======Battle of the Department of Mysteries====== =====Introduction===== The **Battle of the Department of Mysteries** was a pivotal conflict fought on 18 June, 1996, within the [[Ministry of Magic]]. The battle began as a trap laid by [[Lord Voldemort]] to lure [[Harry Potter]] into the [[Department of Mysteries]] to retrieve a [[prophecy]] concerning them both. The initial skirmish involved six members of [[Dumbledore's Army]] against twelve [[Death Eaters]]. The battle escalated with the arrival of members of the [[Order of the Phoenix]], and culminated in a legendary duel between [[Albus Dumbledore]] and [[Lord Voldemort]]. The event resulted in the first public exposure of Voldemort's return to power, officially marking the start of the [[Second Wizarding War]] in the eyes of the public, and led to the tragic death of [[Sirius Black]]. =====Prelude===== Following his return to a physical body, [[Lord Voldemort]] sought to acquire the full record of the [[prophecy]] made by [[Sybill Trelawney]] concerning himself and [[Harry Potter]]. Housed in the [[Hall of Prophecy]], the record was magically protected so that it could only be retrieved by those about whom it was made. Unable to enter the [[Ministry of Magic]] himself without revealing his return, Voldemort spent months attempting to use his mental connection with Harry to manipulate him into retrieving the [[prophecy]] for him. His efforts culminated in planting a false vision in Harry's mind, depicting his godfather, [[Sirius Black]], being tortured by Voldemort in the [[Hall of Prophecy]]. Despite warnings from [[Hermione Granger]] and an attempt to verify the vision's authenticity through the [[Floo Network]] at [[Professor Umbridge]]'s office, Harry was convinced of its reality. He, along with [[Hermione Granger]], [[Ron Weasley]], [[Ginny Weasley]], [[Neville Longbottom]], and [[Luna Lovegood]], flew from [[Hogwarts]] to [[London]] on [[Thestral]]s to mount a rescue mission. Upon arriving at the deserted [[Ministry of Magic]] and entering the [[Department of Mysteries]], they discovered the trap had been set. =====The Battle===== The battle unfolded across several chambers within the [[Department of Mysteries]]. * **The Hall of Prophecy** The six students located the [[prophecy]] orb bearing Harry's and Voldemort's names on Row 97 but found no sign of [[Sirius Black]]. They were then ambushed and surrounded by twelve [[Death Eaters]], led by [[Lucius Malfoy]]. The [[Death Eaters]] included [[Bellatrix Lestrange]], [[Rodolphus Lestrange]], [[Rabastan Lestrange]], [[Antonin Dolohov]], [[Augustus Rookwood]], and several others. Malfoy demanded the [[prophecy]], but Harry refused. On Harry's signal, the students used various spells to create a diversion, with [[Hermione Granger]] casting a [[Silencio]] on Dolohov and the group destroying shelves of prophecies to cover their escape into the adjacent chambers. * **The Brain Room and the Time Room** The students were separated during the chase. [[Harry Potter]], [[Hermione Granger]], and [[Neville Longbottom]] fled into the Brain Room, where they encountered a tank filled with brains that attacked a [[Death Eater]]. Meanwhile, [[Ron Weasley]], [[Ginny Weasley]], and [[Luna Lovegood]] were pursued into other rooms. Ron was hit by a curse that left him confused and disoriented after encountering the brains, and Ginny's ankle was broken. [[Neville Longbottom]] accidentally smashed the [[prophecy]] orb during the fighting in the Time Room. * **The Death Chamber** All six students were eventually cornered by the [[Death Eaters]] in the Death Chamber, a room containing an ancient, veiled stone archway. Just as they were about to be defeated, five members of the [[Order of the Phoenix]] arrived: [[Sirius Black]], [[Remus Lupin]], [[Nymphadora Tonks]], [[Kingsley Shacklebolt]], and [[Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody]]. A fierce duel erupted. During the fighting, [[Hermione Granger]] was incapacitated by a non-verbal curse from [[Antonin Dolohov]], and [[Neville Longbottom]] was tortured with the [[Cruciatus Curse]] by [[Bellatrix Lestrange]]. While dueling his cousin Bellatrix, [[Sirius Black]] was struck by a spell that sent him falling backward through [[the Veil]], resulting in his death. * **The Duel in the Atrium** Enraged by Sirius's death, Harry pursued [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] into the Ministry Atrium. He unsuccessfully attempted to use the [[Cruciatus Curse]] on her just as [[Lord Voldemort]] [[Apparated]] to the scene. Before Voldemort could kill Harry, [[Albus Dumbledore]] arrived, leading to a spectacular duel between the two most powerful [[wizards]] of the age. Dumbledore animated the statues of the [[Fountain of Magical Brethren]] to protect Harry and capture Bellatrix. The duel involved powerful, destructive [[magic]], including Voldemort's use of [[Avada Kedavra]] and a serpent of [[Fiendfyre]], which Dumbledore countered with a massive sphere of water. In a final act of desperation, Voldemort possessed Harry, hoping Dumbledore would sacrifice the boy to kill him. However, Harry's overwhelming grief for Sirius created a pain derived from love that Voldemort could not endure, forcing him out of Harry's body. At that moment, [[Minister for Magic]] [[Cornelius Fudge]] and other Ministry officials arrived, witnessing Voldemort just before he [[Disapparated]], taking Bellatrix with him. =====Aftermath===== The battle had profound consequences for the wizarding world. * **Public Acknowledgment of Voldemort's Return:** With [[Lord Voldemort]] seen by the [[Minister for Magic]] himself, the Ministry could no longer deny his return. [[Cornelius Fudge]] was forced to admit the truth, and the [[Daily Prophet]] changed its official stance, ending its year-long smear campaign against [[Harry Potter]] and [[Albus Dumbledore]]. * **Start of the Second Wizarding War:** The event marked the public beginning of the [[Second Wizarding War]]. * **Casualties and Captures:** [[Sirius Black]] was the sole fatality on the side of the [[Order of the Phoenix]]. Most of the [[Dumbledore's Army]] members sustained injuries, with [[Hermione Granger]] and [[Neville Longbottom]] being the most severe. Ten of the twelve [[Death Eaters]] present, including [[Lucius Malfoy]] and [[Antonin Dolohov]], were captured by Dumbledore and sent to [[Azkaban]]. * **The Prophecy Revealed:** In the aftermath, Dumbledore revealed the full contents of the lost [[prophecy]] to Harry, explaining why Voldemort had marked him as an equal and that "//either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives.//" =====Participants===== **Dumbledore's Army & The Order of the Phoenix** * [[Harry Potter]] * [[Hermione Granger]] * [[Ron Weasley]] * [[Ginny Weasley]] * [[Neville Longbottom]] * [[Luna Lovegood]] * [[Sirius Black]] (Killed in Action) * [[Albus Dumbledore]] * [[Nymphadora Tonks]] (Injured) * [[Kingsley Shacklebolt]] * [[Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody]] (Injured) * [[Remus Lupin]] **Death Eaters** * [[Lord Voldemort]] (Escaped) * [[Lucius Malfoy]] (Captured) * [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] (Escaped) * [[Rodolphus Lestrange]] (Captured) * [[Rabastan Lestrange]] (Captured) * [[Antonin Dolohov]] (Captured) * [[Augustus Rookwood]] (Captured) * [[Nott Sr.]] (Captured) * [[Crabbe Sr.]] (Captured) * [[Jugson]] (Captured) * [[Mulciber]] (Captured) * [[Avery]] (Captured) =====Behind the Scenes===== * In the film adaptation, //Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix//, the battle is depicted with several changes. The [[prophecy]] shatters upon being dropped, and its words are audibly whispered throughout the [[Hall of Prophecy]]. The chase through the [[Department of Mysteries]] is also shortened and condensed (film). * The death of [[Sirius Black]] is altered significantly in the film. He is struck directly by [[Bellatrix Lestrange]]'s [[Avada Kedavra]] killing curse, rather than an unnamed spell that simply knocks him through [[the Veil]]. This was done to make his death less ambiguous for the film audience (film). * The duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort in the Atrium features more widespread environmental destruction than described in the novel, including a maelstrom of shattered glass (film).