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Dumbledore's Army

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Dumbledore's Army
Dumbledore's Army in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Dumbledore's Army logo
First appearanceHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
LocationThe Room of Requirement
PurposeTo learn and practise magical methods of self-defence ("Defence Against Dark Arts")
EnemiesThe Ministry of Magic (enmity may have ceased since Book 6), the Inquisitorial Squad, Dolores Umbridge, Lord Voldemort, and the Death Eaters

Dumbledore's Army (The D.A.) is a magical self-defence organization founded in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth book in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.

Template:Spoiler In her Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, Hogwarts professor and High Inquisitor Dolores Umbridge decided to teach only theory because her boss, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, feared that Albus Dumbledore was preparing to mobilize an army of students against the British Ministry of Magic. This move was widely unpopular among the student body, especially among the fifth-years, who had to sit through O.W.L. examinations that year, which involved practical tests; and also, according to Harry Potter, would make them more vulnerable against the newly-reborn Voldemort. This prompted Hermione Granger to suggest the founding of a new student group where Harry (who had accumulated quite a lot of experience on the subject, due in part to his practise for third task of Triwizard Tournament) would teach all those interested in practical Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Hermione and Ron found "a couple of people" (which actually turned out to be twenty-five in number, from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw houses) to meet Harry, Ron, and Hermione in a pub near Hogwarts, The Hog's Head, to discuss the founding of the group. This provoked the ire of Umbridge, who learned of the meeting via Willy Widdershins and banned all student organizations not approved by her by establishing Educational Decree Twenty-Four. The newly-formed group responded by going underground and afterwards taking residence in the Room of Requirement, where it met about once a week for several months. They communicated through the use of magical gold coins (fake Galleons) that Hermione had created. It was to be named the Defence Association; however, the participants decided to keep the initials and change the name to Dumbledore's Army (on Ginny's suggestion). Harry's godfather Sirius Black and Remus Lupin gave excellent textbooks to Harry as Christmas presents, which Dumbledore's Army then used to study from. The name was chosen to ridicule Umbridge's aforementioned political motivations and to play a trick on the Ministry of Magic, and possibly to show their love for Dumbledore. Later on, when Dumbledore learned of the group's name, it is implied that he was deeply touched by their show of loyalty.

In the end, Cho Chang's friend Marietta Edgecombe betrayed the group to Umbridge, resulting in the appearance of multiple and unremovable pimples in the shape of the word "sneak" on her face due to the jinx that Hermione Granger had placed upon the parchment signed by the D.A. members (and also Harry and Cho breaking up after). To prevent Harry's expulsion from school, Albus Dumbledore, with the assistance of Kingsley Shacklebolt (an Auror loyal to the Order of the Phoenix), succeeded in framing himself for organizing the group. Dumbledore then managed to escape from the school, apparently without much difficulty, overpowering Dolores Umbridge, Cornelius Fudge, Percy Weasley, and an Auror named Dawlish.

Though the D.A. stopped meeting after these events, the students turned out to have learned an impressive amount, apparently even by Ministry of Magic standards. Six members of the D.A. (Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood) were involved in an altercation against Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries. Only Harry and Neville were left standing by the end. Neville might have been driven insane had members of the Order of the Phoenix not arrived, while Harry was spared because the Death Eaters did not want to damage the prophecy globe that he held. Despite their efforts, Harry's prophecy was eventually destroyed without any of the Death Eaters learning its contents. None of the D.A. members suffered permanent injuries in the battle, though Order member Sirius Black was lost in action. Over the summer Fred and George Weasley used what they learned from Harry to devise a Shield Hat. The Ministry ordered five hundred of the hats, reflecting the fact that some Ministry employees were unable to perform a simple Shield charm.

D.A. members Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Anthony Goldstein and Terry Boot were able to use the hexes and jinxes they had been taught to help Harry when he was ambushed by Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle on the Hogwarts Express at the end of the year. This caused Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle to resemble "nothing so much as three gigantic slugs squeezed into Hogwarts uniforms," creating the impression that the spells the D.A. had learned were quite powerful and effective, and adding to the fact that mixing lots of curses, hexes, and jinxes at the same time doesn't work out well (for the target).

The D.A. no longer holds meetings in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, as they have a teacher, albeit Snape, who teaches them practical defense, though Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom would like to continue meeting. When Hogwarts is invaded by Death Eaters, Luna and Neville assist Ron, Hermione, and Ginny (Harry and Dumbledore were attempting to destroy a Horcrux).

File:Dumbledoresarmy.jpg
Some members of Dumbledore's Army

Members (29)

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