Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Chapter Eleven Summary & Analysis

Harry wonders if he and Luna are hallucinating. He joins in the conversation about Hagrid's absence and then silently wonders what's going on if Ron can't see the horses. Harry follows Ron and Hermione into the Great Hall and sits down with Neville and Nearly Headless Nick. They notice that Hagrid isn't at the staff table and wonder if he's still on his mission for Dumbledore. Then, they notice Umbridge at the staff table.

Professor McGonagall leads in the first years and sets the Sorting Hat on a stool. A rip in the brim opens and the hat begins to sing. Its song tells the story of the founding of Hogwarts and how at first, the different Houses worked in harmony. After a few years, however, each founder tried to rule alone, and things only calmed down after Slytherin left. The hat says that it's required to sort students, though it worries doing so does more harm than good. It closes by saying that the students must unite within Hogwarts because of what's going on in the outside world, and if the students don't unite, the school will crumble. Nearly Headless Nick notes that the hat has given advice before in difficult times.

When the sorting is over, Dumbledore announces the start of the feast. Hermione and Nick discuss the Sorting Hat's warning, and Nick suggests that since the hat lives in Dumbledore's office, it likely picks up on what's going on. At the end of the feast, Dumbledore addresses the students. He introduces Professor Grubbly-Plank and Professor Umbridge, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. As Dumbledore continues, Umbridge says, "hem, hem" and interrupts him. Dumbledore looks shocked for a moment but then sits down. Umbridge stands and addresses the students as though they're small children. She's a boring speaker and drones on about discouraging "progress for progress's sake" and abandoning inappropriate customs. The students talk amongst themselves and, except for Hermione, barely listen.

Dumbledore leads the school in applause for the speech before resuming his announcements. Hermione darkly says that Umbridge's speech means that the Ministry is interfering at Hogwarts, a fact that neither Harry nor Ron picked up. As Dumbledore dismisses the school, Hermione and Ron call for the tiny first years. Harry smiles at them until he notices students staring at him with horrified looks. He makes his own way to Gryffindor Tower, thinking he should've expected this kind of treatment. Neville meets him at the Fat Lady's portrait and gives him the password to enter.

Harry and Neville climb up to their dormitory and when they enter, Dean and Seamus stop talking abruptly. Harry wonders if they were talking about him, and if he's paranoid. They greet each other, and then Seamus carefully says that his mother didn't want him to come back to Hogwarts. She's been reading the Prophet and believes what it's saying about Harry and Dumbledore. Enraged, Harry changes and climbs into bed. Seamus asks Harry what happened when Cedric died, but Harry tells him to read the Prophet and move dormitories if he thinks Harry is a liar.

Seamus storms out and is on his way to find McGonagall when Ron arrives and learns what's going on. Growing red in the face, Ron says he believes Harry and threatens to give Seamus detention if he's rude to Harry. Seamus leaps into bed and rips his curtains closed, and Ron asks if anyone else has issues with Harry. Dean shrugs that his parents are Muggles, and Neville says that according to his gran, the Daily Prophet, not Dumbledore, is the one losing its touch. The boys fall silent and Harry wonders how many others will think he's crazy. He wonders if Dumbledore has been experiencing this all summer.