Grimmauld Place turns into a battlefield of Doxies, cursed cabinets, and Kreacher’s mutters while Molly Weasley leads a full house clean. Sirius clashes with the elf, the twins pocket contraband for Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, and Harry quietly pockets a heavy S-carved locket that feels just like the diary… maybe a Horcrux. Later, a party for new Prefects ends with Moody’s First Order photo, Harry’s grief spiking, and Molly’s Boggart in the drawing room. Thoughtful, character-first Order of the Phoenix era with guardianship overtones and sharp worldbuilding details.

At Grimmauld Place, Harry gets an Extendable Ear from the twins, meets the screaming portrait of Walburga Black, and is dragged into a kitchen showdown about secrecy. Sirius wants answers on the table, Molly says no, Remus plays mediator, and Arthur explains why the Ministry and the Daily Prophet are undermining Dumbledore. Harry finally hears what the Order is really doing, including hints about giants, spies inside the Ministry, Kingsley’s cover, and talk of a new weapon Voldemort wants by stealth. When Molly ends the briefing, Harry pointedly keeps Ron and Hermione in the dark and goes to bed still furious.

Severus Snape prepares Harry for a new Defence professor from the Ministry, Dolores Umbridge, and warns him to keep his head down. A tense departure from Prince Manor leads to Grimmauld Place through the Fidelius Charm, where Harry meets the Weasleys and finally confronts Ron and Hermione about a summer of silence. What follows is a raw, shouting match about secrecy, trust, and Dumbledore’s choices, with Snape’s practical guidance echoing in the background. This is close, character-driven guardianship that sets the stakes for Order of the Phoenix.