Why Arthur & Molly were not in the Order the first time around

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 83619

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "shwanalynn" <hlynn at k...> 
wrote:

> Secondly, I don't remember exactly where it says Arthur and Molly 
> definitely weren't in the Order the first time.  Is this an 
inference 
> based on Moody's picture and the fact that Molly and Arthur 
weren't 
> in it?  Am I forgetting something else?  I just keep thinking 
about 
> how quick and natural it was for Dumbledore to hand out tasks to 
> Molly and Arthur at the end of GoF, and include them in the plan 
to 
> get the Order active again.  It really seemed like they were 
familiar 
> with it.  I think the toddler/baby consideration is a good one, 
but 
> maybe that just kept Molly busy and less involved than Arthur.

Jen:

Lupin tells Molly: "...I can't promise no one's going to get hurt, 
nobody can promise that, but we're much better off than we were last 
time, you weren't in the Order then, you don't understand..." (OOTP, 
US, chap. 9, p. 177).

So we know Molly definitely wasn't in the Order and I'm assuming 
Lupin is referring to Arthur too, or Molly *would* understand the 
risks. I suspect since Arthur was in the Ministry, and perhaps an 
unknown quantity to Dumbledore, that's why he wasn't in the Order 
the first time around. After all, we know this from the time of the 
First war:

"...You're scared for yourself, and your family, and your friends. 
Every week, news comes of more deaths, more disappearnaces, more 
torturing...The Ministry of Magic's in disarray, they don't know 
what to do, they're trying to keep everything hidden from the 
Muggles, but meanwhile Muggles are dying too." (Sirius in GOF, US, 
chap. 27, p. 527).

Arthur working in the Ministry amidst of all this confusion might 
not have been viewed as an asset to the Order at the time.

I do think this comment by Lupin is a little patronizing--no one 
escaped the terror of the First War, according to all accounts--and 
his words were an attempt to reassure Molly more than anything else.

But it *is* interesting how Dumbledore trusts the Weasley's to help 
in GOF, as if they were already involved in the Order. My theory is 
DD recruited them to help safe-guard Harry once Harry and Ron became 
friends. Then when Voldemort returned, DD feels safe including the 
Weasley's because of trust established and the Weasley's commitment 
and love for Harry.