The First Order of the Phoenix
In that instant, all the portraits of past headmasters, who had been dozing, suddenly seemed to wake up, opening their sharp eyes and staring directly at Dumbledore, and the entire Headmaster's Office fell into an eerie silence.
The golden object was a book, which appeared to be at least two hundred pages thick, but it looked very light and didn't feel heavy at all.
McGonagall had seen this book.
That was many, many years ago, when the Grindelwald Rebellion had just begun to sweep across Europe. She had the good fortune to glimpse this book once, and she imagined it was probably a trump card that Dumbledore would only take out when he was in extremely serious trouble.
The book's cover is dark brown, and the parchment underneath has faded slightly due to its age, but the gold thread around the edges still shimmers with a faint golden glow. At the very center of the cover is a Phoenix embroidered in gold thread.
Dumbledore's gaze sharpened without hesitation. He reached out and pressed his hand against the Phoenix on the cover, whispering, "Phoenix Summoning!"
Armando Dippet, the former headmaster, seemed to know quite a bit about the book. He asked with some confusion, "Dumbledore, isn't this the book you used to recruit the Order of the Phoenix? Didn't you already meet them yesterday?"
"Yes, yes," Phineas Black quickly chimed in, "Why don't you just let my good-for-nothing great-grandson handle it for you?"
Dumbledore didn't even lift his eyelids. He said softly, "The Order of the Phoenix I've assembled is not the one you saw yesterday, but the First Order of the Phoenix!"
In the original books, the Order of the Phoenix was formed by Dumbledore in the 1970s to fight against Voldemort's power, and many of its members perished in the First Wizarding War. However, in the world that Skylar traveled to, like the Knights of Walpurgis, the predecessor of the Death Eaters, the founding of the Order of the Phoenix can actually be traced back to a much earlier period.
Long before Dumbledore was born, there was already a very mysterious academic circle in the wizarding world, where academic leaders from all walks of life exchanged ideas. Due to its secrecy and closed nature, its origin is unknown.
Dumbledore, on the other hand, was noticed by several big names in the field when he was making a name for himself with his various academic achievements during his student days. These included alchemy giant Nicolas Flamel, founder of modern Magical Theory Adebayo Woflin, and veteran historian Bathilda Bagshot, and he was thus brought into the circle.
After Dumbledore success, he also recruited talented people from all over the world to join his circle, in order to mentor those promising young talents.
It's important to understand that because the wizarding world hasn't experienced an industrial revolution like the Muggle world, its financial system is still tied to precious metals, resulting in extremely limited currency circulation. Ambitious young wizards who want to conduct research, start a business like the Weasley Twins, or even innovate commercially need extensive networks of connections to secure investment.
It can be said that these younger generations recruited into Dumbledore's circle owe Dumbledore great debt of gratitude, and Dumbledore has used this to expand his international influence.
This mysterious circle was originally just a place for exchanging academic ideas and resources, but after Dumbledore rose to prominence, as a wise and shrewd strategist, he keenly perceived the power that this circle represented.
When Grindelwald ignited the war, the insightful Dumbledore exploited the weaknesses of several passionate wizards in the community, dragging several renowned academics into the fray. Among them were Newt Scamander, a leading authority on Care of Magical Creatures, and Euryale Hicks, the professor of Charms in Ilvermorny. This connection also drew in many other powerful wizards, such as Newt's brother, Theseus Scamander, the head of the Britain Head of the Auror Office, Newt's lover, Tina Goldstein Tina Goldstein Goldstein, the head of the United States Head of the Auror Office...
"Is it really necessary to do this?" Phineas Black said, not entirely in favor. "Voldemort is very strong, but his staunch supporters— the Pure-blood families —have seen their power decline so drastically in recent years. Can he really overthrow the entire wizarding world all by himself?"
A shrewd glint flashed in Dumbledore's eyes. He slowly began, "If it were just Voldemort, there would indeed be no need for such a grand scheme... The problem is..." Dumbledore coughed lightly, "The true situation we see now is perhaps... or rather, very likely to be drastically different..."
Although Phineas Black has been dead for a long time, his portraits are still active in many places, so he has a considerable understanding of the current situation in the wizarding world.
He said, "You mean... Grindelwald? He is indeed a problem, but after being imprisoned for so many years, his magic should have deteriorated significantly."
"It's not just him..." Dumbledore. "Think about it, Grindelwald was imprisoned for so many years, how did he escape... I can't say for sure what really happened, but I have a feeling—things have developed far beyond my imagination!"
It must be said that, as a legendary wizard who had reached that legendary level, his premonition was remarkably accurate.
Several hours passed.
McGonagall had left earlier to fulfill her duties as Vice-Headmaster—given the current situation, it was clear that Dumbledore's main focus would be on fighting the Death Eaters and the Supreme Wizard Alliance, leaving the responsibility of managing Hogwarts entirely to her.
Following a bright flash of light, several figures emerged from the fireplace in the Headmaster's Office, stepping on the flames.
Dumbledore glanced around and saw that most of the people who appeared were exactly as he had expected— the Scamander brothers, the Goldstein sisters, Euryale Hicks, Bentley Dirk, Yusof Kama ... Although they were no longer young, a fierce fighting spirit still burned in their eyes.
The fighting spirit to uphold justice!
Just as these people stepped out of the fireplace, before they could even greet each other, another flame lit up, and an elderly figure and two men who looked middle-aged emerged.
"It's you?" Dumbledore's expression showed slight surprise, clearly unprepared for the appearance of these three.
The elderly man at the head of the group snorted coldly and said, "What? You're not welcoming an old friend?"
"How could that be?" Dumbledore smiled, a rare sight indeed. "You're a rare guest! I'd be more than happy to welcome you—Mr Potter..." Dumbledore shifted his gaze to the two wizards behind him. "And these two are..."
"My two good-for-nothing sons—the eldest, Rehn..." He pointed to the thinner one, "Retired from the Auror after the First Wizarding War and is now an international bounty hunter, specializing in apprehending international criminals. He's been entangled with 'Cobra' in the Middle East for the past few years; it's normal you haven't heard of him..."
The author is still struggling with the hardships of life and can only write one piece during the spring break.
Wishing all readers a happy Year of the Dragon!