Advance Guard

"A surprising amount of people volunteered to come and get you."

- Remus Lupin

The Advance Guard were the members of the Order of the Phoenix that retrieved Harry Potter from 4 Privet Drive and escorted him to 12 Grimmauld Place in 1995. This was done to provide Harry with a more secure environment after a pair of Dementors attacked him and Dudley Dursley in Little Whinging.

Members of the Advance Guard

 * Alastor Moody
 * Remus Lupin
 * Kingsley Shacklebolt
 * Nymphadora Tonks
 * Emmeline Vance
 * Elphias Doge
 * Dedalus Diggle
 * Hestia Jones
 * Sturgis Podmore

The Escort
"Stay in formation, everyone. Don't break ranks if one of us gets killed."

- Alastor Moody talking to the Advance Guard before taking off.

Prior to its arrival, the Advance Guard lured the Dursley family away from their house. Nymphadora Tonks fabricated a letter informing them that they were among the finalists for the All-England Best-Kept Lawn competition, and the family was heading to the awards ceremony when the Advance Guard arrived at 4 Privet Drive.

Out of the group, Harry only knew Lupin from before, and had spoken to the real Alastor Moody and Dedalus Diggle only briefly. This was Harry's first meeting with the remaining members, most notably Nymphadora Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

The Advance Guard and Harry travelled to Grimmauld Place by Broomstick, flying in formation with Tonks flying in front of Harry, Lupin underneath, Moody behind and the rest circling. There was a rear guard set up, so that if anything happened to the advance guard, the rear guard could take over, but this was, fortunately, not required.

Alastor Moody suggested the entire group travel above cloud level for better concealment, but he was overruled by Nymphadora Tonks, who protested they would get soaked. Later, he also suggested that they double back to ensure that they were not being followed, but Tonks once again screamed at him, and the group was saved by their arrival at Grimmauld Place.

Behind the scenes

 * Lupin, Podmore, Jones and Diggle were not a part of the Advance Guard in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and the latter three did not appear in the film at all. The only other person other than Lupin that Harry recognised was Moody. But given that Harry only met Barty Crouch Jr. impersonating Moody, he would not be someone Harry would trust. Furthermore Harry calls him "Professor Moody" even though it wasn't him the previous year.
 * "Advance Guard" is the title of a chapter in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
 * It is shown in the film adaption of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix that the members crossed over River Thames in London.
 * Hestia Jones and Sturgis Podmore are the only members of the Advance Guard to not appear in any of the films. Podmore is the only one who appears in neither the films nor the video games.
 * In an early script for the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the Advance Guard are besieged by a pair of Dementors (possibly the same ones that attacked Harry and Dudley earlier that night) en route to Grimmauld Place. Moody and Tonks would have escorted Harry safely to Grimmauld Place, with the rest of the guard arriving shortly after once the Dementors were driven off. The same script also consistently and incorrectly refers to them as the "advanced guard".

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7