Order of Merlin

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.

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 is unknown when the Order changed from an organisation to an award or when its focus shifted from advocating Muggle rights to honouring great wizarding accomplishments in general.

Order of Merlin, First Class

 * Sirius Black's grandfather (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. Sirius threw the medal into the rubbish when he was cleaning 12 Grimmauld Place.


 * Albus Dumbledore
 * 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.
 * 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 (supposedly) posthumously, for his "heroic confrontation," or so it was believed at the time, 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Black, was later revealed to have been the one who betrayed the Potter family, and it is possible his Order of Merlin was retracted as a result.
 * Tilly Toke
 * 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.
 * Podric Batworthy
 * Batworthy held, additionally, the title of Grand Sorcerer, which suggests he was particularly accomplished in magic.

Order of Merlin, Second Class

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

Order of Merlin, Third Class

 * 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 might have led to his Order's retraction.

Recipients of unknown class

 * Damocles
 * May have been awarded for his invention of the lycanthropy-treating Wolfsbane Potion.
 * Cottismore Croyne
 * May have been awarded for his tenure as Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards.
 * 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 the 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. Pettigrew indeed lost his when his treason became public.
 * As Fudge was heavily disgraced for his lack of actions against Lord Voldemort's return, it is possible that his Order 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 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)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Pottermore