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Pottermore releases first set of “Order of the Phoenix” chapters!

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Over the past week, Pottermore has been teasing its followers on social media and the Pottermore Insider that “all will be revealed” today, October 31, Halloween. And indeed, they did make quite the reveal!

As many fans could have guessed, that Halloween secret was the release of all-new moments from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. This is exciting news, especially when it comes with the new short story on Dolores Umbridge!

The new moments cover the entire book; however, unlike previous books, not every chapter has one or more moments. However, it does seem like there will be more added at some later time; in the moment “Patronuses in the Room of Requirement,” there is a hint at some kind of Patronus quiz that is “still forming.”

Notable moments from the new chapters include:

  • “The Atrium”
  • “The Closed Ward”
  • “Dolores Jane Umbridge”
  • “Dumbledore’s Escape”
  • “Row Ninety-Seven”

As always, these chapters contain new information from J.K. Rowling, including the new Umbridge piece. We also learned some new information on a variety of subjects:

Ministers of Magic:

The Minister for Magic is democratically elected, although there have been times in crisis in which the post has simply been offered to an individual without a public vote (Albus Dumbledore was made such an offer and turned it down repeatedly). There is no fixed limit on a Minister’s term of office, but he or she is obliged to hold regular elections at a maximum interval of seven years.

Thestrals:

Being able to see [T]hestrals is a sign that the beholder has witnessed death and gained an emotional understanding of what death means. It is unsurprising that it took a long time for their significance to be properly understood because the precise moment when such knowledge dawns varies greatly from person to person.

Sybill Trelawney:

[W]hen the consumate outsider and non-Hogwartian Dolores Umbridge attempted to oust Sybill from the school, Minerva McGonagall, who has been critical of Trelawney on many occasions, would show the true kindness of her character and rally to her defense.

Naming Seers:

A certain sector of magical society, however, follows the ancient wizarding practice of consulting a Naming Seer, who (usually for a hefty payment of gold) will predict the child’s future and suggest an appropriate moniker.

Azkaban:

Azkaban has existed since the fifteen[th] century and was not primarily a prison at all. […] The fortress upon [the island] was originally home to a little-known sorcerer who called himself Ekrizdis.

We will keep this post updated as we keep learning new information!

Head over to Pottermore to explore these new chapters!

Let us know in the comments what your favorite moments in this release are!