Order of Merlin
From Harry Potter Wiki
The Order of Merlin 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.
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[edit] 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.[1] It is unknown when the Order changed from an organisation to an award or when its focus shifted from advocating Muggle rights to honouring great accomplishments in general.
[edit] Known recipients
[edit] Order of Merlin, First Class
- Sirius Black's grandfather
- This was either Arcturus Black III or Pollux Black. 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.
- Awarded posthumously, or so it was believed at the time, for his "heroic confrontation" with Sirius Black. Pettigrew, not Black, was later revealed to have been the one who betrayed the Potters, but whether his Order of Merlin was retracted as a result is unknown.
- Awarded for saving the lives of several Muggles during the Ilfracombe Incident in 1932.
[edit] Order of Merlin, Second Class
[edit] Order of Merlin, Third Class
[edit] Recipients of unknown class
- May have been awarded for his invention of the lycanthropy-treating Wolfsbane Potion.[2]
[edit] Possible recipients
Cornelius Fudge promised to give Severus Snape the Order of Merlin for capturing Sirius Black, then assumed to be a fugitive murderer, but Black escaped before Fudge could follow through on his word.
[edit] Notes and references
- ↑ Famous Wizard Card (Merlin)
- ↑ Horace Slughorn states in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 7, "I was just telling young Marcus here that I had the pleasure of teaching his Uncle Damocles. Outstanding wizard, outstanding, and his Order of Merlin most well-deserved."
