Order of the Phoenix FAQ
Here are the most frequently asked Order of the Phoenix Questions and the most frequent answers. Feel free to disagree with them!
So, you've decided to join the list after OoP. A good moment, you think. A new start. Maybe you used to lurk. Maybe you're new. Maybe you were on hiatus. Maybe you were here all along. And suddenly, there are 2000 posts staring at you in the face in the course of three days. How can anyone keep up? How can you know if your thoughts have been discussed to death? The answer is not easy, so (having kept up with the list for 12 straight hours before my brain started to leak out of my ears), I have composed a FAQ of OoP questions. Hope that helps,
Grey Wolf
[Written by Grey Wolf, who has given the Administration Team permission to use this post. We thank you.]
Ministry of Magic, Department of Mysteries & The Black Veil
ThestralsHow could a bunch of children walk into and through an official building at night?
What's the deal with the Department of Mysteries?
What the deuce is the Black Veil?
Why aren't they in Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them?
Why can Neville see them?
Why hasn't Neville mentioned them before?
Didn't Harry see his mother die?
Harry sees Quirrell die in the first book. What gives?
Harry sees the carriages at the end of GoF, after seeing Cedric's death, but doesn't see the thestrals. Is it a Flint?
James Potter
Was James is an idiot?
How did he become Head Boy if he wasn't prefect?
Why do people speak so highly of a bully?
The Prophecy
What are those letters in the title of the prophecy?
What does it mean?
Could it be referring to Neville and not Harry? Could it be talking about both? Why did Voldemort choose Harry?
Who was the person who overheard part of the Prophecy?
Sirius & Harry
Severus SnapeSirius and Harry have changed a lot! Are they Out Of Character?
What killed Sirius?
Is he really dead?
What was the point of Sirius's death?
Harry forgot about Sirius's mirror! Why? Is it a Flint? Did JKR forget?
Harry didn't become a prefect? Can he become a Head Boy?
But will he?
Was that scene we saw in the Pensieve really his worst memory? Wouldn't the Prank be worse?
Is Snape poor? He has grey underwear.
Shouldn't Harry have apologised for going into the Pensieve?
Why didn't Harry go to Snape when he needed a member of the Order?
What is Snape's job in the Order?
What was Snape doing during the Ministry incident?
Snape isn't in the Black family chart! Is he mixed blood? Or Muggle-born?
Will knowledge of Snape's role in the Order, which is right there in Harry's mind, endanger Snape if Voldemort "sees" that memory in Harry?
Did the Pensieve scene happen before or after the Prank?
Did Snape overhear what Sirius, James, Remus and Peter were saying? Wouldn't he have found out that Remus was a werewolf?
Miscellaneous
Who won the House Championship?
When did Harry get the Marauder's Map back? It was in Crouch/Moody's possession in GoF!
No wonder Neville was bad at magic! He had his father's wand, not one suited for him. Now that he'll have a proper wand, will he become much more powerful? After all, Olivander said "You will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."
There are only eight subjects you can take at the same time - how could Charlie, Percy and Bill get twelve O.W.L.s each?
How could Dennis Creevey be at the meeting in the Hog's Head when he was only in second year?
Why was it safe for Dumbledore to talk to Harry at the end?
Is the Pensieve objective?
Q. How could a bunch of children walk into and through an official building at night?A. The DE probably cleared the way of obstacles so Harry would reach the prophecy.
Q. What's the deal with the Department of Mysteries?
A. The department of mysteries, as the name indicates, contains sections for the mysteries of the world: time, love, death, the future, thoughts, the universe and who knows what else (it's a mystery :D ).
Q. What the deuce is the Black Veil?
A. The Black Veil is a very common representation of death. To cross the Veil is a way of describing death. 'To go beyond the veil' is another common phrase.
Q. Why aren't they in Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them?A. They are there - look under Winged Horses (right at the end).
A. Neville explains that he saw his Grandfather die.
Q. Why hasn't Neville mentioned them before?
A. Neville is very tight-mouthed. He probably has his reasons, but he's never been very open with Harry (or anyone else, as far as we know).
Q. Didn't Harry see his mother die?
A. No - the list more or less agrees that, in this case, "see" refers to "understand" (like "this is so-and-so." "I see."). Harry was a baby and as such didn't understand what he saw.
Q. Harry sees Quirrell die in PS. What gives?
A. Harry loses consciousness at the end of the fight. THEN Dumbledore arrives and Voldemort flees, and only then Quirrell dies (the books are not the film!). By then, Harry is in no condition to see anything. And Harry has never reflected on that death, and thus has never "understood" it (see above).
Q. Harry sees the carriages at the end of GoF, after seeing Cedric's death, but doesn't see the thestrals. Is it a Flint?
A. Quite possibly not - Harry is still in shock at the time. He didn't accept and understand Cedric's death until later, and thus hadn't yet "seen" death. This is JKR's official explanation, as seen in her Royal Albert Hall interview. Other people on the list do think it's a FLINT, but the matter is debatable.
A. Maybe, or maybe not. Some point out that, as Sirius says, James is fifteen years old in the pensieve scene. People change, particularly at the end of adolescence. Others maintain that Lily was right--he was as bad as Snape was, and probably worse. Still others feel that we shouldn't trust Snape's memory of events, or that one incident may not show the true James.
Q. How did he become Head Boy if he wasn't prefect?
A. Not all prefects become Head Boys (since there are many more prefects than Head Boys) and, while prefects seem to be a responsibility-oriented position, Head Boy may be awarded to academical achievements (which fits with Percy, James and Tom). Or something may have happened between fifteen and seventeen which changed James's character noticeably.
Q. Why do people speak so highly of a bully?
A. James wasn't always a fifteen year old. Furthermore, he's dead - people tend to speak well of the dead. Beyond that, he did defy Voldemort three times, so he was a hero once he outgrew being a teenager.
Q. What are those letters in the title of the prophecy?A. They are the initials of the prophet and the witness of the prophecy: Trelawney and Dumbledore.
A. The most obvious meaning is that either Harry will kill Voldemort, or Voldemort will kill Harry. BUT The most obvious meanings tend to be Red Herrings in HP books. And of course traditionally the prophecy's meaning is hidden, and only really clear once the situation has happened. Thus, many listees have proposed their own interpretations.
Q. Could it be referring to Neville and not Harry? Could it be talking about both? Why did Voldemort choose Harry?
A. It is clear that we will be discussing the prophecy for the years to come (probably until book 7).
Several members have expressed the following opinions, but the debate is far from over. Yes, it could refer to Neville, or both (since the line about being born is repeated, slightly changed) and we have no idea why Voldemort chose Harry - maybe he was going to kill both, and Harry was the first he had access to (since it's logical that both were under Fidelius Charm).
Q. Who was the person who overheard part of the Prophecy?
A. Canon doesn't say. Some list members think it was Snape and it convinced him to change sides. Others note that Mundungus Fletcher was banned from the Hog's Head twenty years before, and this could be why he would have been thrown out four years later.
Q. Sirius and Harry have changed a lot! Are they Out Of Character?
A. Depends who you ask, but being forced to stay in a house where everyone hates you and being stopped from doing anything useful can drive anyone up a wall. Harry is fifteen, is an adolescent and as such is very well written - adolescents tend to be self-centred and subject to easy rage. Sirius has spent many years in Azkaban, never had the chance to grow up, and having to stay in the house constantly affects him.
A. Probably crossing the veil (see Black Veil, above). Some members have said that a well-aimed stupefy spell to the chest might stop the heart, thus killing the person. Sirius did look surprised, which is a face many people have when they die.
A. Seems so, sorry. If you can't accept it, you are welcomed to join U.S.S. SAD DENIAL (Sirius' Awful Death Didn't End Neatly; It's A Lie!), a theory captained by Terry LJ for those that think Sirius isn't really dead. Many already have (knowingly or unknowingly).
Q. What was the point of Sirius's death?
A. Everyone has an opinion. Some accuse JKR of sloppy writing. Others point out that death rarely has a meaning, in RL, and thus doesn't need it in the books. Others give their own explanations of why Sirius was the chosen one. Searching for "Sirius death point" might be a good idea before attempting this subject.
Q. Harry forgot about Sirius's mirror! Why? Is it a Flint? Did JKR forget?
A. No. Harry has forgotten about presents before - particularly, Sirius's knife, that he needed in the second task of GoF, and the sneakscope, that has spent four years inside a sock.
Q. Harry didn't become a prefect? Can he become a Head Boy?
A. Possibly. His father wasn't a prefect (at least not in fifth year), but was later Head Boy.
A. No idea - ask after book 7.
Q. Was that scene we saw in the Pensieve really his worst memory? Wouldn't the Prank be worse?A. The text never calls it that, only the title of the chapter does. Still, some list members think it had to do with being saved by a girl and a mudblood - Lily. And that was not the only memory in the pensieve, nor did we see all of it.
Q. Is Snape poor? He has grey underwear.
A. Old clothes don't grey, they get holes and go yellow. Whether Snape didn't allow his underwear to be cleaned or it was grey to start with is open to debate. (Or whether it turned grey BECAUSE it was cleaned--with too many black robes!)
Q. Shouldn't Harry have apologised for going into the Pensieve?
A. Most members seem to think so.
Q. Why didn't Harry go to Snape when he needed a member of the Order?
A. Some folks think that Harry still doesn't trust Snape (Ron keeps suggesting that Snape is trying to HELP Voldemort see into Harry's mind, not STOP him), and the last time he asked him for help, Snape stalled and was a hindrance, rather than a help (GoF, when Harry needs to tell someone about Crouch, Sr. in the Forbidden Forest).
However, The text says that Harry forgot, so many list members think it had nothing to do with his not trusting Snape. Harry's realization that he forgot is right there with him *willing* Snape to read his mind; this makes it seem that he wouldn't have had any problem going to Snape to save Sirius--he just *forgot.* Whether he "forgot" because of Ron continually trying to convince him that Snape isn't trustworthy is up for debate.
Q. What is Snape's job in the Order?
A. Many theories there, but no answers. Most agree he is spying on Voldemort, given what he told Harry during Occlumency lessons about his own capacity to resist Voldemort's ability to detect people who are lying to him.
Q. What was Snape doing during the Ministry incident?
A. Snape was the one that tipped off the members of the Order, and then went searching for Harry in the Forbidden Forest. Some speculate that since he is spying on Voldemort, he couldn't have joined in, as that would have given him away.
Q. Snape isn't in the Black family chart! Is he mixed blood? Or Muggle-born?
A. Not every wizard is necessarily related to the Blacks, the implications about inbreeding aside. It is doubtful that a Muggle-born would either call anyone "Mudblood" (since the same thing could be thrown back at them) OR be Sorted into Slytherin House, but we have no specific information about Snape's background. Because of his house and his use of this epithet one might assume that he is at the very least a half-blood.
Q. Will knowledge of Snape's role in the Order, which is right there in Harry's mind, endanger Snape if Voldemort "sees" that memory in Harry?
A. Many list members have wondered (or worried about) this, and it might very well be why Snape agreed to participate in the Occlumency lessons (self-preservation); there is no clear answer yet.
Q. Did the Pensieve scene happen before or after the Prank?
A. Most likely it was before the Prank. James was fifteen. In PoA, Snape says Sirius was sixteen when he tried to murder Snape.
Q. Did Snape overhear what Sirius, James, Remus and Peter were saying? Wouldn't he have found out that Remus was a werewolf?
A. We don't know. Possible answers include:
1) He was out of normal hearing range -- he imagined it and added it to his memory later.2) He was out of normal hearing range -- but the Pensieve's power truthfully revealed what they were saying.
3) He has extraordinarily acute hearing but thought it was a joke. He did find out that Lupin was a werewolf, and entered the tunnel despite that because he was under an Imperius curse.
MiscellaneousQ. Who won the House Championship?A. We don't know. We do know that the Inquisitorial Squad managed to empty the points of all houses but Slytherin, and that McGonagall awarded 240 points to Gryffindor at the end (which normally wouldn't be enough to win: in the first book, Gryffindor needs 482 points to win). More points might have been awarded during the feast, but Harry doesn't attend.
Q. When did Harry get the Marauder's Map back? It was in Crouch!Moody's possession in GoF!
A. Dumbledore tends to give Harry back his things, even if they can be used for violating school rules. For example, he gave him back his invisibility cape in PS. And this is something very similar: an object that used to belong to his father. However it was done, it was off-page, but while it might have been better to show it as it happened, it is really a minor point.
Q. No wonder Neville was bad at magic! He had his father's wand, not one suited for him. Now that he'll have a proper wand, will he become much more powerful? After all, Olivander said "You will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."
A. Not necessarily. Ron had Charlie's old wand in the first and second books and a wand suited to him in the rest and his magic didn't suddenly improve (ignoring the fact that during CoS his wand malfunctioned). Beyond that, according to canon, all Neville needs is "confidence". And indeed when he joins DA he gains confidence at such rate that in the end he's amongst the best in the class.
Q. There are only eight subjects you can take at the same time - how could Charlie, Percy and Bill get twelve O.W.L.s each?
A. It is possible that you get separate O.W.L.s for the practical and the theory exam of each subject (where both exist).
Q. How could Dennis Creevey be at the meeting in the Hog's Head when he was only in second year?
A. This might be another Flint. OTOH Dennis may have asked his big brother Colin, who had a chat with his classmate Ginny Weasley and found out about the secret tunnels to Hogsmeade. Or, it's possible that Dumbledore had relaxed the age of the Hogmeade visits. We will once again have to wait to hear from JKR.
Q. Why was it safe for Dumbledore to talk to Harry at the end?
A. We don't know and JKR left us to worry about it. We may find out in Book Six. Possible explanations include:
1) Dumbledore felt that Voldemort wouldn't be up to invading Harry's mind just then because he was still recovering from his defeat in the duel.This is another topic which will proably be discussed until the next book!2) Harry's mind was such a jumble of emotions that Voldemort wouldn't be able to read it.
3) Voldemort could no longer endure the power of Harry's heart once it had been unleashed by his reaction to the loss of Sirius.
4) Dumbledore has renounced the 'safe' path - that is the whole point of the conversation. He realises that keeping Harry away from risks just opens up new, worse risks.
5) His reason for not talking to Harry through most of the book was to try to downgrade the importance of Harry to himself in Voldemort's thoughts. The fact that Dumbledore turned up in person to defend Harry means Voldemort can no longer be fooled by this.
A. There's no consensus on this. Some list members have theorized that the Pensieve shows only Snape's subjective recollection of events. He couldn't have overheard what the Marauders were saying to each other, or seen what James was doodling when his nose was against his exam.
Others maintain just as strongly that the events happened just as Harry saw them, since Sirius and Lupin both confirmed his account when he questioned them. They note that Harry was able to look around in Dumbledore's pensieve and see things that Dumbledore wouldn't have been able to see. They theorize that the pensieve is useful precisely because it opens an objective window on the past.