Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix The opening chapters of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix explore the divide
between the
wizard world, where Harry is comfortable and respected, and the Muggle world, where he is either ignored or ostracized. As he has been for the past four summers, Harry is imprisoned inside the Dursleys’ house and strictly forbidden from using his magic or discussing wizard business. The microcosm of the Dursley house serves as our main touchstone for Muggle life—however unfortunate, the Dursleys are the only Muggles we meet, and we understand quickly why Harry is so anxious to escape Muggle life and return to Hogwarts. If the Dursleys are any indication, Muggles not only fear magic, they are revolted by it. More often than not, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon try to find some sort of alternate explanation for whatever bit of magic they have inadvertently witnessed. When the
dementors attack Dudley in the alleyway, he is careful not to blame the dementors themselves, because to do so would be to admit that magic is real. Instead, he points his chubby finger directly at Harry. Clearly, everything that is important to Harry is a point of contention for his Muggle family, who are horrified and disgusted by his lifestyle. They refuse to acknowledge Harry’s power, even when it has direct and undeniable repercussions on their lives. Harry is not in the best shape when the novel begins—he feels isolated among the unbearable Muggles, misses Hogwarts, and feels abandoned by his two best friends, Ron and Hermione—and his unhappiness leads him to act recklessly. Given Harry’s close and terrifying encounter with Lord Voldemort at the end of Book IV, Harry is right to be intensely concerned about the fate of his beloved Hogwarts, and the total lack of news from the Wizard world is excruciating for him. Harry’s prolonged aggravation culminates in the alleyway with Dudley, when he whips out his wand and comes terribly close to using his magic to torment him. Harry is barely able to contain his rage, and, were it not for the interruption of the dementors, he very well might have cast a spell on Dudley, earning himself instant expulsion from Hogwarts. In this sense, the dementors actually save Harry from his own evil desires. Though the Wizard and Muggle worlds operate under very different sets of principles, these principles sometimes overlap, and the sharp delineation between those worlds is beginning to blur. Despite his concerns about Hogwarts and his Wizard pals, Harry hides in the flowerbed in order to hear news from the Muggle world. He is already concerned that Voldemort’s effort to regain power could penetrate the Muggle universe, having a dramatic and debilitating effect on everyday Muggle life. Aunt Petunia’s recognition of Voldemort and her obvious fear at the sound of his name, which mirrors the typical Wizard reaction, indicate that Voldemort’s evil may have already found its way into her life. Harry’s worlds are getting all mixed up, with dementors showing up in Surrey, Mrs. Figg turning out to be a Squib, Aunt Petunia knowing about the prison at Azkaban, and Uncle Vernon asking questions about the Ministry of Magic. The principles Harry thought were specific to each of his worlds turn out to cross over to the other world with unexpected ease.