Order of Merlin

Order of Merlin
Organisation information
Founder(s)	Merlin
Founded	In the Middle Ages

The Order of Merlin, often abbreviated to O.M., is an award bestowed upon wizards and witches who have achieved great deeds. It has three different levels: First Class, Second Class, and Third Class.

History

The Order of Merlin was founded by Merlin in the Middle Ages as an organisation with the goal of promoting laws to protect and benefit Muggles. It has been given by the Wizengamot, which functions as both a parliament and a court, since the 15th century.

Known recipients

Order of Merlin, First Class

The Order of Merlin, First Class is a gold medal suspended from a green ribbon, the colour of which is believed to be representative of Merlin's Hogwarts house, Slytherin, and is awarded for 'acts of outstanding bravery or distinction' in magic.

• Podric Batworthy
  • Batworthy held, additionally, the title of Grand Sorcerer, which suggests he was particularly accomplished in magic.

• Arcturus Black III
  • Awarded for his "services to the Ministry", which, according to Sirius, was another way of saying that he had given them a lot of gold. Sirius threw the medal into the rubbish when he was cleaning 12 Grimmauld Place.

• Albus Dumbledore
  • Awarded in 1945, following his defeat of the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald.
  • During the campaign to discredit him, it was suggested by Remus Lupin that the Ministry would consider taking away the Order of Merlin from Dumbledore. Dumbledore claimed that he did not care as long as he is not taken off the Chocolate Frog Cards. However, when Dumbledore's credibility was restored, the Ministry's consideration to retract the medal was cancelled.

• Cornelius Fudge
  • Presumably for his work as Minister for Magic; awarded by him to himself, which caused much muttering in the wizarding community.

• Remus Lupin
  • Awarded posthumously for his role as a member of the Order of the Phoenix and for his death during the Battle of Hogwarts. Remus was the first werewolf ever to be accorded this honour.

• Orabella Nuttley
  • Awarded for her use of the Mending Charm to repair the Colosseum after it was destroyed by an explosion that occurred when a fight broke out between supporters of two broom racers in 1754.

• Peter Pettigrew
  • Awarded posthumously (or so it was believed at the time) for a "heroic confrontation" with Sirius Black. The medal was given to Pettigrew's mother. Pettigrew, not Black, was later revealed to have been the one who betrayed the Potter family, and his Order of Merlin was retracted as a result.

• Tilly Toke and her family
  • Awarded for saving the lives of several Muggles during the Ilfracombe Incident in 1932.

• Norvel Twonk
  • Awarded posthumously for saving the life of a Muggle child from a runaway manticore.

Order of Merlin, Second Class

The Order of Merlin, Second Class, suspended from a purple ribbon, denotes 'achievement or endeavour beyond the ordinary'.

• Newt Scamander
  • Awarded "in recognition of his services to the study of magical beasts, Magizoology".

Order of Merlin, Third Class

Order of Merlin, Third Class is granted to those who 'have made a contribution to our store of knowledge or entertainment' and is hung from a white ribbon.

• Gilderoy Lockhart
  • He received this award for his encounter with many dark creatures and instructing people on how to repel them. In 1993, it was revealed that he had only taken credit for these deeds and had not really done any of them. This led to his Order of Merlin's retraction.

Recipients of unknown class

• Cottismore Croyne
  • May have been awarded for his tenure as Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards.
• Damocles
  • May have been awarded for his invention of the lycanthropy-treating Wolfsbane Potion.
• Albert Gibbering Stump
  • For unknown reasons.

Possible recipients

• Cornelius Fudge promised to give Severus Snape the Order of Merlin, First Class, for capturing Sirius Black, then assumed to be a fugitive murderer, but Black escaped before Fudge could follow through on his word. It was later stated that the loss of this Order of Merlin hit Snape hard, and allegedly was the reason that he let it slip that Remus Lupin was a werewolf.

Behind the scenes

• The "Muggle" counterpart to the Order of Merlin could include the Order of the British Empire, Victoria Cross, Medal of Honor, Presidential Medal of Freedom, or the Nobel Prize.
• Since 1966, the International Brotherhood of Magicians has been awarding its own Order of Merlin to long-standing members.
• Since Dumbledore was on the verge of losing his Order of Merlin during Fudge's campaign, it means that a certain level of disgrace is capable of causing a recipient to lose the Order of Merlin.
• As Fudge was heavily disgraced for his lack of actions against Lord Voldemort's return, it is possible that his Order of Merlin has been retracted.
• Due to Lockhart being a fraudulent crook who stole credits from other wizards and witches to boost his own fame, it is most likely he earned his Order of Merlin with deceit and trickery. It is unknown if it was retracted when his true colours were revealed.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) (Mentioned on a Famous Wizard Card)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game) (Mentioned on a Famous Wizard Card)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Mentioned only)
• Pottermore