Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapter 22 Summary

How It All Goes Down

St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries

  • Harry jumps out of bed.
  • Professor McGonagall brings Harry and Ron to Dumbledore's office.
  • Harry explains: "I ... well, I was asleep [...] But it wasn't an ordinary dream ... it was real ... I saw it happen [...] Ron's dad – Mr. Weasley – has been attacked by a giant snake" (22.15).
  • Dumbledore asks a surprising question: from what perspective did Harry see this attack?
  • Harry confirms that he was the snake, which Dumbledore seems to be expecting.
  • Throughout this conversation, Dumbledore never even looks at Harry.
  • At the news that Mr. Weasley is injured, Dumbledore raises the alarm.
  • He asks two of the portraits in his office, Everard and Dilys, for help.
  • Because both of these people were famous Heads of Hogwarts in their time, they have paintings hanging in other places.
  • They can travel around these paintings to contact the right people.
  • While they wait for Everard and Dilys to come back to their portraits, Dumbledore looks at a special silver instrument for more information.
  • He doesn't address either Harry or Ron.
  • Everard comes panting back, informing Dumbledore that Mr.Weasley looks badly injured.
  • Dilys then confirms that they have taken Mr. Weasley to St. Mungo's hospital.
  • Professor McGonagall goes to gather the other Weasley children.
  • Dumbledore goes over to a portrait of a sleeping man wearing green and silver (Slytherin colors).
  • The portrait refuses to acknowledge Dumbledore for a long time.
  • This is Phineas Nigellus, another former Headmaster of Hogwarts.
  • Even though Phineas clearly doesn't want to help, he does agree to go to his portrait at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, to announce Mr. Weasley's injury to Sirius.
  • Sirius agrees to host the Weasleys so that they can visit their father in St. Mungo's easily.
  • As they all prepare to touch the portkey to go to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, Harry suddenly feels this intense rage.
  • He wants nothing more than to strike Dumbledore down.
  • The feeling passes once he arrives at Grimmauld Place.
  • There, Harry tells Ginny, Fred, and George about his vision.
  • They want to sneak over to St. Mungo's Hospital right away, but Sirius prevents them.
  • He tells them it's too suspicious for them to visit their father right now – it will draw attention to Harry's vision and damage the Order.
  • Fred yells, "Easy for you to say, stuck here! [...] I don't see you risking your neck!" (22.107).
  • Sirius barely manages to keep his temper.
  • Fawkes the Phoenix arrives with a message from Mrs. Weasley.
  • It says, "Dad is still alive. I am setting out for St. Mungo's now. Stay where you are. I will send news as soon as I can" (22.118).
  • They all wait up through the night for news.
  • Mrs. Weasley arrives at 5:30 in the morning to tell them that Mr. Weasley is going to be all right. He's sleeping.
  • Sirius calls Kreacher to get breakfast prepared.
  • He doesn't answer, but Sirius doesn't seem to be concerned.
  • Harry draws Sirius aside to tell him all about his dream.
  • Then, Harry confesses: "Sirius, I ... I think I'm going mad. Back in Dumbledore's office, just before we took the Portkey ... for a couple of seconds there I thought I was a snake, I felt like one – my scar really hurt when I was looking at Dumbledore – Sirius, I wanted to attack him!" (22.140).
  • Sirius dismisses this as the aftermath of Harry's dream and tells him not to worry about it.
  • Of course, Harry does worry about it.
  • Moody and Tonks take Harry and the Weasleys to St. Mungo's.
  • The front desk directs them to the "'Dangerous' Dai Llewellyn Ward: Serious Bites" (22.178) to visit Mr. Weasley.
  • Mr. Weasley greets them cheerfully and says that he's feeling absolutely fine.
  • Fred is the one who guesses Mr. Weasley was on guard duty when he dozed off and got bitten.
  • Mrs. Weasley won't let them keep talking about this.
  • In fact, she sends Harry and the Weasley kids outside so that Moody and Tonks can have a word with Mr. Weasley.
  • Using Fred and George's Extendable Ears, they all listen at the door.
  • Moody says that Voldemort was probably using that snake to explore.
  • Mrs. Weasley wonders, "You know, Dumbledore seems almost to have been waiting for Harry to see something like this" (22.220).
  • Moody agrees that there's something weird about Harry: "'Course he's worried [...] The boy's seeing things from inside You-Know-Who's snake. Obviously, Potter doesn't realize what that means, but if You-Know-Who's possessing him —" (22.223).
  • Overhearing this, the Weasleys all stare at Harry and look a bit frightened.