The Lexicon

Day-by-Day Calendar of Order of the Phoenix

Day-by-Day Calendar of Order of the Phoenix

NOTE: This calendar is NOT formatted for smaller screens. We are working to create a version which will work on any size device, but that’s a bit trickier than you might think with the calendar layout. Since this is a direct port from an outdated system, some of the formatting might be a bit wonky and some links might not work. 

Editors: Amy Z. and Joywitch M. Curmudgeon

The numbers following some descriptions are chapter/page references: OP29/651 means chapter 29, page 651 of the first hardcover US edition (like all good purists, we embrace the UK edition as the standard, but we’re working from the first hardcover US edition at the moment, so bear with us).

Harry’s course schedule
 

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY
History of Magic
1 1/2 hours (OP12)
Double Charms
(OP13)
Divination (OP13)
break (OP12) break (OP18) break break break
double Potions
1 1/2 hours
(OP12)
double Transfiguration Transfiguration (OP13) Potions (/234; block unknown, but as a guess we’ll put it at the same time as Monday)
lunch lunch lunch lunch lunch
Divination (OP13) Care of Magical Creatures (OP13) double Herbology (OP18)
double Defense against the Dark Arts Herbology (OP13) Care of Magical Creatures (OP18)
dinner dinner dinner dinner dinner
Astronomy (OP13) time unclear–see Inconsistencies

 

Ron’s schedule, as far as we know, is the same as Harry’s.

Hermione’s differs in that she has Ancient Runes on Monday (OP26) and Arithmancy first thing on Wednesday, and of course no longer takes Divination (OP15).

Fred and George have Herbology first thing Monday morning (OP12) and Charms right before lunch on Monday (OP15).

Other information:

Lucius Malfoy is 41 as of September 1995(OP15), so he was born in 1953 or 1954. Of course, he could be lying about his age. And dyeing his hair.

Dinner is served before 5 p.m.: “As Harry was starving, and he had his first detention with Umbridge at five o’clock, he headed straight for dinner … (OP13)

Inconsistencies and Unknowns

Although we know from CS8 that Harry’s fifth year of school would be 1995-96, the days of the week once again do not correspond to the actual calendar of those years.

There must be a spell that saves Rowling from inconsistency by turning every first day of the fall lessons into a Monday . . . see the Goblet of Fire calendar. Here, August 12 is a Thursday, making it quite impossible for September 2 (the first day of lessons) to be a Monday. Nevertheless, Rowling says it lessons begin on a Monday so a Monday it shall be.

In OP13, Astronomy is established as taking place on a Wednesday, sometime before dinner: “He had to give up his lunch hour to complete the picture of the Bowtruckle and, meanwhile, Professors McGonagall, Grubbly-Plank and Sinistra gave them yet more homework, which he had no prospect of finishing that evening because of his second detention with Umbridge.” Barbara Werschkun suggests: “Maybe they only have theory lessons on Wednesday afternoon and do the actual star watching some other time? But when? Because Harry is in detention every evening that week, plus the following, and there is no mention of him missing Astronomy because of it…” And when does the theory class take place? Wednesdays are jammed full.

First day of the winter term is a Monday some days after Christmas; previous years suggest January 6, but due to Harry’s description of Christmas as a “three-week break” (OP21), we’ve placed it at January 13.

Things get kind of vague from April on; there are about six weeks between “Snape’s Worst Memory” and the beginning of O.W.L.s, but I haven’t found a date to anchor either one.

Ditto on the very end of term. The chronology goes like this:

Three days before the end of term (earliest possible date is Monday after the climactic Thursday), Ron and Hermione leave hospital wing.
Two days later: Umbridge leaves Hogwarts
Last day of term: Harry discovers Sirius’s mirror, talks to Nick; end-of-term feast.
Day after: return home on the Hogwarts Express.
Events in blue are approximate dates. The lettered items in the calendar have corresponding notes below.

August 1995 – July 1996
and c. 1980
Jul – Aug – Sep – Oct – Nov – Dec – Jan – Feb – Mar – Apr – May – Jun
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY references
OP37 
probably 1980 (possibly late 1979),
“a cold wet night,” Trelawney predicts the birth of the Dark Lord’s mortal enemy that July
Aug 1 2
9:23 p.m.: Harry and Dudley are attacked by two Dementors in an alley off Magnolia Street

Harry is nearly expelled

Sends letters to Sirius, Ron and Hermione

3 4 5 6
dusk: the Dursleys are lured from their home by Tonks

still no Hedwig

evening:
the Advance Guard arrives in Privet Drive to rescue Harry; they fly to 12 Grimmauld Place in London

Snape gives a report at Order meeting (plan of a building is in use)

7
housecleaning
OP1OP2,OP3OP4,OP5OP6
Aug 8
housecleaning
9
housecleaning
10
housecleaning
11
housecleaning
12
Harry’s hearing; originally scheduled for 9 am (OP2), moved to 8 am
13 14 OP6OP7 OP8
Aug 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Aug 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Aug 29 Aug 30

MoM passes Educational Decree #22, allowing MoM to appoint professors if Dumbledore can’t find someone

Aug 31
1 a.m. Sturgis Podmore caught breaking into an MoM doorBooklists and prefects badges arrive; Ron and Hermione are made prefects

Moody shows Harry picture of the first Order

Mrs. Weasley tackles the Boggart

Sept 1
Hogwarts Express to school/ first day of term
OP8OP9,OP10OP14,OP15
Sept 2
First day of lessonsDraught of Peace in Potions

Harry gets detention in DADA (starting next day), is warned about Umbridge by McGonagall

3
5 p.m. Harry detention with DU
4
Harry detention with DU
5
Harry detention with DU
6
Q tryoutsHarry detention with DU

Harry feels pain and what he later (Oct. 8) recognizes as happiness when Umbridge touches him

7
Harry writes Sirius, meets Cho in OwleryIn the Daily Prophet: Sirius in hiding in London; Sturgis Podmore sentenced to 6 months in Azkaban

First Gryffindor Quidditch practice

OP12OP13,OP14OP18
8
Percy’s letter arrivesSirius appears in Gryffindor common room fire

MoM passes Educational Decree #23 appointing Umbridge High Inquisitor

9
DP article reporting High Inquisitor position

Umbridge inspects Charms (7th year class)

Harry detention with DU (this time for remark about Quirrell)

Umbridge inspects Divination

10
Umbridge inspects Transfiguration and CoMC

Harry detention with DU

around midnight: Hermione suggests Harry begin teaching them DADA

11
Harry detention with DU
12
Harry detention with DU
13
Harry detention with DU
14 OP14OP15
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24
Hermione again asks Harry to teach DADA
25 26 27 28 OP16
29 30 Oct 1 2 3 4 5
First Hogsmeade weekend

Dumbledore’s Army recruiting meeting in the Hog’s Head

OP16
6 7
Umbridge disbands all student organizations

Hedwig is attacked

Umbridge inspects Potions

Trelawney announces that she’s on probation

HRH talk to Sirius via common room fire; Umbridge almost catches him

8
Angelina gets permission to re-form Quidditch team

7 p.m. Quidditch practice

Harry gets flash from Voldemort: impatience, anger

Dobby returns Hedwig, talks with Harry in common room

9
First meeting of Dumbledore’s Army
10 11 12 OP17OP18
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31 Nov 1 2
Gryffindor/Slytherin Quidditch match

Harry, Fred, George banned from Quidditch

Hagrid returns, HRH visit

OP18OP19,OP20
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
a Saturday in November (x)
x+1 Hermione visits Hagrid again x+2 Hagrid returns to staff table x+3 First COMC lesson with Hagrid (thestrals) OP21
Dec 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18
last DA meeting of the term

Cho kisses Harry under mistletoe

Harry dreams about attack on Arthur Weasley. In proximity to Dumbledore, wants to attack him

He and Weasleys return to 12 Grimmauld Place

19
Visit to St. Mungo’s to see Mr. Weasley
20
last day of term

Hermione arrives at 12 Grimmauld Place

21 OP21OP22,OP23
22 23 24 25
Christmas

HRH, Ginny, Mrs. W, Bill, and twins visit Mr. W in St. Mungo’s

HRH and Ginny see Prof. Lockhart, Neville & Longbottoms

26 27 28
29 30 31 Jan 1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Snape tells Harry he’ll be teaching him Occlumency
12
HRH, G, F, G return to Hogwarts on the Knight Bus, escorted by Tonks and Lupin
13
first day of term

first Occlumency lesson

ten DEs escape from Azkaban

Broderick Bode strangled by Devil’s Snare

Harry has surge of happiness making him realize something V wanted has happened

14
DP reports DE escape, Bode death

Hagrid tells HRH he’s on probation. He has more injuries

15
Occlumency

Educational Decree #26 appears in school (teachers not allowed to give information beyond lessons)

16 17 18 (OP25)

All Divination and CoMC classes now supervised by DU (OP25/552) (how does she get to her own classes?)

19 20
Occlumency
21 22
Occlumency
23 24 25 Harry dreaming almost every night about Dept. of Mysteries corridor (OP25/554)
26 27
Occlumency
28 29
Occlumency
30 31 Feb 1
2 3
Occlumency
4 5
Occlumency
6 7 8 wetter and warmer weather (OP25/555)
9 10
Occlumency
11 12
Occlumency
13 DAY OMITTED TO MAKE DATES AGREE (Valentine’s Day has to be a Sat.:OP24/528) 14
Harry and Cho go to Hogsmeade

Harry sees Hagrid, with new injuries, in 3 Broomsticks

Harry meets Hermione, Rita and Luna in 3B, gives Rita interview for Quibbler

OP24OP25
15 16
Hermione analyzes Harry and Cho’s date

Ron has bad Q practice

17 18
Occlumency
19 20 21
Gryffindor loses to Hufflepuff, 240-230 (Ginny catches Snitch)

In dream, Harry almost pushes open corridor door

22 23
March Quibbler appears, with Harry interview (OP26/578); Harry gets loads of letters

By mid-morning, ED #27 makes possession of the Quibbler an expulsion offense (OP26/581)

24
Before Transfiguration: Cho says sorry (apology? sympathy?), kisses Harry; Seamus changes his mind

Quibbler reprints fastest-selling-ever issue

Harry dreams of being Voldemort and questioning Rookwood; Avery wrongly told V Bode would be able to remove “it,” Rookwood putting V on right track

25
Occlumency
26 27 28
29 Mar 1
Occlumency
2 3
Occlumency
4 5 6
7 8
Occlumency
Trelawney sacked, Firenze hired (OP26/590: “a couple of weeks after his dream of Rookwood”)
9 10

First Divination lesson with Firenze, who asks Harry to warn Hagrid (a)
Occlumency

11 12 13
14 15
Occlumency
16 17
Occlumency
18 19 20
21 22
Occlumency
23 24
Occlumency
25 26 27
28 29
Occlumency
30 31
Occlumency
Apr 1 2 3
April 1

a Monday in April (z):

Occlumency

DA members learn Patronuses; that evening, they’re caught, Dumbledore is sacked, Fudge tries unsuccessfully to arrest him, Harry again feels desire to attack Dumbledore

2

By this a.m. (z+1): ED #28 makes DU Headmistress

Umbridge interrogates Harry with “Veritaserum”

Twins set off Weasleys’ Wildfire Whiz-Bangs

Harry gets into prophecy room in his dream

3

Last Occlumency lesson (z+2): Harry pries into Pensieve, sees Snape’s worst memory

4 5

Easter holidays begin (z+4)OP28/634. Six weeks until exams OP29/651

 

 

6 OP28OP29
21 22

First Monday after Easter holidays

Harry gets career advice from McGonagall, breaks into Umbridge’s office to talk to Lupin and Sirius

Fred and George deposit their swamp and quit school

23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 May 1 2 3 4
May 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31 June 1
Quidditch final: Gryffindor beats Ravenclaw

Hagrid introduces H & H to Grawp

OP30
2
Harry and Hermione tell Ron about Grawp
3

teachers reviewing for O.W.L.s

4
teachers reviewing for O.W.L.s
5
teachers reviewing for O.W.L.s
6
teachers reviewing for O.W.L.s
7
teachers reviewing for O.W.L.s
8
teachers reviewing for O.W.L.s
(OP31)
9

Harry agrees to test Hermione on Charms after lunch but regrets it

examiners arrive during dinner

10

Five(?) Mondays after career advice: O.W.L.s begin (b)

a.m. Charms written O.W.L.

p.m. Charms practical O.W.L.

11

a.m. Transfiguration written O.W.L.

p.m. Transfiguration practical O.W.L.

12

Herbology O.W.L.

13

DADA O.W.L.s: written and practical

14

No O.W.L. for Harry and Ron; Hermione has Ancient Runes

15 (OP31) See Inconsistencies and Unknowns for more info
16 17

a.m. Potions written O.W.L.

p.m. Potions practical O.W.L.

18

p.m. Care of Magical Creatures practical O.W.L.

19

a.m. Astronomy theory O.W.L.

p.m. Divination O.W.L.

11 p.m.
Astronomy practical O.W.L.

Umbridge and others go to sack Hagrid, who fights them off and runs out the front gates carrying Fang

McGonagall tries to intervene on his behalf, is Stunned and taken to St. Mungo’s

20

4 a.m. things finally settle down, Harry goes to bed

No exam for Harry in a.m.

2 p.m. History O.W.L.

Has vision of Sirius being tortured by V

Night-next day early a.m.: All hell breaks loose. Gets caught using Umbridge’s fire, H & H lead Umbridge into Forest to be captured by centaurs, 6 students go to MoM to rescue Sirius, etc. Sirius killed, DEs captured.

21

Dawn: AD and Harry return to AD’s office

Evening: Fudge acknowledges to DP that V is back

22 OP31OP32,OP33OP34,OP35OP36,OP37OP38
23

Sunday Prophet carries story of Thursday night’s events

McGonagall returns

24 25 26 27 28 29 (OP38) See Inconsistencies and Unknowns for last few days of term
30 July 1 2 3 4 5 6
  1. This Divination lesson takes place “a few days after the sacking of Prof Trelawney” (OP27/599); I’m guessing it’s Wednesday, because they have Divination on Mondays and Wednesdays and it seems unlikely that they’d have it a third time each week.
  2. We have a relatively firm date for the Quidditch final (“the last weekend of May”), and some time, more than two days, seems to have elapsed between then and the first day of O.W.L.s. [At least a week, since at least one if not two weeks’ classes are held after Gryffindor/Ravenclaw conducting final reviews, accompanied by Ernie’s questions about everyone’s study habits before Herbology, Draco’s scare tactics outside Potions, and McGonagall’s anti-cheating lecture and presentation of the exam schedule to her students. Not to mention the black market in brain stimulants. – MLW] I would place the first day of exams at June 8 or 15, making the date of Dumbledore’s firing (seven weeks earlier, according to (OP29/651) April 20 or 27.

Thanks to sharp-eyed readers Barbara Werschkun*, Lauren, Cecilia Rotella, Ryann, Tracy, Alyce Gilson, Jonas Klaiber-Lodewigs, Sue Upton, Jenni, Alex Wallis, Sarah Munch, Maggie Manterola, Loobyloo, Gunilla Kåårefjäärd, Sheila, B4neone, and Danila Szabo, who contributed details and corrections to this page.  You warm our nitpicking little hearts.

*LOON (League of Obsessed Nitpickers) Member of the Month goes to Barbara for sending several pages and over a dozen carefully documented and argued points of calendar detail.

Commentary

Editor: