Harry Potter and the Magical Muggle

Chapter 6: Love, Honor, Truth?

Harry was in shock. Fawkes, Dumbledore’s magnificent phoenix, was outside his window tapping to be let in. Soon, his shock led to fear as he opened the window for the glorious scarlet and golden bird. Is Professor Dumbledore all right? Surely, he cannot be in serious trouble. He’s the greatest wizard of our time! Fawkes seemed to sense Harry’s unease as he settled down on Harry’s bed and gave him a reinsuring thrill. The sound of the phoenix’s music calmed Harry and he reasoned that Fawkes would be anxious and distressed if Professor Dumbledore was in serious trouble. Therefore, Harry turned his attention to the unusual object clutched within his talons. It was a red leather square, thirteen centimeters by thirteen centimeters, with the picture of a phoenix branded into the surface of the object. It was the most curious thing Harry had ever seen because every five seconds or so the object would change shape. First a triangle, then a rectangle, oops! there’s a trapezoid, and once again back to a diamond. However, the image of the branded phoenix remained constant in no matter what form the object took. Wondering if it was some sort of magical birthday card, Harry grasped a hold of the ever changing curiosity and felt the familiar tug behind his navel as his bedroom on Number Four Privet Drive melted away in a swirl of colors and a howl of wind that was whipping passed the horror struck face of one Harry Potter.

He suddenly slammed into the ground and surprisingly remained standing regardless how weak his legs felt at the moment. Harry was furious at himself. How could he be so stupid as to be tricked by a Portkey after what had happened the first time? At least there is no one else along for the ride, Harry mused as he tried to make out his surrounding amidst the darkness that was swirling all around him. Suddenly, someone two feet to the right of him lit a candle with his wand. The person was wearing blood red robes with the picture of a phoenix emblazed on the left side of his chest. As he dropped his hood, Harry gasped.

“Professor Dumbledore?!” In which the Headmaster of Hogwarts just smiled and nodded his head while his blue eyes sparkled merrily. In his left hand, he held a golden candle whose flamed danced joyously in the slight breeze that came from an undisclosed location. Harry looked down and realized that he and Professor Dumbledore were on a black marble platform with the picture of a phoenix engraved within its surface. That same picture was on the leather object that had brought him here and was depicted on Professor Dumbledore’s red robes. The candle cast eerily shadows around the room as the lights began to play within the darks. Suddenly, Professor Dumbledore spoke in a loud and clear voice, “Harry James Potter. You have been brought here upon the night of your birth to be offered a place in the Order of the Phoenix.” Harry gaped at Professor Dumbledore. The order of the what…? “Is there anyone among us who challenges his membership?”

A red robed figure emerged from shadows. “He is too young, Albus. This is a waste of the Order’s time. He is a mere fifteen-year-old boy. What qualities and skills can he bring to benefit the Order?” The man’s hood was up and the darkness of the room left the man unrecognizable. However, the voice was laced with malicious intent and scorn. Although the timbre of the voice did not sound familiar, the tone was identifiable. Snape? Nah…that man is too stocky to be Snape. Maybe a distant relative of some sort or just another admirer of the Harry Potter fan club. Amidst the seriousness of the situation, Harry felt a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Is there anyone amongst us who will defend Mr. Potter from these accusations?” A slight figure step towards the light and spoke without removing her hood. “There are dark times ahead of us and instead of fighting amongst one another on who or who is not worthy on entering the Order we should spend our time wisely devising tactical plans or defensive strategies. Those who dwell upon petty excuses such as age are no better than those we fight against. Today, you may be prejudice upon those who are younger; tomorrow, I fear that we will be rejecting people based on the pureness of their blood. Prejudice in any form is wrong and should be slain like the dangerous dragon it has been become. The true measure of a man is not within his physical trappings of his age, his appearance, or his heritage. Instead, one can discern the worthiness of a man through his actions and his behavior. Mr. Potter has proven himself on numerous occasions to be worthy of our trust and he has displayed the ideals on which our Order has been found on: Love, Honor, and Truth. Furthermore, the phoenix, the symbol of our Order, has judged the boy and deem him to take his place within the circle.” The woman stepped back and was enveloped within the darkness.

The circle of wizards and witches that surrounded Professor Dumbledore and Harry were quiet, whether in deep thought over what was previous said or gathering one’s views to challenge his membership, Harry did not know.

“Is there anyone else amongst us that challenges Mr. Potter?” Professor Dumbledore’s question was met with silence. “Then according to the traditions of the Order, we shall put Mr. Potter’s membership to a vote. Please remember that gold indicates a negative response, while scarlet signifies a positive reply.” Starting on the far left from the platform, the witches and wizards lit their candles, with the color of the flame becoming either scarlet or gold depending upon their decision. Halfway around the circle, the first golden flame was seen, not surprisingly by the wizard, who proclaimed Harry to be too young. However, he was not joined by any more golden flames.

“Harry James Potter. The Order of the Phoenix resides upon the three ideals of Love, Honor, and Truth. You have been judged by the phoenix on the ideal of Love when you had enough fondness and respect to call Fawkes to champion your side when you were in the Chamber of Secrets. You have been judged by the present members of the Order on the ideal of Honor when you on numerous occasions have stood and fought against Voldemort and everything that he stands for. The last ideal, the ideal of Truth, is something that you must judge yourself upon. How do you respond?” Harry’s mouth went dry. He had no idea how to answer such a question that Professor Dumbledore had proposed. Truth…Harry mused within his head. Truth? What exactly is truth? Is there such thing as the truth? Don’t our prejudice and our perspective color everything we say or do? Harry was confused and felt stupid as all the members of the Order were staring at him expectantly him to make some type of eloquent speech no doubt. He had nothing. Simply nothing.

“ER…If I must judge myself upon the ideal of Truth then I must say that not all my actions and behavior have been truthful, or even honorable for that matter. (There was a gasp heard around the circle.) There was no honor, no love, and no truth in letting Cedric Diggory die on the night of Voldemort’s rebirth. (Surprisingly, no one flinched at the mention of his name.) I hid behind a gravestone during my duel with Voldemort. Where is the honor, the truth in that action? A braver man would have stood and faced him throughout the entirety of the duel. A better wizard would have killed him. The only reason I escaped at all was because of my pride and shear luck. I refused to die like a coward and thus my arrogance forced me to stand. I told myself that if I were going to die, I would die defending myself. And what did I think about when I thought I was going to die? I thought: Why me? Why do things always happen to me? I thought about how I would never see my friends Ron and Hermione again, about the pain that I would put them through when they found out that I had been murdered, and about how I wished I could spare them from this pain. I though about Quidditch, about how I would never again feel the sense of freedom to be flying on a broom and the extreme joy in catching the snitch for Gryffindor. But most of all I was angry. Angry at life for taking me so soon…angry at my parents for dying and having to grow up an orphan, depending upon other people’s mothers and fathers to give me love, support, and direction…angry at Voldemort for ripping apart my life. I didn’t think about the battle between the Light and the Dark. Or what my death would mean to the wizardry world. I thought about myself. And consequently, I was selfish.” Harry had tears streaking down his face, but either he did not notice or more likely he did not care. Instead of wiping them away, he continued.

“Everyone thinks that I am some sort of hero. An idol, something to praise and raise to the heavens. But I am none of those things. I am just a boy. Nothing more, nothing less. Sometimes I lie to my professors to get out of detention. Sometimes I keep secrets from those around me. Sometimes I break the rules by sneaking out of bed after curfew or by going into the Forbidden Forest. Sometimes, well…most of the times, (Harry cracked a weak smile) I embellish my homework to please a certain Divination professor. These of the truths of my actions. Not what you have heard or read in the newspaper or even what you wish to believe because it makes you sleep better at night. Harry Potter is not a hero. Harry Potter is not always truthful. And Harry Potter wonders if he deserves a place within this Order.” Silence met the end of Harry’s speech. No one said a word; even Professor Dumbledore seemed to be a lost at what to say. Never before had they had a prospective member deny that he was truthful, instead every member tried to persuade the Order that not a second went by that they were not thinking about the three ideals. Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat.

“Harry,” he said softly. “You are indeed a special boy. You don’t make excuses for yourself or pretend to be someone you are not. You do not try to deceive others or yourself by exaggerating your honorable actions and you understand you are not perfect, but yet you do not let that cripple you. The honestly you have shown tonight is remarkable in any wizard or witch regardless of their age, their heritage, or their bloodlines. The Order would be honored if you would accept our offer of membership.” Harry didn’t know what to say. He was so sure that Professor Dumbledore would admit that he had made a mistake and ask him to leave. Therefore, he grinned shyly and told him that he accepted. Professor Dumbledore smiled and continued with the ceremony.

“Do you agree to come to the aid of any member of the Order of the Phoenix and lend your assistance even though if may cost you your life?”

“I do.”

“LOVE!” the circle chanted.

“Do you agree to fight against the darkness that threatens to envelope the world and lend any resources available for this fight?”

“I do.”

“HONOR!” the circle chanted.

“Do you agree to keep the rituals and discussions of the Order of the Phoenix a secret and not to discuss it with those who are not within the Order?” Harry hesitated when he thought of Ron and Hermione but still answered:

“I do.”

“TRUTH!” the circle chanted.

“I now pronounce within the presence of all these witnesses that Harry James Potter is an official and active member of the Order of the Phoenix. May the colors of scarlet and gold be always dear to your heart and the ideals of the Order imprinted upon your soul.” With that the sound of the phoenix song was heard, as Fawkes flew into the chamber carrying a box within his talons. As Fawkes deposited the box in Harry’s hand, he opened it to find a beautifully crafted phoenix pin cast in gold with rubies for his red plumage and gold for his tail, beak, and talons.

“I hope you accept this pin as a symbol of our trust. May you wear it to remember your oath to the Order.” After Professor Dumbledore said these words, he handed Harry his own blood red robes with the symbol of the phoenix in the left corner of his chest. Professor Dumbledore explained that these were the dress of the Order and could only be worn for meetings, rituals, or when an important event may arrive, while the phoenix pin can be worn daily. Harry put these robes over his clothes and fastened the pin to them.

“Who amongst us will serve as Mr. Potter’s Golden Guardian and be his mentor throughout the time that he is a member of the Order? The Guardian will teach him the history of the Order, the rituals, and remind him to practice the ideals of Love, Honor, Truth,” Professor Dumbledore asked.

“I will.” A man replied who stepped forward carrying a candle with a scarlet flame. Harry was curious to see who this man was, but he did not remove his hood. As long as it is not someone hideous like Professor Snape, I am safe. Harry thought darkly.

“Sirius Black has offered to be your Golden Guardian, do you accept?” Professor Dumbledore asked Harry. His face broken into a smile, in which he applied, “Yes. Yes, of course.”

“Let it be done,” Professor Dumbledore replied and with his wand he created a golden phoenix that sparked in the air and flew into the body of Sirius, then into Harry’s, and returned to its original position sparkling in the air, but this time half of it was gold and half of it was scarlet. It twinkled in the air for a minute and then it faded away. After everyone had extinguished their candles and they had lit the torches on the walls of the chamber, the ceremony was over. Soon, members congratulating him on his acceptance into the Order surrounded Harry. Finally, Sirius had the chance to get Harry away from the mob of people.

“Happy Birthday!” Sirius told Harry as he enveloped him in a bear hug. “Did you like your present?”

“Actually, Sirius, I haven’t had the chance to look at it. Fawkes interrupted me when I was going through my mail.”

“Did you get to read my letter?”

“ER…no. Sorry, I will do as soon as get back to my room. Thanks for the present too.”

“Wow, then. I am impressed. Well, I was impressed before and now I am just stunned.”

“Huh? What are you talking about Sirius?”

“Your speech upon Truth…you made it up right on the spot. You are really something else, you know that?” Harry blushed at this remark, but still seemed a bit confused.

“Weren’t you supposed to make it up on the spot? Was I supposed to predict in my morning tea leaves or something that I would be inducted into the Order of the Phoenix and they would ask me to make a speech upon the ideals of Truth regarding my daily life?” Sirius laughed at Harry’s question and quizzical look.

“No, no. But in my letter I hinted that I would be seeing you soon and to think about the truth. I guess you didn’t get the hint. Not like you needed the hint anyway.” Sirius smiled, one of those rare smiles that light up his face and made one forget that he had spent twelve years of life in Azkaban, the wizard prison.

“How is everything? How’s Professor Lupin?”

“Oh, he is here somewhere. I am sure we can find him if we look hard enough.”

“Are most of the professors from Hogwarts members?”

“No, not exactly. Only if they possess a special skill. Professor Flitwick is because he was a champion dueler and Professor McGonagall is because she is bloody scary (Harry chuckled at this) and of course being an Animagus helps.”

“And Professor Snape too…because of his ability to brew potions?”

“No, Harry. Professor Snape is not a member. He can’t be.”

“Why?”

“He’s a Death Eater. Or was that is. Once you take that mark, the phoenix will never judge you to be worthy enough to be a member. It’s a safeguard really. That way we cannot have any Death Eaters in the Order spying for Voldemort.”

“Oh, then if it wasn’t Snape who didn’t want me to join, then who was it?” Sirius looked uncomfortable as Harry asked his question.

“I won’t worry about it Harry. Almost no one gets an unanimous decision except for Dumbledore and your father.”

“Really?! My dad was in the order! How about my mother?”

Sirius chuckled. “Yup, her too.”

“People didn’t want her to join either?” Sirius groaned silently. How had they got back to this topic again? Harry is just too perceptive. Maybe I can throw him.

“Maybe one or two people at the time. Some backwards wizards thinking that is too dangerous for witches to be in the Order, but she showed them. She was a bloody good member. Great on finding experimental charms for us to try out and she was brilliant in the field as well.”

“Do I know who it was?”

“Know who what was?”

“Sirius!” Followed by a sigh.

“I don’t want you to read too much into this, but I suppose you have a right to know. It was Amos Diggory.”

“What?!” This had not been the name Harry thought it would be. He was hoping it would be someone he didn’t know at all. Now he wished Snape were a member so it could be him. He felt awful. “Is it because of Cedric?” Harry asked in a small voice.

Sirius sighed. He wanted to throttle Diggory. If I could just find the damn bastard, he thought as he was scanning the crowd. “I don’t know, Harry. I think it is because he doesn’t want to see another boy put in a dangerous situation if it can be helped. He is just looking out for your welfare and trying to protect you.” Sirius said soothingly.

Harry looked at his godfather and now his Golden Guardian and truly wanted to believe him, but he kept on thinking that Mr. Diggory’s reasoning was more on the lines of he didn’t want his son’s murderer to be within the same organization as himself than he was concerned for Harry’s welfare. Sirius looked at Harry, who was frowning and looking at his feet, and got angry. The poor boy! He has been through enough already. Just let him have a normal school year that is all I ask.

Unfortunately for Harry, his life was never typical and definitely wasn’t going to stoop so low to be described as normal, no matter how hard Sirius pleaded.