Dumbledore's Army

• Type: Secret student organisation for learning practical Defence Against the Dark Arts
• Founder(s): Hermione Granger (originator of the idea), Harry Potter, Ron Weasley
• Leader: Harry Potter
• Headquarters: The Room of Requirement at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
• Communication Method: Enchanted fake Galleons

Dumbledore's Army, often abbreviated to the D.A., was a secret student-run organisation founded during the 1995-1996 school year. Its primary purpose was to teach members practical defensive magic, a skill neglected by the Ministry of Magic-appointed Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Dolores Umbridge. Formation and Activities (1995-1996) The group's formation was proposed by Hermione Granger in response to Professor Dolores Umbridge's curriculum, which forbade the use of wands and focused entirely on theory. Believing that Lord Voldemort had returned and that students needed to be able to defend themselves, Hermione suggested that Harry Potter, the only person known to have survived the Killing Curse and faced Voldemort multiple times, should be their teacher. The first meeting was held at the Hog's Head inn in Hogsmeade. Twenty-eight students signed a bewitched parchment to join, which would later cause the traitorous member to break out in severe boils. The group's name was suggested by Cho Chang. While Harry preferred a name like “Defence Association,” “Dumbledore's Army” was chosen to mock the Ministry's paranoia that Albus Dumbledore was secretly building a private army to overthrow them. The D.A. held its meetings in the Room of Requirement, a secret room at Hogwarts that provided them with all necessary equipment, such as cushions for stunning practice and books on defensive magic. Under Harry's tutelage, members learned and practiced a variety of useful spells, including:

• Expelliarmus (Disarming Charm)
• Stupefy (Stunning Spell)
• Impedimenta (Impediment Jinx)
• Protego (Shield Charm)
• The Patronus Charm

Communication between members was facilitated by enchanted fake Galleons, created by Hermione. Instead of a serial number, the coins' edges were bewitched with a Protean Charm to show the date and time of the next meeting. The group was eventually discovered after Marietta Edgecombe betrayed them to Professor Umbridge. To protect Harry and the other students, Albus Dumbledore took responsibility for the organisation, leading to his forced departure from Hogwarts. Reformation and Rebellion (1997-1998) Following Voldemort's takeover of the Ministry of Magic and the installation of Death Eaters Alecto Carrow and Amycus Carrow as teachers at Hogwarts, the D.A. was secretly revived. With Harry, Ron, and Hermione absent from school, the resistance was led by Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood. The revived D.A. engaged in acts of rebellion, such as writing graffiti on the castle walls (e.g., “Dumbledore's Army, still recruiting”) and attempting to steal the Sword of Gryffindor from Severus Snape's office. The Room of Requirement once again became their sanctuary, providing a safe haven for members hiding from the Carrows. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Neville Longbottom used the enchanted Galleons to summon the original D.A. members, as well as allies from the Order of the Phoenix, to fight against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. The training they had received years earlier proved invaluable during the final conflict.

Dumbledore's Army is central to the plot of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and plays a crucial role in the climax of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

• Student Empowerment: The D.A. represents a powerful form of student resistance against tyranny, first from the bureaucratic control of the Ministry of Magic and later from the direct rule of Voldemort.
• Character Development: It was instrumental in developing Harry's confidence and leadership skills. It also provided Neville Longbottom with the environment he needed to grow into a courageous and capable wizard.
• Practical Training: The skills learned in D.A. meetings were directly responsible for the survival of several members during critical battles, including the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and the Battle of Hogwarts.
• Symbol of Hope: The continued existence of the D.A. in the final book served as a symbol of hope and defiance within Hogwarts, demonstrating that loyalty to Dumbledore and Harry's cause had not been extinguished.

The following students signed the original D.A. parchment:

• Hannah Abbott
• Katie Bell
• Susan Bones
• Terry Boot
• Lavender Brown
• Cho Chang
• Michael Corner
• Colin Creevey
• Dennis Creevey
• Marietta Edgecombe (Betrayed the group to Dolores Umbridge)
• Justin Finch-Fletchley
• Seamus Finnigan (Joined later in the year)
• Anthony Goldstein
• Hermione Granger
• Angelina Johnson
• Lee Jordan
• Neville Longbottom
• Luna Lovegood
• Ernie Macmillan
• Padma Patil
• Parvati Patil
• Harry Potter
• Zacharias Smith (Showed a cynical and cowardly attitude; abandoned the group before the Battle of Hogwarts)
• Alicia Spinnet
• Dean Thomas
• Fred Weasley
• George Weasley
• Ginny Weasley
• Ron Weasley

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the character of Nigel Wolpert, who does not appear in the books, is an enthusiastic member of the D.A. He serves as a composite character, partially filling the role of the Creevey brothers. (film)
• The film also features a training montage showing the D.A. learning spells like Reducto, which is not mentioned as part of their book curriculum. (film)
• J.K. Rowling revealed that Neville Longbottom later became the Herbology professor at Hogwarts and would proudly show his D.A. Galleon to his students. (J.K. Rowling interview)