Introduction

[Carol]

Carol earlier:
> > <snip> 
> > In fact, you're the perfect person to ask since you've seen all
five films without reading the books. Did you know what Kreacher was
doing when he muttered about "my poor mistress"? Also, did you figure
out how the Order knew to show up at the MoM (Ministry of Magic--or
Ministry for Magic, if you're British)? <snip>
>
Stephen Vandecasteele responded:
>
> Hi Carol,
> 
> <snip> I was not surprised by the appearance of "creature" although,
I have some questions such as how did the OOTP know their assistance
would be needed at the Ministry?

Carol again:

Thanks, Steve, but I wasn't asking about Kreacher's appearance. I
wanted to know whether you figured out that he was talking to a
(covered) portrait of his dead mistress, Sirius Black's mother, to
whom he is still loyal. 

As for how the Order knew to come to the Ministry of Magic, it's
because Snape told them to. Harry conveyed to him through his
statement about Padfoot and through willing Snape to use Legilimency
to see what was in his mind that Voldemort had supposedly captured
Sirius Black. After he'd waited in vain for Harry to return from the
Forbidden Forest, called the Dark Forest in the films,  with Hermione
and Umbridge, Snape (an Order member) informed the Order members at
Headquarters that Harry and his friends must have found a way to get
to the Ministry, and then he (Snape) went to search the forest himself
just to be sure. I don't think any of that, or very little of it, came
through in the film version, and Dum,bledore didn't explain it as he
does in the book. (Did you wonder at all why Snape was in that scene
with Harry and Umbridge?) 

BTW, in the book Snape did *not* provide Umbridge with Veritaserum to
interrogate the whole D.A. He provided her with *fake* Veritaserum to
interrogate Harry and then told her that he didn't have any more;
she'd used up his whole supply. (You missed a great scene there, too,
when his snarky personality meets her growing panic over how to get
the truth from Harry.) Dumbledore mentions the fake Veritaserum to
Harry as part of his explanation of the year's events.

BTW, reading the books helps with spelling the characters' names.
"Kreacher" is spelled as I spelled it, though it sounds like
"creature," and "Dumbledore" ends with an "e". I noticed one other
uncanonical spelling, but I can't recall it at the moment. 

Carol, wondering what else film goers who haven't read the books found
confusing