Chocolate Frogs (and Warlocks)

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

No: HPFGUIDX 67992

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "rhosyn4u" <a4annielauss at m...> 
wrote:

> > Lupin: Dumbledore's " 'been voted out of the Chairmanship of the 
> > International Confederation of Wizards... they've demoted him
> > from chief Warlock on the Wizengamot... and they're talking about 
> > taking away his Order of Merlin, First Class, too.'

> I was under the impression that a Warlock is different from a 
> Wizard. Harry sees "wild-looking warlocks" on his first trip to the 
> Leaky Cauldron, along with wizards, witches, etc. If so, how can 
> Dumbledore be "Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot?"

If you remember Dumbledore's official Headmaster letterhead in PS/SS, 
his name was followed by "Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., 
Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards". 
There has long been discussion of what those titles could possibly 
mean.

I think Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorceror is the highest 
honor, perhaps given to people who have already been given the Order 
of Merlin a couple of times:
Order of Merlin, third class
Order of Merlin, second class
Order of Merlin, first class
Order of Merlin, Sorceror
Order of Merlin, Grand Sorceror

I think Supreme Mugwump is the title of the 'chairman' or retired 
'chairman' of the International [Con]federation of Wizards/Warlocks 
(I think all those names have appeared in canon, International 
Federation of Wizards, International Confederation of Warlocks, and I 
think they all mean the same organization).

As for 'warlock', I long held that it was a title meaning an elective 
representative to wizarding legislature council (so that the medieval 
Wizards' Council, precursor to the Ministry of Magic as we were told 
in the schoolbooks, could perfectly well be called the Warlocks' 
Council). I said, the Saxon meaning of "warlock = oath breaker" would 
apply quite well to the wizarding equivalent of a Congressman or M.P. 

While I was at it, I proposed that the Wizards' Council was earlier 
named the Witchingameet, based on the name 'Witangamot' of the Saxon 
parliament before the Norman Conquest. Wizengamot clearly is named 
from the same source, so I patted myself on the back for an "almost 
right" prediction.

So now I am proposing that Warlock means 'member of the Wizengamot'. 
'Chief Warlock' should mean Chairman of the Wizengamot, but Harry's 
trial sure didn't look like Dumbledore was chairman.