to a tragic incidence, Sirius's death.Harry is heartbroken but he recovers soon enough and goes back to the Dursleys.
This book exceeds all my expectations. It is outstanding. It is also the fattest book in the series.
February 6, 2023
Rereading this bring me right back to 2003, talk about a powerful nostalgia trip. While not my favorite book in the series, a reread at the ripe old age of 29 provides detail I would have skipped when I was 10. In this book, even Dumbledor speaks of his mistakes and short comings, despite being the most powerful wizard of his age. This provided solace as a totally regular guy and not a wizard of notability. Be willing to make mistakes and always keep those dear to you near and present. Thank you J.K. For bringing me back to 2003 as a wiser, more experienced reader and person. I look forward to the lessons in store in book 6.
April 7, 2023
Relectura. En este volumen me hace mucha gracia la adolescencia de Harry 🤣 y por supuesto uno de los volúmenes que más tristeza me da 🥲
February 26, 2024
While I did enjoy this installment and would consider it a good book, I still felt this was the weakest entry into the series so far.
The character arcs are continued here and are all very good, but the plot is where I felt this book suffered. The pacing was a little off in my taste and almost felt like over 50% of the book was one long training montage of Harry teaching his classmates in secret about the defense against the dark arts. As I stated, this was still a fun, easy read and I will definitely be continuing the series.
Because of the few flaws in my opinion I cannot give this more than 3.5 stars.
The character arcs are continued here and are all very good, but the plot is where I felt this book suffered. The pacing was a little off in my taste and almost felt like over 50% of the book was one long training montage of Harry teaching his classmates in secret about the defense against the dark arts. As I stated, this was still a fun, easy read and I will definitely be continuing the series.
Because of the few flaws in my opinion I cannot give this more than 3.5 stars.
July 24, 2025
Pry my 5th time rereading it! I love this book, but I wish worse would've happened to Umbridge. I felt like she got off way too easily.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2020
I have been just as engrossed with this series as I was when the books came out! I feel like I'm reading them for the first time again, and I love it!
July 1, 2014
It's a good book. Couldd be a great read if it wasn't so unnecasarily long. I agree with other reviewers that you could easily trim the book in half and still keep the all the key bits - it just feels a bit 'rambly' at points.
However, I think this is the first book of the Potter series to have a seriously dark theme throughout. Harry's safety is constantly under threat, Harry's temper and anger seems uncontrolable, and to round it off Professor Umbridge is so nasty and viscious that I actually want to rip out and burn every page that she is mentioned on. JK must be congratulated on her ability to write such a loathsome character.
I have always found the film hard to follow - but as usual the book clears everything up neatly, but still leaves enough questions for me to continue reading the HP series.
I recommend this book to be read a few chapters at a time in between reading other books. The last 100 pages of this book or so are so gripping that you have to read in one go.
However, I think this is the first book of the Potter series to have a seriously dark theme throughout. Harry's safety is constantly under threat, Harry's temper and anger seems uncontrolable, and to round it off Professor Umbridge is so nasty and viscious that I actually want to rip out and burn every page that she is mentioned on. JK must be congratulated on her ability to write such a loathsome character.
I have always found the film hard to follow - but as usual the book clears everything up neatly, but still leaves enough questions for me to continue reading the HP series.
I recommend this book to be read a few chapters at a time in between reading other books. The last 100 pages of this book or so are so gripping that you have to read in one go.
February 10, 2017
This book proves that Harry is literally the worst character in the whole Harry Potter series.
August 11, 2020
No Spoilers. I enjoyed the book to a point but will neither buy it or read it again because of the way the author has behaved towards the trans community
July 15, 2022
One of my favorites so far- lots more here than in the movie
September 21, 2022
El libro no es malo, pero siendo sinceros el 70% del libro es puro relleno. Harry la pasa fatal y se muere Sirius, tengo sentimientos encontrados…
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2013
This is not a review.
This is a trip down memory lane or to be more precise, a leisurely stroll through the Department of Mysteries.
Walk with me, fellow Potterheads.
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Moment #1 : 'Ministry of Magic?' bellowed Uncle Vernon. 'People like you in government! Oh, this explains everything, everything, no wonder the country's going to the dogs.'
This is a trip down memory lane or to be more precise, a leisurely stroll through the Department of Mysteries.
Walk with me, fellow Potterheads.
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Moment #1 : 'Ministry of Magic?' bellowed Uncle Vernon. 'People like you in government! Oh, this explains everything, everything, no wonder the country's going to the dogs.'
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Moment #2 : She seized Dudley by the shoulders and shook him, as though testing to see whether she could hear his soul rattling around inside him.
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Moment #3 : She looked the youngest there; she had a pale heart-shaped face, dark twinkling eyes, and short spiky hair that was a violent shade of violet. 'Wotcher, Harry!'
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Moment #4 : The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.
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Moment #5 :
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Moment #6 : 
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Moment #7 : 
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Moment #8 :
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Moment #9 : "...oh, for heaven's sake, Sirius, Dumbledore said no!"
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Moment #10 : The girl gave off an aura of distinct dottiness.
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Moment #11 :
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Moment #12 : In the Hog's Head
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Moment #13 : 'Yeah, the DA's good,' said Ginny. 'Only let's make it stand for Dumbledore's Army, because that's the Ministry's worst fear, isn't it ?'
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Moment #14 : 'I'm supporting Gryffindor,' said Luna, pointing unnecessarily at her hat.
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Moment #15 : Hagrid's Tale
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Moment #16 :
'Well?' Ron said finally, looking up at Harry. 'How was it?'
'Wet,' he said truthfully.
Ron made a noise that might have indicated jubilation or disgust, it was hard to tell.
'Because she was crying,' Harry continued heavily.
'Oh,' said Ron, his smile fading slightly. 'Are you that bad at kissing?'
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Moment #17 :
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Moment #18 : 
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Moment #19 : St.Mungo's Hospital
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Moment #20 : Christmas on the Closed Ward
His mother tottered away, back up the ward, humming to herself. Neville looked around at the others, his expression defiant, as though daring them to laugh, but Harry did not think he'd ever found anything less funny in his life. 
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Moment #21 : 'Occlumency, Potter. The magical defence of the mind against external penetration.'
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Moment #22 : ...and he wondered, with a feeling of great trepidation, what had happened to make Lord Voldemort the happiest he had been in fourteen years.
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Moment #23 : 
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Moment #24 : The Sneak
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Moment #25 : 
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Moment #26 : Snape's Worst Memory
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Moment #27 :
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Moment #28 :
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Moment #29 : 
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Moment #30 : 
'Give her hell from us, Peeves.'
And Peeves, who Harry had never seen take an order from a student before, swept his belled hat from his head and sprang to a salute as Fred and George wheeled about to tumultous applause from the students below and sped out of the open front doors into the glorious
sunset.
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Moment #31 : GRAWP
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Moment #32 : 
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Moment #33 :
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Moment #34 :
'We were all in the DA together,' said Neville quietly. 'It was all supposed to be about fighting You-Know-Who, wasn't it? And this is teh first chance we've got to do something real - or was that all just a game or something?" 
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Moment #35 : The Department of Mysteries
'It's - it's got your name on,' said Ron.
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Moment #36 : 
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Moment #37 :
But some part of him realized, even as he fought to break free from Lupin, that Sirius had never kept him waiting before.
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Moment #38 : The Only One He Ever Feared
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Moment #39 : 
And when the creature spoke, it used Harry's mouth, so that in his agony he felt his jaw move'If death is nothing, Dumbledore, kill the boy...'
Let the pain stop, thought Harry...let him kill us...end it, Dumbledore...death is nothing compared to this...
And I'll see Sirius again.
And as Harry's heart filled with emotion, the creature's coils loosened.
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Moment #40 :
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Moment #41 : The Lost Prophecy
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Moment #42 :
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For an actual review (shorn of pretty pictures), please click here : Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
April 30, 2020
The real villain of this story is not Voldemort or Umbridge or even Cornelius Fudge, but the Founding Fathers of the Ministry of Magic or whoever it was that designed this gongshow of a government. Throughout this story the Ministry's power is shown to be arbitrary and absolute with zero accountability whatsoever. For a government founded in 18th century Britain, I find it hard to believe this is the best they could have done! For instance, the Minister is also the chair of the highest court in the government? Separations of powers anyone? I guess this is why it was so easy for Voldemort to take it over later.
Fudge also seems to be able to simply use the full weight of the Ministry to achieve his personal ambitions. Why is the Head of Government involved in the hearing to expel a single teenage student from school? I guess he was quite concerned about this Voldemort rumor (not sure how he thought stopping it would do anything tho), but surely he had a least one other issue he cares about. The Ministry's obsession with Hogwarts was also a bit perplexing and they continue to show their ability to dictate laws/rules at a whim. This is all likely related to the fact that there is only one mainstream newspaper, but of course, the Ministry controls what is said in that as well. Yes, even if Voldemort wasn't back, Harry and his team would certainly have their work cut out for them.
I mostly liked how this was used in the story and thought it was remarkably topical, although sometimes it did feel a bit repetitive/excessive (e.g. scrum after quidditch game, Goyle gets lines and Harry gets a life ban). Historically OotP has been my least favorite of the series and I'd say this time was the same. The start and end were good, but I found it was a bit boring through the middle. There wasn't much plot here and it was just filled with quidditch, homework (I hope I never see the word owl again), relationships and stuff (normal high school stuff) that really wasn't that interesting. I also found Harry's moodiness to be a bit annoying.
Of course, there was a lot that I like of this book too.
- This was a great book for character development, especially the Weasleys. I liked that Ron finally steps out of Harry's shadow and starts to make his own mark, becoming a prefect and keeper on the quidditch team. Ginny really comes out of her shell and Fred and George find an alternative path to success instead of following their older brothers. Mrs. Weasley is still a rock. We get the introduction of one of my favorite characters, Luna, and Prof. McGonagall is also a star of this book, continually standing up to Umbridge.
- I really liked the introduction of the thestrals and thought they were a great metaphor for death in the series. As I said in my PoA review, death was something that followed the characters through the whole series, but after the death of Cedric (and now Sirius) it takes a much more visible role now as represented by Harry being able to see the thestrals now.
- One of my favorite things about the format of the HP books is the quiet that follows the climax, however this book is different. There is a tension in the quiet that I really liked. Harry really isn't the hero in this book. The big fight at the end is only because he makes a mistake, a big one, and it costs him his godfather. The following chapter when Harry talks with Dumbledore is the best one of the series so far, in my opinion. I think Rowling strikes a great tone here and really makes the end quite emotional.
- Also, Dumbledore finally lives up to the hype. We get to see him throughout the story and his dual with Voldemort was tight.
Fudge also seems to be able to simply use the full weight of the Ministry to achieve his personal ambitions. Why is the Head of Government involved in the hearing to expel a single teenage student from school? I guess he was quite concerned about this Voldemort rumor (not sure how he thought stopping it would do anything tho), but surely he had a least one other issue he cares about. The Ministry's obsession with Hogwarts was also a bit perplexing and they continue to show their ability to dictate laws/rules at a whim. This is all likely related to the fact that there is only one mainstream newspaper, but of course, the Ministry controls what is said in that as well. Yes, even if Voldemort wasn't back, Harry and his team would certainly have their work cut out for them.
I mostly liked how this was used in the story and thought it was remarkably topical, although sometimes it did feel a bit repetitive/excessive (e.g. scrum after quidditch game, Goyle gets lines and Harry gets a life ban). Historically OotP has been my least favorite of the series and I'd say this time was the same. The start and end were good, but I found it was a bit boring through the middle. There wasn't much plot here and it was just filled with quidditch, homework (I hope I never see the word owl again), relationships and stuff (normal high school stuff) that really wasn't that interesting. I also found Harry's moodiness to be a bit annoying.
Of course, there was a lot that I like of this book too.
- This was a great book for character development, especially the Weasleys. I liked that Ron finally steps out of Harry's shadow and starts to make his own mark, becoming a prefect and keeper on the quidditch team. Ginny really comes out of her shell and Fred and George find an alternative path to success instead of following their older brothers. Mrs. Weasley is still a rock. We get the introduction of one of my favorite characters, Luna, and Prof. McGonagall is also a star of this book, continually standing up to Umbridge.
- I really liked the introduction of the thestrals and thought they were a great metaphor for death in the series. As I said in my PoA review, death was something that followed the characters through the whole series, but after the death of Cedric (and now Sirius) it takes a much more visible role now as represented by Harry being able to see the thestrals now.
- One of my favorite things about the format of the HP books is the quiet that follows the climax, however this book is different. There is a tension in the quiet that I really liked. Harry really isn't the hero in this book. The big fight at the end is only because he makes a mistake, a big one, and it costs him his godfather. The following chapter when Harry talks with Dumbledore is the best one of the series so far, in my opinion. I think Rowling strikes a great tone here and really makes the end quite emotional.
- Also, Dumbledore finally lives up to the hype. We get to see him throughout the story and his dual with Voldemort was tight.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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