Fifth year

A Fifth Year is a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who is in their fifth year of magical education. Fifth Years are typically fifteen to sixteen years of age.

The fifth year is enormously important for students due to the fact that it is the year in which they must sit their O.W.L. exams, which will determine what N.E.W.T. courses they will be permitted to take later on in their education. O.W.L.s determate what jobs they can do in their future lives and what jobs they cannot do. The fifth year is also the year in which students receive career counseling from their Heads of House. It is during this meeting that they will be advised as to what N.E.W.T.-level classes they should take in order to qualify for their desired career. Fifth year classes consist of Potions, Herbology, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, History of Magic, Astronomy, Charms, and two or more electives. The only subject that does not have its own O.W.L. and you can not continue after the fifth grade is Flying.

Prefects
Every year, one male and female Fifth Year student per House is selected to become a Prefect by the professor who was appointed Head of the House in which they are, though the Headmaster may intervene, as with Harry Potter's case (Professor Dumbledore thought he had enough responsibilities to go with). They would likely continue to be Prefects in their sixth and Seventh years. Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley for became Prefects Gryffindor house in Harry's Fifth year.

Harry's fifth year (1995)
thumb|300px|right|Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix trailer When Harry, Ron and Hermione return to Hogwarts, they are surprised to hear that Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister (and who was at Harry's hearing) is the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. During their first lesson they discover that Umbridge refuses to teach real defence methods and that they will not be performing any spells, only learning Ministry of Magic-approved theory (learning in a "risk-free way"). It becomes clear she is really there to spy on and take control of the school and is soon appointed High Inquisitor, arbitrarily imposing rules and regulations (known as "High Inquisitor Decrees". She also harbours racial hatred for "half-breeds", such as centaurs, werewolves and similar creatures. She considers Rubeus Hagrid (a half-giant) and Sybill Trelawney incompetent, and sacks Sybill Trelawney (Hagrid is dismissed later). Although Dumbledore is unable to prevent Trelawney's dismissal, he invokes his authority to allow her to remain in the castle and appoints a new Divination teacher - a centaur, Firenze.

Occlumency
Harry has been having disturbing dreams about running down a hallway and attempting to open a door in the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries. He also dreams he is a snake attacking Ron's father. Mr. Weasley is indeed found injured at the Ministry, suffering from severe venomous snake bites. Harry fears he is being possessed by Voldemort. In response, Dumbledore has Severus Snape teach Harry Occlumency to block his mind from intrusion, but their mutual animosity ends their lessons prematurely.

The Quibbler
Due to high number of students who are sceptical to Voldemort´s return, Hermione Granger blackmails journalist (and unregistered Animagus) Rita Skeeter into writing a favourable article about Harry witnessing Voldemort's return. Ravenclaw student Luna Lovegood, a close friend of Ginny, argues her father to publish the story in his paper, The Quibbler. Furious, Umbridge bans the tabloid from the school, but the story spreads rapidly, gathering support for Harry. Many in the wizarding community also now believe Harry.

Dumbledore's Army
Hermione convinces Harry to secretly teach students Defence Against the Dark Arts. Though at first reluctant, Harry finally accepts. They name their clandestine group "Dumbledore's Army", or D.A. for short, to mock the Ministry of Magic, which fears Dumbledore is creating a secret wizard army. When Umbridge uncovers the group's meetings, which was due to Cho Chang's friend Marietta Edgecombe, Dumbledore claims that he organised it. Confronted by two Aurors, which were Dawlish and Shacklebolt (who was not loyal to the Ministry, but to Dumbledore), Minister Fudge, and Umbridge, Dumbledore easily disables them and is spectacularly whisked away by his phoenix, Fawkes. Umbridge is appointed as Headmistress and imposes even tighter control. Fed up, the Weasley twins instigate a revolt, causing mayhem throughout the school while the staff pointedly do nothing to help Umbridge regain control. This marks the end of Fred and George's magical education, who now opt to move into their magical tricks and joke shop in Diagon Alley, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

Forbidden Forest
Harry receives a vision that Sirius is being tortured at the Department of Mysteries, although Hermione suspects it may be a trap. Harry desperately attempts to contact Sirius at 12 Grimmauld Place via the Floo Network in Umbridge's office fireplace, but he is caught. Umbridge reveals it was she who sent the Dementors to attack Harry during the summer (this revelation is made only in the novel, not in the movie). As she is about to use the Cruciatus Curse on him, Hermione claims that Dumbledore has hidden a powerful weapon in the Forbidden Forest. She leads Harry and Umbridge into the forest where they encounter centaurs. Umbridge foolishly insults them and an angry centaur picks up Umbridge and carries her off screaming into the woods. When Hagrid's giant half-brother, Grawp crashes onto the scene, Hermione and Harry escape amid the chaos.

Department of Mysteries
Harry, Ron and Hermione, along with Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom fly to the Ministry of Magic using the school's Thestrals, unaware they are being lured into a trap. When they arrive at the Department of Mysteries, they are ambushed by Death Eaters. Voldemort seeks a prophecy contained in a glass sphere there and needs Harry to retrieve it for him.

The students heroically fight the Death Eaters, but they are outmatched. They are nearly defeated, but the Order of the Phoenix members suddenly arrive to help them. During the ensuing battle, the glass sphere is shattered and the prophecy lost. Sirius Black is blasted with a spell by his Death Eater cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, and falling backwards, disappears through a mysterious veiled archway. Remus Lupin restrains Harry, who wants to follow and rescue Sirius Black, telling him that Sirius is dead. Dumbledore arrives and the Death Eaters, except for Bellatrix Lestrange, are captured. Lord Voldemort appears and duels with Dumbledore as Ministry of Magic employees arrive in time to see the Dark Lord before he Disapparates, taking Bellatrix Lestrange with him. Cornelius Fudge finally admits Voldemort has returned, Dumbledore is reinstated as Headmaster of Hogwarts, Umbridge is removed from Hogwarts and Harry's interview with Rita Skeeter is reprinted in the Daily Prophet.

Prophecy
Later, Dumbledore apologizes to Harry for withholding information over the past year. He reveals the lost prophecy, for it was to him that it was first told: either Harry or Voldemort must die at the hands of the other, for neither can live while the other survives. Dumbledore also reveals that, due to when the boy was predicted to be born, Neville Longbottom could also have been the child in the prophecy. Dumbledore believes Voldemort chose to attack Harry because he is a half-blood like himself; Neville is a pureblood. In so doing, the Dark Lord marked Harry as his equal.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix