Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Chapters 17–24

by J.K. Rowling
In his fifth year at Hogwarts, Harry must contend with terrifying dreams, malicious gossip, and a nasty new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He continues his struggle against Lord Voldemort in this fifth installment of J.K. Rowling's popular series.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–9, Chapters 10–16, Chapters 17–24, Chapters 25–31, Chapters 32–38

Click here to explore our other lists in the Harry Potter universe.
40 words 271 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. rebellion
    organized opposition to authority
    The knowledge that they were doing something to resist Umbridge and the Ministry, and that he was a key part of the rebellion, gave Harry a feeling of immense satisfaction.
  2. imminent
    close in time; about to occur
    The knowledge that all those people did not think him a lying weirdo, but someone to be admired, buoyed him up so much that he was still cheerful on Monday morning, despite the imminent prospect of all his least favorite classes.
  3. disband
    cause to break up or cease to function
    All Student Organizations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs are henceforth disbanded.
  4. inquisitor
    a questioner who is excessively harsh
    Any student found to have formed, or to belong to, an Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled.
  5. fervent
    characterized by intense emotion
    It did not seem possible that he had awoken that morning feeling very happy. All he felt now was a fervent desire for this day to end as soon as possible.
  6. relinquish
    part with a possession or right
    But Harry could imagine how much Umbridge was enjoying holding the threat of no Gryffindor Quidditch team over their heads and could easily understand why she would not want to relinquish that weapon over them too soon.
  7. authority
    the power or right to give orders or make decisions
    She also”—Sirius’s eyes turned to the other two—“advises Harry and Hermione not to proceed with the group, though she accepts that she has no authority over either of them and simply begs them to remember that she has their best interests at heart.
  8. aftermath
    the outcome of an event
    Harry sat quite still, staring at his feet, allowing his mind and his memory to relax in the aftermath of the pain.
  9. thwart
    hinder or prevent, as an effort, plan, or desire
    Voldemort’s anger would make sense if he was no nearer laying hands on the weapon, whatever it was...Had the Order thwarted him, stopped him from seizing it?
  10. reckless
    marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences
    For a moment Harry was tempted to go now; he was halfway out of his seat, intending to hurry upstairs for his Invisibility Cloak when, not for the first time, a voice very much like Hermione’s whispered in his ear: reckless.
  11. unperturbed
    free from emotional agitation or nervous tension
    “Yes, but I think we ought to vote on it properly,” said Hermione, unperturbed. “It makes it formal and it gives him authority. So—everyone who thinks Harry ought to be our leader?”
  12. talisman
    a trinket thought to be a magical protection against evil
    Harry felt as though he were carrying some kind of talisman inside his chest over the following two weeks, a glowing secret that supported him through Umbridge’s classes and even made it possible for him to smile blandly as he looked into her horrible bulging eyes.
  13. resist
    express opposition through action or words
    He and the D.A. were resisting her under her very nose, doing the very thing that she and the Ministry most feared, and whenever he was supposed to be reading Wilbert Slinkhard’s book during her lessons he dwelled instead on satisfying memories of their most recent meetings
  14. unpredictable
    not occurring at expected times
    He was finding it almost impossible to fix a regular night of the week for D.A. meetings, as they had to accommodate three separate Quidditch teams’ practices, which were often rearranged depending on the weather conditions; but Harry was not sorry about this, he had a feeling that it was probably better to keep the timing of their meetings unpredictable.
  15. mimic
    imitate, especially for satirical effect
    On these fake coins, though, the numbers will change to reflect the time and date of the next meeting. The coins will grow hot when the date changes, so if you’re carrying them in a pocket you’ll be able to feel them. We take one each, and when Harry sets the date of the next meeting he’ll change the numbers on his coin, and because I’ve put a Protean Charm on them, they’ll all change to mimic his.
  16. accustomed
    in the habit of or adapted to
    Nobody could quite believe their ears until she looked directly at Harry and Ron and said grimly, “I’ve become accustomed to seeing the Quidditch Cup in my study, boys, and I really don’t want to have to hand it over to Professor Snape, so use the extra time to practice, won’t you?”
  17. impediment
    something immaterial that interferes with action or progress
    “What do you think you’re doing?” screamed Madam Hooch, as Harry leapt to his feet again; it was she who had hit him with the Impediment Jinx.
  18. sanction
    the act of punishing
    The High Inquisitor will henceforth have supreme authority over all punishments, sanctions, and removal of privileges pertaining to the students of Hogwarts, and the power to alter such punishments, sanctions, and removals of privileges as may have been ordered by other staff members.
  19. ban
    an official prohibition against something
    “Yes, Mr. Potter, I think a lifelong ban ought to do the trick,” said Umbridge, her smile widening still further as she watched him struggle to comprehend what she had said. “You and Mr. Weasley here. And I think, to be safe, this young man’s twin ought to be stopped too—if his teammates had not restrained him, I feel sure he would have attacked young Mr. Malfoy as well.
  20. squabble
    a quarrel about petty points
    “Well, like I say, they’re not meant ter live together, giants,” said Hagrid sadly. “Not in big groups like that. They can’ help themselves, they half kill each other every few weeks. The men fight each other an’ the women fight each other, the remnants of the old tribes fight each other, an’ that’s even without squabbles over food an’ the best fires an’ sleepin’ spots.
  21. unbiased
    characterized by a lack of partiality
    Harry knew that many of them preferred Professor Grubbly-Plank’s lessons, and the worst of it was that a very small, unbiased part of him knew that they had good reason: Grubbly-Plank’s idea of an interesting class was not one where there was a risk that somebody might have their head ripped off.
  22. probation
    a trial period when an offender has time to redeem himself
    For the first time in his school career, he very much wanted to spend the holidays away from Hogwarts. Between his Quidditch ban and worry about whether or not Hagrid was going to be put on probation, he felt highly resentful toward the place at the moment.
  23. prescribe
    issue commands or orders for
    He had never been so pleased to see her; it was a member of the Order of the Phoenix he needed now, not someone fussing over him and prescribing useless potions.
  24. curt
    brief and to the point
    “I believe you, Potter,” said Professor McGonagall curtly.
  25. reverberate
    ring or echo with sound
    The words seemed to reverberate in the air after he had said them, slightly ridiculous, even comic.
  26. confirm
    establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
    Harry wondered whether the instrument was confirming his story: He looked eagerly at Dumbledore for a sign that he was right, but Dumbledore did not look up.
  27. accusatory
    containing or expressing blame
    Harry did not know whether he was imagining it or not, but he fancied there was something accusatory in their looks. Well, if they were going to blame him for just seeing the attack, he was glad he had not told them that he had been inside the snake at the time.
  28. slither
    pass or move unobtrusively or smoothly
    He went up to the bedroom he had shared with Ron over the summer, but while Ron crawled into bed and was asleep within minutes, Harry sat fully clothed, hunched against the cold metal bars of the bedstead, keeping himself deliberately uncomfortable, determined not to fall into a doze, terrified that he might become the serpent again in his sleep and awake to find that he had attacked Ron, or else slithered through the house after one of the others.
  29. possess
    enter into and control, as of emotions or ideas
    “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—”
  30. taint
    the state of being contaminated
    He felt dirty, contaminated, as though he were carrying some deadly germ, unworthy to sit on the underground train back from the hospital with innocent, clean people whose minds and bodies were free of the taint of Voldemort.
  31. exhausted
    depleted of energy, force, or strength
    Harry’s temper rose to the surface like a snake rearing from long grass. He was exhausted, he was confused beyond measure, he had experienced terror, relief, and then terror again in the last twelve hours, and still Dumbledore did not want to talk to him!
  32. popinjay
    a vain and talkative person
    Has it not occurred to you, my poor puffed-up popinjay, that there might be an excellent reason why the headmaster of Hogwarts is not confiding every tiny detail of his plans to you?
  33. incumbent
    necessary as a duty or responsibility; morally binding
    He had a bad feeling about this parting; he did not know when they would next see each other and felt that it was incumbent upon him to say something to Sirius to stop him doing anything stupid—Harry was worried that Snape’s accusation of cowardice had stung Sirius so badly he might even now be planning some foolhardy trip beyond Grimmauld Place.
  34. trepidation
    a feeling of alarm or dread
    His morning Potions lesson did nothing to dispel his trepidation, as Snape was as unpleasant as ever, and Harry’s mood was further lowered by the fact that members of the D.A. were continually approaching him in the corridors between classes, asking hopefully whether there would be a meeting that night.
  35. intrusion
    entrance by force or without permission or welcome
    Snape continued to survey him through narrowed eyes for a moment, then said, “Now, Occlumency. As I told you back in your dear godfather’s kitchen, this branch of magic seals the mind against magical intrusion and influence.”
  36. contradict
    prove negative; show to be false
    The Dark Lord, for instance, almost always knows when somebody is lying to him. Only those skilled at Occlumency are able to shut down those feelings and memories that contradict the lie, and so utter falsehoods in his presence without detection.
  37. vulnerable
    capable of being wounded or hurt
    The evidence suggests that at times, when your mind is most relaxed and vulnerable—when you are asleep, for instance—you are sharing the Dark Lord’s thoughts and emotions.
  38. access
    reach or gain entrance to
    “The important point is that the Dark Lord is now aware that you are gaining access to his thoughts and feelings. He has also deduced that the process is likely to work in reverse; that is to say, he has realized that he might be able to access your thoughts and feelings in return—”
  39. prey
    a person who is the aim of an attack by a hostile influence
    “Then you will find yourself easy prey for the Dark Lord!” said Snape savagely. “Fools who wear their hearts proudly on their sleeves, who cannot control their emotions, who wallow in sad memories and allow themselves to be provoked this easily—weak people, in other words—they stand no chance against his powers!
  40. discipline
    develop behavior by instruction and practice
    Master yourself!” spat Snape. “Control your anger, discipline your mind!
Created on Fri Aug 04 11:24:07 EDT 2017 (updated Tue Aug 01 14:44:05 EDT 2023)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.