The Original Order of the Phoenix and Arabella Figg

[corinthum]

No: HPFGUIDX 76495

RSFJenny asked:
> A curious question about the original Order - did DD found it before
or after 
> the prophecy was made?  We know it's a secret society against LV,
but back 
> then everyone knew LV was a bad guy and they were all fighting him,
so why the 
> necessity of creating this Order?...

> Along with this, anyone else wonder why a Squib, Arabella Figg, was
part of 
> the "old crowd" DD talked about in GoF?

>From the way the first war has been described, "everyone" was not
fighting Lord Voldemort.  That was the problem; Lord Voldemort had
managed to gather quite a following before he began enacting his reign
of terror.  I have no doubt that, the same as in this second war, the
Ministry of Magic was probably very slow to react to the threat.  By
the time they took action, many Ministry workers were already
conspiring with Voldemort.

My theory on the original Order is that Dumbledore saw the chaos and
decided to take matter into his own hands.  You ask why Arabella Figg,
a Squib, was included in his elite group.  Honestly, why were any of
the members included?  Alastor Moody (skilled Auror but questionable
sanity), Arabella Figg (Squib), James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter
Pettigrew (just graduated, little or no experience), Remus Lupin
(same, plus a werewolf), Severus Snape (young, plus ex-DE), Rubeus
Hagrid (not allowed to do magic, half-giant)...they all have something
against them.  Even the respectable members (as far as we know), such
as Frank and Alice Longbottom (Aurors but pretty young, probably
little influence at the Ministry) and Minerva McGonagall (Hogwarts
professor), are far from the ideal candidates for such a job. 
However, they were all people Dumbledore knew very well.  His close
friends and colleagues, students he had watched closely growing up,
etc.  He trusted them all completely.  Given the choice between an
incredibly skilled witch or wizard with questionable loyalties and
motivations, and a much less skilled witch/wizard/squib who Dumbledore
was certain he could count on, Dumbledore chose the latter.  And, all
things considered, he seems to have gotten pretty good results out of
such a strange group.

-Corinth