Medals of the Wizarding World

• Type: Award, Decoration, Commemoration
• Owners: Varies by medal. Notable recipients include Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Tom Riddle, Cornelius Fudge, and Peter Pettigrew.
• Maker: Varies; primarily the Ministry of Magic (specifically the Wizengamot) and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Medals in the Wizarding World are official awards conferred to recognize significant achievements, bravery, or service. Their appearance varies depending on the specific award.

• Order of Merlin: The most prestigious award given by the Ministry of Magic. The First Class medal is described as a “handsome gold medal” hanging from a green ribbon. The appearance of the Second and Third Class medals is not described in the novels, but their ribbons are purple and white, respectively (Pottermore).
• Award for Special Services to the School: These Hogwarts awards, given to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, are described as “two large, gleaming gold medals”.
• Medal for Magical Merit: The medal awarded to Tom Riddle for his “Special Services to the School” is a gold medal kept in the Hogwarts trophy room. By the time Harry sees it decades later, it is tarnished.

The primary function of a medal is symbolic, representing public recognition and honour within the magical community. There is no canonical evidence to suggest that the medals themselves possess inherent magical properties or enchantments. Their value lies in what they represent: exceptional magical skill, outstanding bravery, or significant contributions to the Wizarding World. They are worn on ceremonial occasions or, in the case of Albus Dumbledore's portrait, displayed as a permanent mark of distinction. They serve as a powerful tool for public relations and propaganda, as seen by the Ministry of Magic's use of the Order of Merlin.

Several distinct medals are mentioned throughout the series, each with its own history and context.

The Order of Merlin is the highest honour a witch or wizard can receive from the Wizengamot.

• Albus Dumbledore was an Order of Merlin, First Class, for his defeat of the Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald in 1945.
• Cornelius Fudge, as Minister for Magic, awarded himself an Order of Merlin, First Class, an act that highlighted his vanity.
• Peter Pettigrew was posthumously awarded an Order of Merlin, First Class, for his supposed heroic confrontation with Sirius Black, an honour built on a lie that concealed his treachery.
• Professor Slughorn expressed disappointment that he was never awarded one, believing Fudge had intended to give him one before being sacked.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry confers its own medals for extraordinary service to the school.

• c. 1943: Tom Riddle was awarded a Medal for Magical Merit and a trophy for “Special Services to the School”. This was a reward for his duplicity in framing Rubeus Hagrid and Aragog for the opening of the Chamber of Secrets and the death of Myrtle Warren.
• 1993: Harry Potter and Ron Weasley received Awards for Special Services to the School for their bravery in entering the Chamber of Secrets, defeating the Basilisk, and exposing the truth about Tom Riddle's diary. These awards serve as a direct, righteous counterpart to the one Riddle received fifty years prior.

Medals function as a powerful motif representing the duality of honour and corruption in the Wizarding World. They highlight the theme that official recognition does not always align with true merit or morality.

• Corruption and Deceit: Tom Riddle's medal is the ultimate symbol of successful deception, showing how institutions can be manipulated and how evil can masquerade as virtue. Similarly, Peter Pettigrew's Order of Merlin demonstrates the fallibility of the Ministry of Magic and how easily history can be falsified, allowing a traitor to be celebrated as a hero for over a decade.
• True Honour: In contrast, the medals awarded to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley represent genuine, earned honour. Bestowed by Albus Dumbledore, a figure of moral authority, their awards validate their secret heroism. Dumbledore's own Order of Merlin for defeating Grindelwald establishes his legendary status and serves as a benchmark for true magical distinction and bravery.

• According to Pottermore, the Order of Merlin has three distinct classes:
  • First Class: Awarded for “acts of outstanding bravery or distinction in magic.” Features a green ribbon.
  • Second Class: Awarded for “achievement or endeavour beyond the ordinary.” Features a purple ribbon.
  • Third Class: Awarded for those who “have made a contribution to our stock of knowledge or entertainment.” Features a white ribbon.
• In Harry Potter's vision in the Mirror of Erised in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he imagines himself and Ron Weasley being awarded medals for gallantry by Albus Dumbledore, foreshadowing the real awards they would receive a year later.