Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Chapter Twenty-Four:
Occlumency

Synopsis by Maureen Knight
Notes and links by Steve Vander Ark and Michele L. Worley

US hardcover edition: pages 516-542
UK paperback edition: pages aaa-bbb
Timeframe: late December, 1995 [Y15] - January 13, 1996 [Y16]

In which Harry and the Weasleys return to Hogwarts after the holidays and Harry begins Occlumency lessons with Snape, during which Harry sees the dark corridor in the Department of Mysteries that he often dreams about.

Interesting facts and notes about the text of this chapter:

Snape's office had come back into view and he realized that he had fallen to the floor...

Characters introduced in this chapter:

• (name unknown) passengers on the Knight Bus

Characters returning in this chapter:

• Black, Sirius

• Chang, Cho

• Granger, Hermione

• Lupin, Remus

• Pigwidgeon

• Potter, Harry

• Shunpike, Stan

• Snape, Severus

• Tonks, Nymphadora

• Weasley, Arthur

• Weasley, Molly

• Weasley, Ron

Characters mentioned in this chapter:

• Black, Mrs.

• Buckbeak

• Crookshanks

• Diggory, Cedric

• Dumbledore, Albus

• Dursley, Dudley

• Dursley, Marge

• Dursley, Petunia Evans

• Dursley, Vernon

• Finnigan, Seamus

• Fletcher, Mundungus

• Kreacher

• Malfoy, Lucius

• Marsh, Madam

• Merlin

• Moody, Alastor (Mad-Eye)

• Pince, Madam

• Potter, James

• Potter, Lily Evans

• Prang, Ernie

• Riddle, Tom Marvolo (as the Dark Lord, Voldemort)

• Ripper

• Smethwyck, Hippocrates

• Sorting Hat

• Thomas, Dean

• Umbridge, Dolores

• Weasley, Fred

• Weasley, George

• Weasley, Ginny

Settings and locations introduced or returning in this chapter:

• Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

  • Gryffindor Tower

  • common room

  • Harry's dormitory

  • Library

  • Snape's office

• Knight Bus

• number twelve, Grimmauld Place

  • Harry and Ron's bedroom

  • kitchen

Settings and locations mentioned in this chapter:

• Birmingham

• Department of Mysteries

• Hog's Head Tavern

Exceptional character moments:

• still to come...

Spells:

• Imperio (mentioned as Imperius Curse)

• Invisibility Spell

• Legilimens (and Legilimency)

• Stinging Hex

• "ancient spells and charms" guarding the walls and grounds of Hogwarts

Links and Resources:

• Atlas: Map of Hogsmeade

• D.A., the

• Death Eaters

• Essays:

  • The Changing Image of Grownups in the Harry Potter Books

  • How do Duels Work?

  • "Where Does the Name 'Knight Bus' Come From?"

• Knight Bus

• items and devices, magical

  • Headless Hats

  • Pensieve

• Occlumency

• Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes

• Wizard's Chess

Memorable lines:

• "You keepin' well, then, 'Arry? I seen your name in the paper loads over the summer, but it weren't never nuffink very nice.... I said to Ern, I said, ''e didn't seem like a nutter when we met 'im, just goes to show, dunnit?'" [Stan Shunpike]

• "You have no subtlety, Potter," said Snape, his dark eyes glittering. "You do not understand fine distinctions. It is one of the shortcomings that makes you such a lamentable potion-maker."

• "I think I'll go to bed," said Harry, stuffing the homework planner back into his bag and making a mental note to drop it in the fire the first opportunity he got.

Strictly British:

• Knight Bus

Timelines/Calendar: