Dumbledore's Army

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Revision as of 09:42, 10 June 2013

Dumbledore's Army
Dumbledore's Army members as seen in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Headquarters	Room of Requirement
Leader(s)	Harry Potter Ginny Weasley Neville Longbottom Luna Lovegood
Intentions	To learn and practice magical methods of self-defence; Resistance against Death Eater activities in Hogwarts
Affiliated associations	Order of the Phoenix
Enemies	Lord Voldemort, Death Eaters, Dolores Umbridge, Ministry of Magic
First appearance	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Dumbledore's Army (or D.A. for short) is a 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 against the regime of Hogwarts High Inquisitor Dolores Umbridge, as well as to learn practical Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Synopsis

Members

Hannah Abbott

Katie Bell

Susan Bones

Terry Boot

Lavender Brown

Cho Chang

Michael Corner

Colin and Dennis Creevey

Marietta Edgecombe

Justin Finch-Fletchley

Seamus Finnigan

Seamus Finnigan is an Irish Gryffindor student in Harry's year who 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 seen in Goblet of Fire with his mother and Dean attending the Quidditch World Cup. He is one of the few students who help round up the Blast-Ended Skrewts after a disastrous Care of Magical Creatures class, and he attends the Yule Ball with Lavender Brown in their fourth year. 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 Neville return from the Hogs Head 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 recognise him until he speaks. During the battle, he, Luna, and Ernie help Harry fight the Dementors by conjuring their respective 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 played Seamus in the Harry Potter film series.

Anthony Goldstein

Angelina Johnson

Lee Jordan

Neville Longbottom

Neville Longbottom is a pure-blood Gryffindor student in Harry's year, described as round-faced and "short and plump and blond". Throughout the series, he is often portrayed as a bumbling, disorganised character and a rather mediocre student, though he is highly gifted at Herbology. His parents, Frank and Alice Longbottom, were prominent Aurors and Order of the Phoenix members until they were tortured into insanity by a group of Death Eaters led by Bellatrix Lestrange; Neville was subsequently raised by his paternal grandmother, Augusta. Neville plays a minor role in the first four books, but Rowling wanted him to perform an act of bravery in Sorcerer's Stone, in which Neville "finds true moral courage in standing up to his closest friends — the people who are on his side" towards the climax.

Harry comes to understand Neville on a deeper level when Dumbledore tells him about the fate of Frank and Alice Longbottom. His friends later find out about it at St Mungo's.

According to Rowling, Order of the Phoenix "was a real turning point for Neville" due to the central role he played in it. His magical abilities improve dramatically during D.A. meetings. Neville participates in the battle in the Department of Mysteries, in which he accidentally breaks the prophecy about Harry and Voldemort. Dumbledore, to whom it was originally made, explains that it concerned "the Chosen One", a wizard who would have the power to vanquish Voldemort and who would be born "as the seventh month dies" to "parents who have defied the Dark Lord thrice"; thus could refer to either Neville, who was born on 30 July 1980, or Harry, who was born a day later. This means that Neville could easily have had Harry's fate, had Voldemort chosen to target him instead of Harry. Neville is also one of the few D.A. members to participate in the battle of the Astronomy Tower in the climax of Half-Blood Prince.

With Hogwarts at the mercy of new headmaster Severus Snape and Death Eater siblings Alecto and Amycus Carrow, in Deathly Hallows, Neville reforms Dumbledore's Army with Ginny and Luna, and spends much of his seventh year as the group's interim leader in Harry's absence, helping students who are tormented under the new regime. Neville's bravery is fully revealed here, as he not only tried to steal the sword of Gryffindor for Harry but also refuses to obey the Carrows' cruel regime. Neville reveals to Harry that he had been subjected to the Cruciatus Curse (the new form of punishment under the Carrows) by the Carrows as a result and was forced to go into hiding in the Room of Requirement to avoid Azkaban or death. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Neville uses his knowledge of Herbology to help ward off the attackers, and later helps Oliver Wood carry the body of Colin Creevey. When Voldemort returns with Harry's apparently lifeless body, Neville breaks free from the crowd to attack Voldemort. However, he is immobilised by Voldemort's Full Body-Bind curse, after which the Sorting Hat is placed on his head and set on fire. Neville later breaks free of the curse, pulls Godric Gryffindor's sword from the Sorting Hat, and uses it to decapitate Nagini (on Harry's orders), thus destroying the final Horcrux. In the ensuing conflict, he assists Ron in defeating Fenrir Greyback.

In the epilogue of Deathly Hallows, Neville returns to Hogwarts as its new Herbology professor, and shows off his D.A. Galleon to many admiring students and tells them about his adventures.

Neville was played by Matthew Lewis in the Harry Potter film series.

IGN listed Neville as their sixth top Harry Potter character, calling him the "quintessential dimwit-turned-hero". In NextMovie.com's Harry Potter Mega Poll, Neville was voted as the top character that should get a spin-off movie or book. Empire listed Neville as their 8th favourite Harry Potter character.

Luna Lovegood

Luna Lovegood is a Ravenclaw student one year younger than Harry. She is described as having straggly waist-length dirty blond hair with grey eyes and a "permanently surprised look". Rowling has often said that Luna is the "anti-Hermione", as Hermione is "inflexible and logical", as opposed to Luna, who would "believe 10 impossible things before breakfast". Her father, Xenophilius Lovegood, is the editor-in-chief of The Quibbler. When Luna was only 9 years old, her mother died while performing spell experiments. Luna witnessed the accident, which enabled her to see Thestrals. Luna is at first socially isolated at school, but she appears to have the rare quality in that she cares little about what others think of her.

In Order of the Phoenix, she and her father are among the few who believe Harry and Dumbledore when they claim that Voldemort has returned, and even publish an article outlining Harry's side of events, as opposed to the ministry influenced media that try to portray Harry as crazy. During this particularly turbulent year for Harry, Luna is the only person who can quell his temper when Ron and Hermione cannot. As a result, he forms a strong friendship with her. Luna also becomes a member of Dumbledore's Army. Later in the book, she joins Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville in the conflict with Death Eaters at the Department of Mysteries. In Half-Blood Prince, after Luna and Neville are snubbed by some of Harry's new fans, she observes that Harry is expected to be with "cooler" people. Harry later invites Luna to Slughorn's Christmas party. She also does the Quidditch commentary for Gryffindor's game against Hufflepuff, a scene that Rowling particularly enjoyed writing, calling it "blinding inspiration". Later, when Death Eaters attack Hogwarts, Luna, Ginny and Neville are the sole D.A. members who answer the call to protect Hogwarts.

In Deathly Hallows, Luna and her father attend Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding at the Burrow, where she immediately recognises Harry (who is posing as another Weasley under the effects of Polyjuice Potion) by way of the expression on his face. She returns to school for her sixth year, where she and Neville help Ginny secretly revive the D.A. to oppose Snape's regime as Hogwarts headmaster. During Harry's visit to the Lovegood residence along with Ron and Hermione, the trio notices evidence suggesting that she has been missing for several weeks. It is then revealed that while travelling home for the Christmas break on the Hogwarts Express, Luna was kidnapped in an effort to prevent her father from publishing information in support of Harry. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, along with Luna, Dean Thomas, Griphook, and Mr Ollivander, are captured and held hostage at Malfoy Manor, but are soon rescued by Dobby, who takes them to safety at Shell Cottage. When Harry returns to Hogwarts in search of Ravenclaw's diadem, Luna helps him enter the Ravenclaw common room in order to view a replica of it, then stuns Alecto Carrow when they are discovered. During the battle, she, Ernie, and Seamus help Harry fight the Dementors by conjuring their respective Patronuses; Luna's takes the form of a silver hare. After Harry's apparent death, Luna ends up dueling Bellatrix Lestrange, along with Hermione and Ginny, until Molly Weasley takes over and defeats Bellatrix herself. She is among the first to congratulate Harry when Voldemort is defeated and later helps him get some solitude.

Rowling revealed that, after Hogwarts, Luna pursues a career that is "the wizarding equivalent" of a naturalist. She also accepted that some of her father's beliefs were, after all, not so true. She married a fellow naturalist named Rolf, the grandson of Newt Scamander. Luna and Rolf had twin boys, Lorcan and Lysander. After Harry and Ginny are married, they name their daughter Lily Luna.

Evanna Lynch portrayed Luna in the last four Harry Potter films.

IGN listed Luna as their 12th top Harry Potter character, saying that looniness made her a "delight". Empire listed Luna as their 10th favourite Harry Potter character in "The 25 Greatest Harry Potter Characters".

Ernie Macmillan

Padma Patil

Parvati Patil

Zacharias Smith

Alicia Spinnet

Dean Thomas

Fred and George Weasley

Fred and George Weasley are the older identical twin brothers of Ron. The two often work together and are addressed as a single unit as opposed to two individual people. They are so similar that even their mother often has a difficult time telling the two apart. Born on April Fools' Day, they first appear in Sorcerer's Stone as third-years and are the school clowns and prime troublemakers, more interested in inventing new pranks than studying. Despite their poor results in their O.W.L. exams, the twins are intelligent and proficient wizards capable of sophisticated magic. In addition, they served as Beaters for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

The pair often come to Harry's assistance throughout the series; in Chamber of Secrets, they and Ron help him escape his house arrest from Privet Drive, and give Harry the Marauder's Map during his third year. In Goblet of Fire, they begin selling novelties under the name "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes", first testing their merchandise on impressionable first-years, and once on Dudley Dursley at the beginning of the book. Though their mother wants them to work for the Ministry of Magic, the twins aspire to own a joke shop, and Harry provides their start-up capital by donating his winnings from the Triwizard Tournament. In Order of the Phoenix, the twins are permanently banned from Quidditch after a postmatch brawl with Malfoy, and later eschew the remainder of their seventh year by taking part in a student uprising against Umbridge, during which they light off a mass of fireworks and conjure up a Portable Swamp in a corridor before abandoning their education; a small amount of the swamp is later kept and cordoned off by Filius Flitwick as a tribute. In Half-Blood Prince, Fred and George continue to run their joke shop despite the unrest in Diagon Alley.

In Deathly Hallows, the twins are Order of the Phoenix members and serve as two of Harry's six decoys when he escapes Privet Drive. George's ear is permanently severed by a stray Sectumsempra curse from Snape, who was actually aiming at a Death Eater. Meanwhile, the twins are forced to abandon their shop due to the Death Eater-helmed Ministry of Magic's surveillance of the Weasley family, and instead operate another owl-order business out of their Great-Aunt Muriel's house. During this time, one of the twins, speculated to be Fred, shows up in the pirate radio station Potterwatch as "Rapier". The twins return to participate in the Battle of Hogwarts, during which Fred and Percy Weasley defeat Pius Thicknesse and an unidentified Death Eater, but moments later, Fred is killed in an explosion caused by Augustus Rookwood. Rowling said in an MSNBC interview that she always knew Fred would be the twin who would die, though she could not specify a particular reason. She revealed in a web chat after the release of Deathly Hallows that George never fully got over Fred's death, but succeeded in turning Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes into a "money spinner" with Ron, who eventually quit to become an Auror. Rowling also revealed that, by the time of the epilogue of Deathly Hallows, George is married to Angelina Johnson and has two children, Fred and Roxanne.

James and Oliver Phelps played Fred and George respectively in the Harry Potter film series.

Fred and George were listed by IGN as eleventh top Harry Potter characters, saying that "taking umbrage at Umbridge and leaving Hogwarts with a bang in Order of The Phoenix showed us that these two weren't just goofy side splitters; they were brave and valiant freedom fighters".

Ginny Weasley

Ginevra "Ginny" Weasley is the youngest of the seven Weasley children and "the first girl to be born into the Weasley clan for seven generations." Ginny is introduced in The Sorcer's Stone, in which she appears when Harry and four of her brothers leave for Hogwarts, and when she excitedly catches a glimpse of Harry upon his return at the end of the term.

Ginny is a first-year in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, in which she develops a crush on Harry and is sorted into Gryffindor. In the climax, it is revealed that she opened the Chamber of Secrets, and is attacking Muggle-born students while being possessed by Tom Riddle's (Lord Voldemort's) old school diary, which Lucius Malfoy had slipped into her cauldron in Flourish and Blotts prior to the term. She has little involvement in Prisoner of Azkaban where she studies at Hogwarts and in Goblet of Fire her role was larger as she attends the Yule Ball with Neville Longbottom and can be seen in background appearances.

In Order of the Phoenix, Ginny has "given up on Harry months ago", and has a boyfriend, Michael Corner, whom she met at the Yule Ball. George Weasley also mentions how good she is with Bat-Bogey Hexes. When Umbridge punishes Harry with a "lifetime" Quidditch ban, Ginny replaces him as Gryffindor Seeker. She joins Dumbledore's Army and is one of five members who accompany Harry in his attempt to rescue Sirius Black from the Department of Mysteries. During the last part of the book, Ginny breaks up with Michael due to his sulking over Ravenclaw losing the Quidditch Cup final to Gryffindor, and starts dating Dean Thomas.

In Half-Blood Prince, after she casts the Bat-Bogey Hex on Zacharias Smith, Professor Slughorn respects her magical abilities enough to invite her to join his "Slug Club". Ginny becomes a permanent member of the Gryffindor Quidditch team as Chaser, and substitutes for Harry as Seeker when Snape puts him in detention during the Quidditch Cup final. After witnessing Ginny kissing Dean in a private hallway, Harry realises his love for Ginny, but since Ron vocally objects to Dean dating his sister, Harry interprets this as his not wanting any of his friends to date her. Ginny's relationship with Dean ends altogether in April following an "accidental" nudge from Harry under the effects of Felix Felicis, which Ginny interprets as Dean unnecessarily trying to help her through the portrait hole. Ginny and Harry share their first kiss after Gryffindor again wins the Quidditch Cup over Ravenclaw, thus initiating their relationship. After Dumbledore's death, however, Harry decides to end their relationship as he fears his love for Ginny would place her in danger.

Propelled by the revelation that Harry, Ron, and Hermione are leaving to seek the remaining Horcruxes in Deathly Hallows, Ginny kisses Harry in her bedroom, and they realise that they both still love each other. She returns to Hogwarts for her sixth year, where she works with Neville and Luna on reuniting Dumbledore's Army. As Ron is on the run with Harry and Hermione, Ginny is forced to go into hiding with her family. Though underage, she takes part in the Battle of Hogwarts despite her mother's and Harry's disapproval. After Harry's supposed death, she, Hermione, and Luna take on Bellatrix Lestrange, who nearly strikes Ginny with a Killing Curse, infuriating Molly Weasley to the point of intervening and slaying Bellatrix herself.

In the epilogue, set nineteen years after the events of Deathly Hallows, Harry and Ginny are married and have three children: James Sirius Potter, Albus Severus Potter, and Lily Luna Potter. Rowling elaborated on Ginny's future after the release of the book, saying that after leaving Hogwarts, she joined the Holyhead Harpies and, after spending a few years as a celebrated player, retired to become the senior Quidditch correspondent at the Daily Prophet, and to start a family with Harry.

Bonnie Wright played Ginny in the Harry Potter film series, and voiced the character in the Order of Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows: Part 1 video games. Ginny was voiced by Victoire Robinson for the Chamber of Secrets game, and by Annabel Scholey in Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

IGN listed Ginny as their 22nd-favourite Harry Potter character, that "Ginny and Harry's eventual romance captivated us", that Ginny was the "quintessential girl who got her guy" and they "wouldn't have it any other way".

Impact in the real world

References

External links