Advance Guard

"A surprising amount of people volunteered to come and get you."

- Remus Lupin

The Advance Guard are the members of the Order of the Phoenix that retrieved Harry Potter from 4 Privet Drive and escorted him to 12 Grimmauld Place in 1995. This was done to provide Harry with a more secure environment after a pair of Dementors attacked him and Dudley Dursley in Little Whinging.

Members of the Advance Guard

 * Alastor Moody
 * Remus Lupin
 * Kingsley Shacklebolt
 * Nymphadora Tonks
 * Emmeline Vance
 * Elphias Doge
 * Dedalus Diggle
 * Hestia Jones
 * Sturgis Podmore

The Escort
Prior to its arrival the Advance Guard lured the Dursley family away from their house. Nymphadora Tonks fabricated a letter informing them that they were among the finalists for the All-England Best-Kept Lawn competition, and the family was heading to the awards ceremony when the Advance Guard arrived at 4 Privet Drive.

Out of the group, Harry only knew Lupin from before, and had spoken to the real Alastor Moody and Dedalus Diggle only briefly. This was Harry's first meet with the remaining members, most notably Nymphadora Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

The Advance Guard and Harry travelled to Grimmauld Place by Broomstick, flying in formation with Tonks flying in front of Harry, Lupin underneath, Moody behind and the rest circling. There was a rear guard set up so that if anything happened to the advance guard the rear guard could take over, but this was unnecessary.

Alastor Moody suggested the entire group to travel above cloud level for better concealment, but he was overruled by Nymphadora Tonks, who protested they would get soaked. Later, he also suggested that they double back to ensure that they were not being followed, but Tonks once again screamed at him, and the group was saved by their arrival.

Behind the scenes

 * Lupin, Podmore, Jones and Diggle were not a part of the Advance Guard in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and the latter three did not appear in the film at all. Lupin's exclusion from the guard in the movie was a strange and rather inexplicable move as he was the only person in the guard who Harry would know and trust. The only other person Harry would have recognised would be Moody but given that Harry only met Barty Crouch Jr. impersonating Moody, he would not be someone Harry would trust.


 * "Advance Guard" is a chapter in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)