======Dumbledore's Army======
=====Introduction=====
**Dumbledore's Army**, commonly abbreviated to the **D.A.**, was a secret student organisation founded at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]] in 1995 by [[Harry Potter]], [[Hermione Granger]], and [[Ron Weasley]]. Its primary purpose was to teach students practical [[Defence Against the Dark Arts]] in defiance of the Ministry-appointed High Inquisitor, [[Dolores Umbridge]], whose curriculum forbade the use of defensive magic. The group served as a training ground for young witches and wizards, many of whom would later play crucial roles in the [[Second Wizarding War]].
=====History=====
====Founding and Early Meetings====
In the autumn of 1995, with [[Lord Voldemort]]'s return being denied by the [[Ministry of Magic]], the [[Defence Against the Dark Arts]] curriculum at [[Hogwarts]] was replaced with a purely theoretical, Ministry-approved syllabus under [[Professor Umbridge]]. In response, [[Hermione Granger]] proposed the formation of a practical study group where [[Harry Potter]], having faced [[Voldemort]] and extensive [[Dark Arts]], would serve as the teacher.
The initial recruitment meeting was held at the [[Hog's Head Inn]] in [[Hogsmeade]], where twenty-eight students signed a jinxed parchment to signal their commitment. The group's name was suggested by [[Cho Chang]] both to mock the Ministry's paranoia that [[Albus Dumbledore]] was secretly building a private army and to declare their loyalty to the [[Hogwarts]] Headmaster. [[Dobby]] the house-elf informed Harry about the [[Room of Requirement]], which became the D.A.'s secret headquarters, providing whatever the members needed for their training sessions.
====Discovery and Disbandment====
The D.A. met regularly for several months, with members making remarkable progress in their defensive spellwork. However, the group was betrayed to [[Umbridge]] by [[Ravenclaw]] student [[Marietta Edgecombe]]. The jinx [[Hermione Granger]] had placed on the sign-up sheet was activated, causing the word "SNEAK" to appear on Marietta's face in boils.
Forewarned by [[Dobby]], Harry attempted to evacuate the members, but they were caught by [[Umbridge]] and her [[Inquisitorial Squad]]. To protect Harry and the students, [[Albus Dumbledore]] took full responsibility for the organisation, claiming it was his creation. He then staged a magnificent escape from [[Hogwarts]] to avoid arrest by Minister for Magic [[Cornelius Fudge]] and several Aurors. Following this event, the D.A. was officially disbanded for the remainder of the school year, though several members fought alongside Harry in the [[Battle of the Department of Mysteries]].
====Resistance During Voldemort's Regime====
After [[Voldemort]]'s takeover of the [[Ministry of Magic]] in 1997, [[Hogwarts]] fell under the control of Death Eaters [[Alecto Carrow]] and [[Amycus Carrow]]. In the absence of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the D.A. was secretly revived and led by [[Neville Longbottom]], [[Ginny Weasley]], and [[Luna Lovegood]]. They led a student resistance movement, carrying out acts of rebellion such as writing pro-Dumbledore graffiti and trying to steal the [[Sword of Gryffindor]] from the Headmaster's office, then occupied by [[Severus Snape]]. The leaders faced harsh punishments, but the resistance continued, with its members using the [[Room of Requirement]] as a sanctuary.
====Battle of Hogwarts====
When Harry, Ron, and Hermione returned to [[Hogwarts]] in May 1998, they found the D.A. resistance camped in the [[Room of Requirement]]. [[Neville Longbottom]] used the enchanted [[Galleon]]s created by Hermione to summon the original D.A. members who had already left school. The reunited Dumbledore's Army formed the core of the fighting force that defended the castle during the [[Battle of Hogwarts]], valiantly fighting against [[Voldemort]] and his [[Death Eaters]].
=====Membership and Leadership=====
  * **Founder and Leader:** [[Harry Potter]]
  * **Co-founders:** [[Hermione Granger]], [[Ron Weasley]]
  * **Interim Leaders (1997-1998):** [[Neville Longbottom]], [[Ginny Weasley]], [[Luna Lovegood]]
  * **Known Members:**
    * [[Hannah Abbott]]
    * [[Katie Bell]]
    * [[Susan Bones]]
    * [[Terry Boot]]
    * [[Lavender Brown]]
    * [[Cho Chang]]
    * [[Michael Corner]]
    * [[Colin Creevey]]
    * [[Dennis Creevey]]
    * [[Marietta Edgecombe]] (Betrayer)
    * [[Justin Finch-Fletchley]]
    * [[Seamus Finnigan]] (Joined late)
    * [[Anthony Goldstein]]
    * [[Angelina Johnson]]
    * [[Lee Jordan]]
    * [[Ernie Macmillan]]
    * [[Padma Patil]]
    * [[Parvati Patil]]
    * [[Zacharias Smith]]
    * [[Alicia Spinnet]]
    * [[Dean Thomas]]
    * [[Fred Weasley]]
    * [[George Weasley]]
=====Curriculum and Skills Practised=====
Under Harry's tuition, D.A. members learned and practised a wide range of defensive and duelling spells which had been forbidden by [[Umbridge]]. Key spells included:
  * //Expelliarmus// (Disarming Charm) - The group's signature spell.
  * //Stupefy// (Stunning Spell)
  * //Impedimenta// (Impediment Jinx)
  * //Protego// (Shield Charm)
  * //Reducto// (Reductor Curse)
  * //Finite Incantatem// (General Counter-Spell)
  * The most advanced piece of magic taught was the [[Patronus Charm]]. Several members successfully produced a corporeal [[Patronus]], including [[Hermione Granger]] (otter), [[Ron Weasley]] (Jack Russell terrier), [[Luna Lovegood]] (hare), [[Ginny Weasley]] (horse), [[Cho Chang]] (swan), and [[Ernie Macmillan]] (boar).
=====Key Objects and Communication=====
  * **Enchanted Galleons:** A set of fake [[Galleon]]s created by [[Hermione Granger]] to serve as a communication device. Instead of a serial number, the coins were enchanted to show the date and time of the next D.A. meeting. When a new time was set on Harry's coin, the other coins would heat up to alert the members. This method was inspired by [[Lord Voldemort]]'s use of the [[Dark Mark]].
  * **The List of Names:** The piece of parchment on which members signed their names at the [[Hog's Head Inn]]. It was bewitched by Hermione with a powerful jinx that would cause anyone who betrayed the group to be marked as a "SNEAK".
  * **[[The Room of Requirement]]:** The secret location for all D.A. meetings. The room provided the members with everything they needed for their lessons, from duelling cushions to books on defensive magic and devices like a Foe-Glass.
=====Etymology=====
The name **Dumbledore's Army** was proposed by [[Cho Chang]]. It had a dual purpose: it served as a declaration of the members' loyalty to [[Albus Dumbledore]] and the values he represented, while simultaneously mocking the [[Ministry of Magic]] and its paranoid belief that Dumbledore was conspiring to build a personal army to overthrow them. The abbreviation, D.A., was originally suggested by [[Ginny Weasley]] for the more discreet name "Defence Association."
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix//, it is [[Ginny Weasley]] who suggests the name "Dumbledore's Army," not [[Cho Chang]]. (film)
  * In the film, [[Marietta Edgecombe]] is omitted. The betrayal is carried out by [[Cho Chang]] herself, albeit unwillingly while under the influence of a Truth Potion ([[Veritaserum]]) administered by [[Umbridge]]. (film)
  * The films feature a character named [[Nigel Wolpert]] as a young and enthusiastic member of the D.A. This character does not appear in the books. (film)