Communication of the Order

by · December 17, 2004

by Spaztic Sherman

I recently visited Jo’s website and became excited when I saw she had updated her rumors, news and extra stuff sections along with the FAQ poll. One thing that caught my eye was when she shot down the rumor about Order members communicating by chocolate frog cards. She said Order members need nothing more than a wand, and that we’ve seen them do it before in a previous book. As I was re-reading GoF it struck me what it was.

When Harry and Krum find Crouch along the forest and Harry runs to get Dumbledore. Harry and Dumbledore return to find crouch gone and Krum stunned. Dumbledore needs Hagrid so he sent a silvery thing to Hagrid’s cabin to summon him instead of having Harry go off on his own. At the time I thought this thing (“a ghostly bird”, 560, GoF) was Dumbledore’s patronus, and it might still be, but when I read what Jo had wrote I just knew this was how the order communicated.

“No,” said Dumbledore swiftly, “Stay here.”He raised his wand into the air and pointed it in the direction of Hagrid’s cabin. Harry saw something dart out of it and streak away through the trees like a ghostly bird.” (560, GoF)

My theory is that the order can use their patronuses to communicate with each other. I’m not sure exactly how, if the patronus can carry a message or if the witch or wizard who receives the message knows to contact that person immediately. I would assume the patronus can carry a message for two reasons.

1. If after an Order Member saw a patronus they had to find a way to contact the person back to speak to them it wouldn’t really accomplish anything. They still couldn’t use the floo network or send an owl, because both of those ways are being watched. And if the Order Member is at Hogwarts aparating to their side is out two.

2. Jo says that they only need a wand for communication. So maybe if they have a message in mind when they send the patronus the patronus will hover in front of the person and a voice will radiate from it. I can imagine Dumbledore’s silvery bird (a phoenix probably) hovering in front of Hagrid and Dumbledore’s voice coming from it saying “Hagrid, I need you down by the edge of the forest to help me.”

To me this seems like the most logical way for a wizard to communicate without using an outside system such as the floo network or an owl.