The first chapter begins with Severus Snape (currently believed to be a Death Eater) and Yaxley (another Death Eater) meeting at Malfoy Manor, Lord Voldemort’s temporary headquarters. Once inside, Severus informed Lord Voldemort that the Order of the Phoenix (organization dedicated to bringing Voldemort down) intends to transport Harry Potter to the Burrow (residence of the Weasley family); Yaxley told Lord Voldemort otherwise, but this is soon discovered to be nothing more than a rumor. Lord Voldemort took Lucious Malfoy’s wand to murder Harry Potter, hoping that it would bypass the strange connection he and Harry have. As the chapter progresses, the figure which has been dangling above a large meeting table is discovered to be Charity Burbage, the Muggles professor at Hogwarts; she is murdered by Severus.

In the second chapter, Harry, who knows that soon he is going to have to be transported, emptied his trunk for the first time in six years, cutting his hand on a shard of a mirror in the process. Picking up the Daily Prophet, he found the article ‘Albus Dumbledore Remembered’ by Elphias Doge; Harry realized that he didn’t know Dumbledore very well, which is something he regretted. Harry continued to read the Daily Prophet and eventually came across the article ‘Dumbledore – The Truth At Last’ by Rita Skeeter, which was about her new Albus Dumbledore biography; both the article and the biography defamed him; this enraged Harry. At the end of the chapter, Harry saw Dumbledore’s eye (later discovered to be Aberforth Dumbledore’s eye) peering out from the shard of mirror that had cut him and quickly dismissed it as a hallucination. 

In the third chapter, the Dursleys (the family that Harry had stayed with while not in school his entire life) departed with two wizards, who were to protect them. Harry discovered that his cousin, Dudley Dursley, was in fact grateful for the many times that Harry had saved his life with the use of magic. At the end of the chapter, it appeared as though Aunt Petunia wanted to say something but refrained from doing so.

In the fourth chapter, Harry picked up his belongings and went downstairs. Harry, for a few minutes, remembered the Dursley’s home and the few good memories he had had in it. Moments later Harry’s many friends appeared in the backyard; Hagrid, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, Mad-Eye Moody, Fred and George Weasley, Bill Weasley, Mr. Weasley, Tonks, Remus Lupin, Fleur, Kingsley Shacklebolt (in the book, guarding England’s Prime Minister), and Mundungus Fletcher. A large amount of the group drink some polyjuice potion and become duplicates of Harry; the ‘back-up’ plan of the Order. Harry protests against the exceedingly dangerous plan; Harry eventually agreed and gave them all a sample of DNA. The group arranged themselves for the take-off and Harry discovered the form of transportation the Order wanted him to have; Hagrid’s magical motorcycle. As soon as the Order took off they were ambushed by the Death Eaters; from hereon things were quite confusing. During the battle, Hedwig and Mad-Eye Moody are both killed and George Weasley got his ear torn off by Severus. Hagrid desperately attempted to escape the Death Eaters and eventually did by hurling into the ground; perhaps not an intentionally used method of escape. Lord Voldemort, wanting to murder Harry, eventually caught up with them, but, either due to a powerful barrier or the strange bond that Harry and Lord Voldemort shared, he was shaken off and Hagrid, Harry and the motorcycle all slammed into a muddy pond.