Order of the Phoenix

The Order of the Phoenix is a secret society founded by Albus Dumbledore to oppose Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

Origin and First Wizarding War
The Order of the Phoenix was founded by Albus Dumbledore during Lord Voldemort's first rise to power. Dumbledore formed the Order to combat Voldemort's increasing threat and power. Aurors from the Ministry of Magic also joined the Order to participate in more secretive, sudden assaults aimed to crush the Dark Rebellion. It was during the First War that Lily and James Potter I were murdered and Alice and Frank Longbottom were driven insane by the Cruciatus Curse. The Order continued to suffer huge losses until the first fall of Lord Voldemort. It was disbanded upon Voldemort's disappearance.

The Order Reforms
When Voldemort returned, the Order was reformed within the hour by an astute Dumbledore, who sent Sirius Black in his Animagus form of Padfoot to alert key members such as Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, and Remus Lupin to the new threat.

Upon its reconstruction, the Order set up headquarters at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London - Sirius Black's family home. Dumbledore was the Secret-Keeper for the Order of the Phoenix, meaning that the Order's headquarters at Grimmauld Place could only be revealed to others by Dumbledore.

Members of the order were assigned by Dumbledore to protect Harry Potter and for guard duty.

Ministry Relations
Although Dumbledore and the original members of the Order accepted the return of Lord Voldemort, members of the Ministry of Magic (notably Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic) were not convinced. Fudge preferred to believe that Dumbledore was spreading rumours in an attempt to undercut his authority as Minister for Magic. Years earlier, there had been widespread support for Dumbledore to take the position, although he declined, choosing instead to remain at Hogwarts. In his early years as Minister, Fudge was constantly bombarding Dumbledore, frantically seeking advice. These actions sowed the seeds of paranoia in Fudge, as he feared Dumbledore would usurp his power. He also accused Dumbledore of "going senile in his old years", and that he was clearly mistaken about Voldemort's return.

The Ministry forced the wizard newspaper, the Daily Prophet, to keep quiet on any stories that would present Dumbledore or Harry Potter in a favourable light. The Order was forced to exist underground and certain members, such as Kingsley Shacklebolt, were unable to even greet one another in public for fear of exposing their allegiances. The efforts of the Ministry proved effective, as the majority of the wizarding public began to believe both Dumbledore and Harry to be liars. Voldemort and his Death Eaters were thus allowed for nearly a year to conduct their business in secret, with most wizards and witches refusing to acknowledge even the possibility of his renewed existence.

Dumbledore, however, was vindicated when Lord Voldemort was finally sighted in the Ministry of Magic itself. Fudge was forced to admit that Dumbledore had been right; due to Fudge's failure to prevent infiltration of the Ministry by Voldemort, he was replaced by Rufus Scrimgeour as Minister for Magic.

The Second Wizarding War
During the Second Wizarding War, the Order was the major source of resistance against Voldemort. Its members were involved in all the major battles against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. The Order suffered a major setback at the death of its leader, Albus Dumbledore. It suffered another major setback when Voldemort took control of the Ministry. After this, its members became fugitives. The Order, along with Dumbledore's Army and other individuals, fought the Death Eaters one last time at Hogwarts, where they defeated Voldemort's army while Voldemort himself fell at the hands of Harry Potter.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows