Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ======Dumbledore's Army====== =====Formation and Purpose===== **Dumbledore's Army**, often abbreviated to the **D.A.**, was a secret student organization founded at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]] in the autumn of 1995. The group was the brainchild of [[Hermione Granger]], who proposed its creation in response to the [[Ministry of Magic]]'s interference at [[Hogwarts]]. The newly appointed [[Defence Against the Dark Arts]] professor, [[Dolores Umbridge]], refused to teach practical defensive magic, instead focusing on a useless, theory-only curriculum. The D.A.'s primary purpose was to provide a means for students to learn practical defensive spells and prepare themselves for the potential return of [[Lord Voldemort]] and his [[Death Eater]]s. [[Harry Potter]], having significant experience in facing [[Dark Magic]], was reluctantly persuaded to become the group's teacher. The initial recruitment meeting was held at the [[Hog's Head]] inn in [[Hogsmeade]]. While [[Hermione Granger]] suggested the name "The Defence Association," from which the D.A. acronym was derived, [[Ginny Weasley]] proposed "Dumbledore's Army." This name was chosen to mock the Ministry's paranoia that [[Albus Dumbledore]] was secretly training a private army to overthrow them. =====Activities and Training===== The D.A. held its meetings in the [[Room of Requirement]], a secret, unplottable room on the seventh floor of [[Hogwarts]] that could transform to meet the user's needs. For the D.A., it provided a spacious training area complete with practice dummies and defensive spell books. Under [[Harry Potter]]'s tutelage, the members practiced a wide range of essential defensive and duelling spells, including: * The Disarming Charm (//[[Expelliarmus]]//) * The Stunning Spell (//[[Stupefy]]//) * The Impediment Jinx (//[[Impedimenta]]//) * The Shield Charm (//[[Protego]]//) * The Reductor Curse (//[[Reducto]]//) * The Body-Bind Curse (//[[Petrificus Totalus]]//) * The [[Patronus Charm]] (//[[Expecto Patronum]]//) To communicate meeting times securely, [[Hermione Granger]] created a set of enchanted, fake [[Galleon]]s. Instead of serial numbers, the coins had numbers that would change to show the date and time of the next meeting. When the numbers changed, the coin would grow hot, alerting the owner. =====Membership===== A total of twenty-eight students signed the enchanted parchment to join the D.A. The known members were: * [[Harry Potter]] (Leader/Teacher) * [[Hermione Granger]] (Founder) * [[Ron Weasley]] (Founder) * [[Angelina Johnson]] * [[Anthony Goldstein]] * [[Alicia Spinnet]] * [[Cho Chang]] * [[Colin Creevey]] * [[Dean Thomas]] * [[Dennis Creevey]] * [[Ernie Macmillan]] * [[Fred Weasley]] * [[George Weasley]] * [[Ginny Weasley]] * [[Hannah Abbott]] * [[Justin Finch-Fletchley]] * [[Katie Bell]] * [[Lavender Brown]] * [[Lee Jordan]] * [[Luna Lovegood]] * [[Marietta Edgecombe]] * [[Michael Corner]] * [[Neville Longbottom]] * [[Padma Patil]] * [[Parvati Patil]] * [[Seamus Finnigan]] (Joined later in the year) * [[Susan Bones]] * [[Terry Boot]] * [[Zacharias Smith]] =====Discovery and Dissolution===== In the spring of 1996, the D.A. was betrayed to [[Dolores Umbridge]] by member [[Marietta Edgecombe]], whose mother worked at the [[Ministry of Magic]]. Unbeknownst to the members, [[Hermione Granger]] had jinxed the sign-up sheet; upon her betrayal, Marietta broke out in a rash of purple pustules across her face that spelled the word "SNEAK". When Umbridge and the [[Inquisitorial Squad]] cornered [[Harry Potter]], [[Albus Dumbledore]] took responsibility for the organization to protect Harry and the students. He magically incapacitated his would-be-arrestors—including the [[Minister for Magic]], [[Cornelius Fudge]]—and fled [[Hogwarts]] with his [[phoenix]], [[Fawkes]]. Following this event, the D.A. was officially disbanded. However, a core group of its members ([[Harry Potter]], [[Ron Weasley]], [[Hermione Granger]], [[Neville Longbottom]], [[Ginny Weasley]], and [[Luna Lovegood]]) later fought together at the [[Battle of the Department of Mysteries]]. =====Reformation and the Battle of Hogwarts===== During the 1997-1998 school year, with [[Hogwarts]] under the control of [[Lord Voldemort]] and the [[Death Eater]] professors, [[Alecto Carrow]] and [[Amycus Carrow]], the D.A. was secretly reformed. Led by [[Neville Longbottom]], [[Ginny Weasley]], and [[Luna Lovegood]], it functioned as a resistance movement within the school. They provided support for tormented students and committed acts of rebellion, such as graffitiing "Dumbledore's Army, still recruiting" on the castle walls. The [[Room of Requirement]] once again served as their headquarters and eventually as a sanctuary for students hiding from the [[Carrows]]. When [[Harry Potter]] returned to [[Hogwarts]], Neville used the D.A.'s enchanted [[Galleon]]s to summon the group's members, as well as members of the [[Order of the Phoenix]], to fight in the [[Battle of Hogwarts]]. The training they had received two years prior proved invaluable, as the D.A. formed the backbone of the student forces who bravely fought to defend the school. =====Legacy and Significance===== **Dumbledore's Army** was a pivotal organization in the [[Second Wizarding War]]. It was a powerful symbol of student defiance against the tyranny of both the [[Ministry of Magic]] and [[Lord Voldemort]]. The practical skills learned in their secret sessions equipped a generation of young witches and wizards with the ability to defend themselves and others, directly contributing to the war effort. The strong bonds of friendship and loyalty forged within the D.A. were essential for the morale and ultimate victory of the anti-Voldemort forces. =====Behind the Scenes===== * In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix//, the D.A. is betrayed by [[Cho Chang]] under the influence of [[Veritaserum]] administered by [[Dolores Umbridge]], a significant deviation from the books where [[Marietta Edgecombe]] is the willing informant. (film) * The film also omits the "The Defence Association" name, referring to the group exclusively as "Dumbledore's Army". (film)
