Dumbledore's Army
| Harry Potter association | |
Dumbledore's Army logo as depicted in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix |
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| Dumbledore's Army | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Room of Requirement |
| Leader(s) | Harry Potter Neville Longbottom (acting in HP7) |
| Intentions | To learn and practice magical methods of self-defence; Resistance against Death Eater activities in Hogwarts |
| Enemies | Ministry of Magic, Dolores Umbridge, Lord Voldemort, and Death Eaters |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix |
Dumbledore's Army (the D.A. for short) is a fictional student organisation in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series that is founded by the main characters, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, in order to stand up to the regime of Hogwarts High Inquisitor Dolores Umbridge, as well as learning practical Defence Against the Dark Arts.
Synopsis
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Dolores Umbridge chooses to only teach the basic principles of the subject in her classes in lieu of practical applications, due to Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge's erroneous fear that Albus Dumbledore is preparing to assemble a student army in order to overthrow him. This is widely unpopular among the students, especially those characters like Harry, who are in their fifth year and have to take their O.W.L.s on the subject later in the term. Harry also believes that lack of practical experience makes them more vulnerable to Lord Voldemort's forces, though the Ministry staunchly refuses to accept that Voldemort has returned. This prompts Hermione to suggest founding a student group where Harry would teach practical Defence Against the Dark Arts.
Hermione and Ron recruit of students from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw who all meet with Harry, Ron, and Hermione at the Hog's Head inn to discuss founding the group. When Umbridge learns about the meeting, she bans all unapproved student organisations, and meetings are secretly held in the Room of Requirement once a week for several months. Members communicate by enchanted fake Galleons created by Hermione. Cho Chang suggests the Defence Association, shortened to "D.A.," as the official name for the group, but Ginny Weasley's suggestion of Dumbledore's Army, in order to mock the Ministry's paranoia and to show the group's loyalty to Dumbledore, is chosen.
Downfall and aftermath
Cho's friend Marietta Edgecombe betrays the group to Umbridge. To prevent Harry's expulsion and the incrimination of other members, Dumbledore claims he himself organised the group, then escapes when Ministry officials attempt to arrest him. Though the D.A. stops meeting following these events, six members - Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood - battle Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries towards the end of the fifth book. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, when Hogwarts is invaded by Death Eaters, they are the only other members who join the Order of the Phoenix in the ensuing battle; they emerge mostly unscathed due to the small portions of Felix Felicis that they drank before the battle.
Re-emergence
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, with Harry, Ron and Hermione's absence in Hogwarts, it is stated that Neville, Ginny and Luna begin a covert rebellion against Severus Snape's reign as headmaster by reactivating the D.A. However, Luna is abducted and Ginny leaves school, leaving Neville in sole control. According to Neville, most of the D.A.'s activity ceased shortly after Michael Corner was tortured by Snape's deputies, Death Eater siblings Alecto and Amycus Carrow, for trying to rescue a first-year boy from imprisonment. The group hid from the Death Eaters in the Room of Requirement, using a secret passage to get to the Hog's Head to find food. Towards the climax of the book, the D.A. is able to play a crucial role in the successful protection of Hogwarts while giving Harry enough time to find the missing Horcruxes.
The enchanted Galleons are kept by the participating members after the Battle of Hogwarts as badges of honour; Neville is known to show his medal to admiring pupils.[1]
Members
The following is a list of members of Dumbledore's Army. The characters of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood have their own articles.
Hannah Abbott
Hannah Abbott is a Hufflepuff student in Harry's year, described as "pink-faced" with blonde hair worn in pigtails. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, she was initially sceptical of housemate Ernie Macmillan's belief that Harry was the Heir of Slytherin, saying that Harry had "always seemed so nice". She sported a "Support Cedric Diggory/Potter Stinks" badge during the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, although she remains on good terms with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Hannah is named a Hufflepuff prefect and later joins the D.A. in Order of the Phoenix, yet she also appears to be rather high-strung: she is so worried about the upcoming O.W.L. exams that she suffers a nervous breakdown because she feels she is too stupid to take exams, and has to be given a Calming Draught by Madam Pomfrey. However, she is also part of the six D.A. members who successfully come to Harry's aid against Draco Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle aboard the Hogwarts Express at the end of the year.
In Half-Blood Prince, Hannah leaves Hogwarts after her mother is murdered by Death Eaters, but she returns in the series finale to take part in the Battle of Hogwarts; she, Fred, and Lee Jordan stand guard over a secret passage together, and Harry later saves her and Seamus Finnigan from Voldemort's curse with a Shield Charm, allowing them to join the fight in the Great Hall. Hannah, as an adult, married Neville and became the landlady of The Leaky Cauldron.[2]
Charlotte Skeoch played Hannah in the film adaptations of Chamber of Secrets and Goblet of Fire, and voiced the character in the video game adaptation of Order of the Phoenix.
Katie Bell
Katie Bell joins the Gryffindor team in her second year (Harry's first) as a Chaser, and joined the D.A. in her sixth year. In Half-Blood Prince, she is the only remaining member of the original Gryffindor team that was helmed by Oliver Wood, and she advises Harry not to discriminate in favour of old players like her, but to hold trials for all. She nonetheless succeeds in retaining her spot as Chaser alongside newcomers Ginny Weasley and Demelza Robins.
In Half-Blood Prince, Malfoy secretly attempts to use Katie to deliver a fatally-cursed necklace to Dumbledore. Madam Rosmerta, whom he has placed under the Imperius Curse, gives it to Katie in Hogsmeade, but Katie accidentally touches the necklace through the torn package and is badly cursed. Fortunately, she only touches it with the smallest amount of skin due to a small hole in her glove, but she is hospitalised for several months in St Mungo's, and is temporarily replaced by Dean Thomas on the Gryffindor team. Katie returns fully healed to participate in Gryffindor's Quidditch Cup final win over Ravenclaw. In Deathly Hallows, she reunites with Oliver, Alicia and Angelina to assist the D.A. in the Battle of Hogwarts.
Katie was portrayed by Emily Dale in Philosopher's Stone and Chamber of Secrets, and by Georgina Leonidas in Half-Blood Prince.
Susan Bones
Susan Bones is a Hufflepuff student in Harry's year that wears her hair in a long plait down her back. She is Sorted in Philosopher's Stone, but is not mentioned again in the series until Order of the Phoenix, in which she attends the initial D.A. meeting in the Hog's Head, expresses curiosity over whether Harry could produce a corporeal Patronus, and reveals to Harry that her aunt was Amelia Bones, a high-ranking member of the Wizengamot who had presided at Harry's trial before the term. Following the breakout of several Death Eaters from Azkaban, including those who murdered her uncle Edgar and his family, Susan becomes a subject of unwanted notoriety among her fellow students, and she tells Harry that she understood how he felt. She is also part of the group of D.A. members who successfully come to Harry's aid against Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle aboard the Hogwarts Express at the end of the year. Susan's last appearance in the series is in Half-Blood Prince, when she Splinches herself during an Apparition lesson. Though her leg is successfully reattached, the incident leaves her somewhat shaken.
Eleanor Columbus (daughter of director Chris Columbus) portrayed Susan in a non-speaking role in the first two films.
Terry Boot
Terry Boot is a Ravenclaw student in Harry's year. In Order of the Phoenix, Terry becomes a member of the D.A. at the first meeting at the Hog's Head. After one D.A. meeting in the Room of Requirement, Terry is impressed by Hermione's charmed communication-device Galleons distributed among the members, as well as her ability to perform the N.E.W.T.-level Protean Charm. He is among the six D.A. members who assist Harry when Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle attempt to ambush him aboard the Hogwarts Express at the end of the term. In Half-Blood Prince, Terry appears in Horace Slughorn's Advanced Potions class, and is physically punished by the Carrows in his seventh year after shouting an announcement in the Great Hall about Harry, Ron, and Hermione's Gringotts break-in and their escape on a dragon. He is among the D.A. members who later seek refuge in the Room of Requirement before Harry's return to Hogwarts and the upcoming final Battle of Hogwarts, and provides Ron with an explanation of Ravenclaw's diadem.
Lavender Brown
Lavender Brown is a Gryffindor student and is Ron's first girlfriend. She is a close friend of housemate Parvati Patil; they seem to enjoy the same classes, especially Divination, and share many common interests. The two also seem to have a reasonably close relationship with Professor Trelawney, comforting and supporting her in her various crises. Lavender is one of the few students who bravely help round up the Blast-Ended Skrewts after a disastrous Care of Magical Creatures class, and she attends the Yule Ball with Seamus Finnigan in their fourth year. She initially believes the Ministry's smear campaign against Harry, but is among the original members of Dumbledore's Army.
In Half-Blood Prince, Lavender and Ron begin dating, and she gives him the tacky nickname of "Won-Won." Ron is not particularly amorous of Lavender himself, but he maintains the relationship solely to instil jealousy in Hermione and to prove that he can "snog" people whenever he wants. Lavender becomes jealous of Ron's friendship with Hermione, and finally splits up with him when she sees them leaving Harry's dormitory together. She is under the impression that they had been alone together in there, but Harry was actually present under his Invisibility Cloak. As Harry was under the influence of Felix Felicis at the time, the potion may have had a role in the breakup.
Lavender is gravely injured in the final Battle of Hogwarts after being blown off a high balcony and being attacked by Fenrir Greyback, but Hermione saves her by hitting Greyback with a Stunning Spell. At that point, she is moving feebly, though it is unknown if she ultimately survives the battle.
Lavender was played by Jennifer Smith in Prisoner of Azkaban, and by Jessie Cave in Half-Blood Prince.
Cho Chang
Cho Chang is a Ravenclaw student one year above Harry, and plays Seeker for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. She is best known for being Harry's first crush, first kiss, first girlfriend, and first break-up. She is described as being "very pretty" with long dark hair and is frequently accompanied by a group of giggling Ravenclaw girls.
In Goblet of Fire, Harry's crush on Cho intensifies and he works up the courage to ask her out to the Yule Ball, but Cho apologises and replies that she had previously accepted Cedric Diggory's offer, leaving Harry to ignore his own date, Parvati Patil, and jealously obsess about the couple for nearly the entire length of the ball. Nonetheless, Cho is still kind to Harry; much to his relief, she refuses to wear one of Draco's "Potter Stinks" badges. She and Cedric maintain their relationship until his shocking murder by Peter Pettigrew during the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament.
Cho is one of the first students to believe Harry's declaration of Voldemort's return in Order of the Phoenix, and when invited by Hermione to join the D.A., Cho reveals that her parents wish her not to take part in any anti-Ministry relations, but she joins because she is determined to fight against Voldemort and avenge Cedric's murder. Cho initiates a kiss with Harry after the last D.A. session before the Christmas holidays; much to Ron's amusement, Harry describes the kiss as "wet." Harry and Cho go out on a date on Valentine's Day, but her sustained grief over Cedric's death, her ill-founded jealousy over Harry's friendship with Hermione, and Harry's lack of knowledge about girls all make for a miserable experience. Their relationship is damaged after the outing, and it ends permanently when Dumbledore's Army is exposed following Marietta's betrayal of the group to Umbridge. Cho defends her friend's actions by saying that Marietta simply made a mistake, and labels Hermione's secret anti-treachery jinxing of the group's list of names a "dirty trick."
However, in the series finale, Cho demonstrates her loyalty when she returns to Hogwarts and joins other D.A. members in hiding in the Room of Requirement prior to engaging in the Battle of Hogwarts; Harry and Cho, united by a common cause, appear on amicable and friendly terms. She shares with Harry the little information known about Ravenclaw's diadem (one of Voldemort's Horcruxes), and offers to escort Harry to the Ravenclaw common room to search for clues, but Ginny hurriedly suggests that Luna take Harry up instead. Rowling revealed during an October 2007 book signing that Cho had married a Muggle.[3]
Katie Leung played Cho in Goblet of Fire, and in both the film and video game versions of Order of the Phoenix.
Michael Corner
Michael Corner is a Ravenclaw student in Harry's year. Michael and Ginny met and began dating after the Yule Ball, but this is not explicitly mentioned in canon until Order of the Phoenix. Michael joins the D.A. because of his relationship with Ginny. When Michael duels Ginny during a training session, he does not jinx her, either because he does not know the spell or wants to avoid cursing his girlfriend. Ginny replaces Harry on the Gryffindor Quidditch team as Seeker, and after Gryffindor defeat Ravenclaw in the Quidditch Cup final, Michael expresses his displeasure of the result and the relationship ends. He began dating the Seeker from his own team, Cho Chang, fresh from her split with Harry. In Half-Blood Prince, Michael is one of the few students in Harry's year to enrol in Slughorn's Advanced Potions class after achieving a high score on his Potions O.W.L. In Deathly Hallows, Michael is tortured by the Carrows for trying to free a first-year boy from imprisonment during Snape's regime as Hogwarts headmaster, causing the D.A. to cease operations prior to Harry's return. He is among the regrouped members hiding in the Room of Requirement before engaging in the Battle of Hogwarts, and when Harry attempts to reject the D.A.'s offer to help him in his mission, he soon relents due to Michael's protests and those of other members.
Michael was initially a Hufflepuff on Rowling's original pre-canon classlist that she created prior to the completion of Philosopher's Stone.
Colin and Dennis Creevey
Colin and Dennis Creevey are Muggle-born; their father is a milkman. Colin is one year younger than Harry and is in a regular state of excitement; he is delighted at the discovery that he is a wizard, and takes photographs of memorable people, objects and events to send home to his family. He is also star-struck of Harry and goes as far as possible to pursue him regularly for pictures, but Harry quickly tires of Colin's constant attention. During one of Gryffindor's Quidditch practices, Colin sits in the stands and repeatedly snaps pictures of Harry, and inappropriately photographs Ron vomiting slugs after his curse directed at Draco backfires. Ironically, Colin's camera later proves to be a lifesaver when he attempts to take a picture of the Basilisk, therefore avoiding the creature's direct and fatal eye contact, and is only Petrified.
Dennis is two years younger than Colin and shares his brother's near-constant enthusiasm; he can barely contain his excitement about having fallen out of his boat and into the lake on the way to the castle and being pushed back in by the resident giant squid. During the Triwizard Tournament, he and Colin try to rework a stack of "Potter Stinks" badges into reading "Support Harry Potter," but only succeed in changing the badges to "Potter Really Stinks." In Order of the Phoenix, Dennis joins Colin in the D.A., even though he is underage at the time and therefore prohibited from visiting Hogsmeade. At one D.A. meeting in the Room of Requirement, their attempts at the Expelliarmus Charm go awry and result in books flying off the shelves.
Despite being too young to take part in the Battle of Hogwarts, Colin sneaks back into the castle to participate, and dies in combat. His body is recovered by Neville and Oliver Wood, and Harry sombrely notices how small he is in death. It is not stated whether Dennis was involved in the battle.
Hugh Mitchell played Colin in the film version of Chamber of Secrets, and voiced the character in the Order of the Phoenix video game. Dennis is the lone Gryffindor D.A. member who has yet to appear in any of the films.
Marietta Edgecombe
Marietta Edgecombe is a Ravenclaw student (age unknown) with curly reddish-blonde hair, and is part of Cho Chang's cadre of giggling Ravenclaw girlfriends. Marietta's mother works for the Floo Network authority in the Ministry. Marietta joins the D.A., whose objective is to defy the Ministry's methods of teaching defensive magic by secretly training students in combat, against her wishes out of peer pressure from Cho. She reluctantly attends the meetings, and, later in the year, Marietta becomes an informant and betrays the group to Umbridge, which is not without consequences: the parchment that all the members signed back at The Hog's Head was jinxed by Hermione, which in turn caused purple pustules spelling the word "SNEAK" to break out across Marietta's face. Umbridge attempts to goad her into revealing crucial information about the D.A., but Marietta is too terrified to show her face or even to speak. Kingsley Shacklebolt then swiftly and secretly modifies her memory with an Obliviate Charm. The incident leads to the break-up of Harry and Cho, who attempts to justify her friend's actions to Harry by insisting that Marietta just made a mistake, and that it was difficult for Marietta to have a parent serving in the Ministry. Rowling revealed in a chat session after the release of Deathly Hallows that the "SNEAK" eventually faded, but still left a few scars.[4]
In the film adaptation of Order of the Phoenix, Marietta's betrayal of the D.A. is instead committed by Cho, under the influence of the Veritaserum potion. Marietta's name was seen alongside those of other D.A. members on the movie's promotional site and on some official merchandise, but she did not appear in the film.
Justin Finch-Fletchley
Justin Finch-Fletchley is a Hufflepuff student in Harry's year, and a Muggle-born who was originally headed for Eton until he discovered that he was a wizard at age eleven. He is Sorted in Philosopher's Stone but makes his first proper appearance in Chamber of Secrets, in which he is threatened by a snake conjured up by Malfoy during Lockhart's disastrous Duelling Club, and Harry orders the snake to relent by speaking Parseltongue; it is initially believed that Harry was encouraging the snake to attack. Despite Ernie Macmillan's subsequent order that he stay in his dormitory, Justin is later Petrified by the basilisk along with Hermione, Colin Creevey, and Penelope Clearwater.
In Goblet of Fire, under the impression that Harry was attempting to steal fellow Hufflepuff and Triwizard Tournament entrant Cedric Diggory's glory by entering the competition, Justin and Ernie temporarily give Harry the silent treatment. Justin joins the D.A. in his fifth year; during practice of the Expelliarmus Charm at one meeting, Luna succeeds in disarming him, but also in entangling him in his robes and causing his hair to stand on end. He is part of the group of D.A. members who successfully defend Harry against Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle aboard the Hogwarts Express at the end of the term.
Justin was played by Edward Randell in the film adaptation of Chamber of Secrets.
Seamus Finnigan
Seamus Finnigan is a Gryffindor student in Harry's year that is described as having sandy hair. He is a huge Quidditch fan and supports the Kenmare Kestrels, and is best friends with housemate Dean Thomas. His mother is a witch and his father a Muggle, who only found out his wife's secret after their marriage; according to Seamus, it was "a bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out."
Seamus is first seen in Goblet of Fire with his mother and Dean attending the Quidditch World Cup. In his fourth year, he attends the Yule Ball with Lavender, and also helps round up the Blast-Ended Skrewts after they run amok during Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class. The next year, Seamus is initially influenced by the Ministry's smear campaign against Harry, and his mother nearly prevents him from returning to Hogwarts. He engages in a heated argument with Harry on the first night of the new term over the Daily Prophet's allegations that Harry had merely fabricated the story in a bid for further attention, but he later realises his mistake, offers his apologies to Harry, and becomes a late addition of the D.A. In Half-Blood Prince, Seamus refuses to allow his mother to take him home before Dumbledore's funeral.
Seamus is first mentioned near the climax of Deathly Hallows as one of many D.A. members sheltered in the Room of Requirement during Snape's reign as Hogwarts headmaster when Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Dean return before the Battle of Hogwarts. He enthusiastically greets Dean at the entrance, yet his face is bruised so badly after being punished by the Carrows that Harry initially fails to recognize him until he speaks. During the battle, he, Luna, and Ernie aid Harry in his fight with the Dementors by conjuring their Patronuses (Seamus's takes the form of a fox). He is last seen entering the Great Hall to take part in the final stage of the battle, when Harry shields him and Hannah Abbott from one of Voldemort's curses.
Devon Murray has played Seamus in all of the Harry Potter films to date.
Anthony Goldstein
Anthony Goldstein is a Ravenclaw student in Harry's year, and is close friends with housemates Michael Corner and Terry Boot. His series debut comes in Order of the Phoenix, in which he becomes a Ravenclaw prefect, and joins the D.A. after accompanying Michael to the initial meeting at the Hog's Head. Zacharias Smith's numerous attempts to disarm Anthony during one D.A. meeting are comically interrupted by the Weasley twins. Anthony is one of six D.A. members who assist Harry against Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle as they attempt to ambush Harry on the Hogwarts Express at the end of the school year. He goes unmentioned in Half-Blood Prince, but returns in Deathly Hallows as one of many D.A. members holed up in the Room of Requirement who enthusiastically greet Harry upon his return to Hogwarts, prior to entering the Battle of Hogwarts.
Anthony was initially a Hufflepuff on Rowling's original pre-canon classlist that she created prior to the completion of Philosopher's Stone.
Angelina Johnson
Angelina Johnson is a tall girl of African descent with long braided hair, and is two years older than Harry. She has been a Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team since her second year, and replaces Oliver Wood as Quidditch captain in her seventh year. She proves to be at least as demanding of her team as Oliver had been, but attributes her hard-driving attitude to the stress of the job, saying that she regrets having been so hard on Oliver when he was captain. In Goblet of Fire, she unsuccessfully attempts to enter the Triwizard Tournament and attends the Yule Ball with Fred. Angelina joined Dumbledore's Army in her seventh year, and in Deathly Hallows, she was contacted through her fake Galleon, and reunites with Katie, Alicia, Oliver, and the D.A. at Hogwarts to take part in the Battle of Hogwarts. She went on to marry George and they had two children, Fred and Roxanne.[5]
Angelina was played by Danielle Tabor in the first three films. Tiana Benjamin played Angelina in Goblet of Fire, and voiced the character in the Order of the Phoenix video game.
Lee Jordan
Lee Jordan is a Gryffindor student two years ahead of Harry, and a close friend of Fred and George; he is as witty and fun-loving as the twins and a fellow Quidditch enthusiast. Lee wears his hair in dreadlocks and serves as Hogwarts' Quidditch commentator. Harry first encounters him at King's Cross as he attempts to smuggle a giant tarantula onto the train. Though Lee is a lively and astute commentator, he has a tendency to discuss off-topic subjects such as Harry's Firebolt or his own attraction to Angelina Johnson, his commentary is clearly biased in favour of his house, and his jovial tone often turns sarcastic whenever he talks about the Slytherin team. Lee also habitually swears in frustration whenever an opponent commits an infraction or scores against Gryffindor, often to the point where a frustrated Professor McGonagall attempts (unsuccessfully) to take away his megaphone.
In his seventh year, Lee joins the D.A., helps Fred and George with testing their merchandise on unsuspecting first years, and becomes the only known victim, besides Harry, of Umbridge's detention quill after he vocally objects to her ban of Exploding Snap games during classes. His commentary suffers from lack of enthusiasm after the twins unexpectedly leave Hogwarts in the wake of the student uprising against Umbridge, during which he does his part by levitating two nifflers through her office window.
In Deathly Hallows Lee becomes an undercover pirate radio anchor, broadcasting under the pseudonym of "River" on an anti-Ministry of Magic station entitled Potterwatch, which supported the activities of Harry and the Order of the Phoenix. He and George successfully take down Death Eater Yaxley in the Battle of Hogwarts.
Lee appeared in the first two films, and was played by Luke Youngblood.
Ernie Macmillan
Ernie Macmillan is a Hufflepuff student in Harry's year. He is described as "a stout boy," and is descended from nine consecutive generations of pure-blood witches and wizards. His series debut is in Chamber of Secrets, in which Ernie believes that Harry is the Heir of Slytherin after he is witnessed speaking Parseltongue to a snake threatening Justin Finch-Fletchley, who is later petrified. However, after Hermione meets the same fate, Ernie realizes his mistake and apologises to Harry. In Goblet of Fire, he wears a "Support Cedric Diggory" badge and again gives Harry the cold shoulder after Harry enters the Triwizard Tournament, in which Ernie believes is an apparent attempt at further glory, but they mend fences after the First Task.
Ernie becomes a Hufflepuff prefect in his fifth year, and joins the D.A. Harry perceives Ernie as somewhat pompous, but they usually get along very well. For his part, Ernie seems to have learned that Harry can be trusted, as he is among the few Hogwarts students who side with Harry's and Dumbledore's claims that Voldemort has returned, even going so far as to make an openly public declaration of support on Harry's behalf. He deals with the pressure of O.W.L. exams by studying as much as eight to ten hours a day and then boasting about it, while developing the irritating habit of interrogating others about their study habits. His hard work and determination pay off, as he shows up in Slughorn's Advanced Potions class in his sixth year. During the climax of Half-Blood Prince, he emerges from the Hufflepuff common room as Malfoy, Snape, and Harry run down a corridor during the Death Eaters' raid of Hogwarts; he attempts to ask Harry what was going on, but Harry blows by him with no response.
In Deathly Hallows, Ernie joins the D.A. in the Battle of Hogwarts. When McGonagall addresses the students in the Great Hall about Voldemort demanding Harry's surrender and the urgent need to evacuate, Ernie shouts out from the Hufflepuff table, "And what if we want to stay and fight?" He, Luna and Seamus conjure their Patronuses (Ernie's takes the shape of a boar) in their attempt to aid Harry in his battle against the Dementors.
Louis Doyle portrayed Ernie in Chamber of Secrets and Goblet of Fire, and voiced the character in the video game adaptation of Order of the Phoenix.
Padma Patil
Padma Patil is a Ravenclaw student in Harry's year, and the identical twin sister of Gryffindor student Parvati Patil. While both sisters are sorted in Philosopher's Stone, Padma is not mentioned again in the series until Goblet of Fire. Padma attends the Yule Ball with Ron, at the urging of Parvati (Harry's date) when Harry begs her to find a date for Ron. Padma, however, is less than enthusiastic at having Ron for a partner, since he refuses to dance with her and instead spends the evening stewing in jealousy over Hermione's date with Viktor Krum. Padma and Parvati both eventually abandon their disinterested dates and dance with some Beauxbatons boys. In Order of the Phoenix, Padma becomes a Ravenclaw prefect, and joins the D.A. along with her sister. They are taken home by their parents after Dumbledore's death and subsequent funeral at the conclusion of Half-Blood Prince, but in Deathly Hallows, they return to take part in the Battle of Hogwarts.
Afshan Azad appears as Padma in Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix. In both films, the Patils are Gryffindor housemates and fraternal twins.
Parvati Patil
Parvati Patil is a Gryffindor student in Harry's year and the identical twin sister of Ravenclaw student Padma Patil. Her best friend is Lavender Brown; they are particularly fond of Trelawney's Divination class, and share many common interests. In Philosopher's Stone, she sticks up for the hapless Neville after Malfoy mocks him and steals his Remembrall during the first year students' flying class, and is then teased by Pansy Parkinson, who laughed at Parvati's supposed love for "fat little crybabies." Parvati attends the Yule Ball with Harry in Goblet of Fire, but her evening is a disappointment as Harry spends the evening jealously preoccupied with Cho Chang's date with Cedric Diggory and disdains dancing with Parvati; she eventually abandons him to dance with some Beauxbatons boys.
In her fifth year, Parvati joins Dumbledore's Army along with her sister. In Half-Blood Prince, the twins are almost removed from Hogwarts by their parents, and ultimately do return home after Dumbledore's death. However, the Patil twins return to their seventh year at Hogwarts, and they are first seen in the final book before the Battle of Hogwarts. Parvati duels with the Death Eater Travers during the battle, and attacks Antonin Dolohov with a Body-Bind Curse after he attempts to retaliate at Dean for stunning another Death Eater.
The Patils' names and appearance in the films imply that they are of Indian descent. Patil is a common Marathi surname in the state of Maharashtra. Rowling originally intended the twins' first names to begin with Ma, and on her classlist from Harry Potter and Me, their last name was spelled as Patel.
Parvati was portrayed by Sitara Shah in Prisoner of Azkaban, and Shefali Chowdhury took over the part for Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix.
Zacharias Smith
Zacharias Smith is a Chaser for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. Unlike the majority of his housemates, Zacharias does not appear at all likeable, and his behaviour irritates most people, especially, the series' main protagonists. He makes his first appearance in the debut meeting of the D.A. in Order of the Phoenix, but was the most skeptical of Harry's claims. Hermione later admits to Harry and Ron that she only invited him because he overheard her talking with Ernie and Hannah about joining. Later in the year, however, Zacharias is as eager for more D.A. lessons as the other members.
In Half-Blood Prince, Zacharias is first mentioned as being on the receiving end of one of Ginny's famed Bat-Bogey Hexes. He also splits Quidditch match commentary duties with Luna during the term; however, his jeering at the Gryffindor team is highly unpopular, to the point where Ginny deliberately crashes into the announcer's pit following Gryffindor's win over Slytherin. He is not seen again until the day after Dumbledore's death, when his haughty-looking father escorted him from Hogwarts before the funeral, implying that he was not supportive of Dumbledore and his policies. In Deathly Hallows, Zacharias attends Hogwarts under Snape's rule as headmaster. Before the Battle of Hogwarts, he is seen pushing past younger students for the evacuation point rather than staying to fight alongside the D.A.
Nick Shirm briefly appeared as Zacharias in the film adaptation of Order of the Phoenix, but was not mentioned by name; he was identified as "Somewhat Doubtful Boy" in the closing credits. Shirm also voiced the character in the video game adaptation of Order of the Phoenix.
Alicia Spinnet
Alicia Spinnet first joins the Gryffindor Quidditch team as a reserve and moves up to the first team the next season (Harry's first year). Alicia is most often the Chaser who takes penalties when the other team commits an infraction. In her seventh year, she is jinxed by Slytherin Keeper Miles Bletchley in the library prior to the Gryffindor-Slytherin match, causing her eyebrows to grow long enough that they obstruct her face; Snape deliberately ignores the accounts of fourteen eyewitnesses, instead passing the incident off as her errant attempt at a Hair-Thickening Charm. Alicia joined the D.A. in her final year, and is not seen in Half-Blood Prince because she is no longer a student, but returns in the final book to defend the school in the Battle of Hogwarts.
Alicia was portrayed by Leilah Sutherland in Philosopher's Stone, and by Rochelle Douglas in Chamber of Secrets.
Dean Thomas
Dean Thomas is a Gryffindor student in Harry's year that is described as "a Black boy even taller than Ron". He is best friends with Seamus Finnigan and a football fan, which leads to his confusion about the complexities of Quidditch. Dean's mother is a Muggle and his father was a wizard who kept his blood status a secret and abandoned his family when Dean was very young as a measure of protection for his family against the Death Eaters, and was slain when he refused to join them. Dean was subsequently raised by his mother and stepfather, and has several half-brothers and sisters.[6]
Dean joins the D.A. in his fifth year, and also believes Harry and Dumbledore when they insist that Voldemort has returned, but when Harry and Seamus engage in a heated row over the Daily Prophet's allegations that Harry had merely fabricated the story, Dean refuses to take sides. At the end of the term, he begins dating Ginny, and temporarily fills in for Katie Bell on the Gryffindor Quidditch team in Half-Blood Prince after she is hospitalised. The relationship eventually ends after Ginny becomes annoyed with Dean when he tries to help her through The Fat Lady's portrait hole. Harry, though jealous of the relationship from the start, is accidentally responsible for the split: under the Invisibility Cloak and the influence of Felix Felicis, he accidentally brushes Ginny as she and Dean pass through the portrait hole.
Dean's role is expanded in Deathly Hallows. Unable to prove that he is actually a half-blood, he does not return to Hogwarts and goes on the run from the Ministry, who are rounding up Muggle-borns upon Voldemort's orders. Harry, Ron, and Hermione first come across him during their mission as they eavesdrop on his conversation with fellow runaways Ted Tonks, Dirk Cresswell, and the goblins Griphook and Gornuk. Snatchers soon viciously attack the group; Dean and Griphook are the lone survivors but are captured along with Harry, Ron, and Hermione and taken to Malfoy Manor. They are all rescued by Dobby, who transports them to Bill and Fleur's Shell Cottage for protection. Dean returns to Hogwarts towards the end of the book and fights in the Battle of Hogwarts, in which he uses a Stunning Spell on an unnamed Death Eater, and when Dolohov attempts to retaliate against Dean, Parvati attacks Dolohov with a Body-Bind Curse.
Alfred Enoch has played Dean in all of the Harry Potter movies to date, and voiced the character in the Order of the Phoenix video game.
Fred and George Weasley
Fred and George Weasley are the identical[7] twin sons, born 1 April (April Fool's Day), of Arthur and Molly Weasley. They attend Hogwarts from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to around springtime of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. They are the school clowns and troublemakers, more interested in inventing new pranks than studying. Despite this, it is stated by several characters that despite their poor grades and meagre number of O.W.L.s, the Weasley twins are extremely proficient wizards, capable of sophisticated magic (such as spells for high-quality daydreams). Both are the Beaters on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and are very talented players.
The pair provide Harry with useful assistance throughout the series; in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets they and Ron help him escape his house arrest at Privet Drive. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban they give him the Marauder's Map. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, they try to encourage Harry and Ron to find dates to the Yule Ball by letting them see Fred ask Angelina Johnson. Also in this book, the twins begin selling their own jokes by owl order, under the name "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes." Their ambition in life has always been to run their own joke shop. Harry makes this possible by giving them his winnings from the Triwizard Tournament. They also help Harry in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when Harry wishes to talk with his godfather, Sirius Black, by creating a distraction, leaving Hogwarts in a state of chaos. Later in that book, they are banned from Quidditch and decide to abandon formal education; they do not, however, leave before conjuring a swamp in a corridor. After Umbridge is driven from the school, Filius Flitwick removes it, but leaves a small bit as a tribute to the Weasley twins. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Fred and George continue to run their very successful joke shop, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Fred and George are members of the Order and serve as two of Harry's six decoys when he escapes Privet Drive. George loses one of his ears to Severus Snape's Sectumsempra curse (which is aimed at a Death Eater's wand hand, but misses). As the injury is caused by dark magic, it cannot be repaired. During this novel, the Ministry of Magic (now led by Death Eaters) is watching every member of the Weasley family. It is impossible for Fred and George to return to their shop in Diagon Alley to sell their products, so they begin to run another owl-order business out of their Auntie Muriel's house. During the Battle of Hogwarts, an explosion kills Fred. Towards the end of the novel, George and Lee Jordan defeat the Death Eater Yaxley. According to Rowling, she always knew, intuitively, that Fred would be the one of the twins that would die, but she does not exactly know the reason.[8] Although not mentioned in the novel, Rowling revealed in a web chat that George never fully does get over the death of Fred. However, he goes on with his life, turning Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes into a "money spinner" with Ron (who eventually leaves WWW to become an Auror).[9] George marries Angelina Johnson, with whom he has two children, Fred (named after his twin brother) and Roxanne. [5]
Fred and George are portrayed by twins James and Oliver Phelps in the films.
Impact in the real world
The goal of Dumbledore's Army inspired actor/comedian Andrew Slack, a Harry Potter aficionado, to create a MySpace group called Harry Potter Alliance to highlight the crisis in Sudan and social inequities.[10] In an interview, Slack compared Harry and the D.A. to Darfur, claiming, "With both the Ministry of Magic and the Daily Prophet (the Wizarding World’s mainstream news source) in denial that Voldemort has returned and evil is afoot, Harry and his underground rebel group, 'Dumbledore’s Army,' work with the adult group, 'The Order of the Phoenix,' to awake the world. We in the Alliance seek to be Dumbledore’s Army for the real world, working with anti-genocide organizations, such as 'Fidelity Out of Sudan' and the 'Genocide Intervention Network,' to wake our governments, corporations and media up to the fact that 'never again' means 'never again.' ”[11]
References
- ↑ Bloomsbury.com Retrieved on 08-07-07
- ↑ Weingarten, Tara/Tyre, Peg; "Rowling Says Dumbledore Is Gay: The Harry Potter author breaks big news in New York."; newsweek.com; October 16, 2007
- ↑ Larson, Susan (2007-10-18). "New Orleans students give Rowling a rousing welcome", The Times-Picayune. Retrieved on 2007-10-18.
- ↑ "J.K. Rowling Web Chat Transcript", The Leaky Cauldron (2007-07-30). Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 J.K.Rowling - A Year In The Life - James Runcie, Independent Television (ITV); 2007
- ↑ Rowling, Joanne, Dean Thomas's background (Chamber of Secrets), http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/extrastuff_view.cfm?id=2, retrieved on 2007-10-04
- ↑ "I'm not Fred, I'm George ... can't you tell I'm George?" Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; Page 70 (UK edition); Page 92 (US edition).
- ↑ Rowling: I wanted to kill parents from MSNBC
- ↑ Interview with J.K. Rowling, 26 July 2007 from TODAYShow.com.
- ↑ Harry Potter as a political force
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Muggle Activists
External links
Dumbledore's Army on Harry Potter Wiki, an external wiki