caged mods. (cagedmods) wrote in caged, @ 2013-11-13 14:26:00 |
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ESTABLISHED 1997 | TRUTH IN TRYING TIMES | ISSUE 03, NOV 1997 |
Albatross There has been some debate about our identity, and about our connection to the Order of the Phoenix, given the name of our publication and the contents of our articles. Because of this, we feel it's better to provide you with some answers. I am sure some of you will find them insufficient, but it's inevitable. We hope that the little we say will still be able to clear some misunderstandings. Those of us in charge of Phoenix Press belong to the student organization known as Dumbledore's Army. We are not the Order of the Phoenix, nor have we any connection to recent events or any knowledge of what really happened beyond what the Ministry and the media have told us. We do, however, share the same beliefs: that He Who Must |
This was obviously a delusion on his part, and so ridiculous that we ended up adopting the name "Dumbledore's Army" as a joke. It's ironic to think that the new regime has put Death Eaters in charge of the school, and that they are trying to brainwash the students and turn them into an actual army. The current situation is what has caused us to make a comeback. Some of us were there when Dumbledore was murdered and saw both the Carrows fighting alongside their fellow Death Eaters, and Snape leaving the tower after the Headmaster was killed. You might not believe us, but what we say is nevertheless the truth, unlike our professors and government who try to make us believe in things that defy biology, logic or simple common sense. |
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Not Be Named and his Death Eaters have taken over both the Ministry and our school, and that Harry Potter is innocent. Now, you may or may not believe in these things like we do, given that you only have our word against the tampered information that's regarded as official and the possible approval of said information by those whose opinion you value, but that doesn't mean our words are the lies, or that we (or those belonging to the Order) are the villains, the vigilantes, or | even the terrorists you have been led to believe. Our group was created a couple of years ago with one simple purpose: to further our education, something Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, was then trying to sabotage, both because he wished to discredit Dumbledore and Harry, but also because he believed Dumbledore wanted to turn his students into an army and overthrow the Ministry and wished to prevent it. |
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A REBUTTAL OF PERCY WEASLEY |
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Flagito A week ago Friday, Hogwarts hosted a very special guest speaker. Most of us remembered Percy Weasley from his time as Head Boy at the school, and some of us were surprised to hear him spouting generic Ministry propaganda. One would've thought that Weasley was too sharp to swallow the new Ministry line whole-heartedly, but life is full of surprises. If the Snape and the Carrows think that their usual rubbish will seem more believable by enlisting a once-trusted former Head Boy and member of a famously progressive family to spew it, they haven't considered that their students are logical human beings, capable of seeing through flimsy arguments. Much of Weasley's credibility in his speech to Hogwarts students relied on his insistence that one of his friends -- one of his best friends, in fact -- is a Muggleborn. Friendship with Muggleborns does not qualify a pure-blood wizard working for the Ministry to speak for them. They can speak for themselves, or would be able to, were they not being driven out of the wizarding world. One can be good friends with Muggleborns and still hold beliefs that are harmful to them. It's easy enough to convince oneself that the Muggleborn friend is special, unique, an exception, not like the others. |
Weasley claims that the Muggleborns who turned up for the Registration Commission being held in Azkaban is a matter of housing difficulties. We have nowhere else to put them, you see. Even if we ignore that we are wizards, capable of building large spaces with a wave of our wands, and thus one would think that, four months after the beginning of the MRC, we'd have some more appropriate housing, what Weasley ignores is the question of why Muggleborns need to be housed anywhere. Weasley and his Ministry bosses want you to think about the logistics of keeping Muggleborns out of sight, not the reasoning behind their imprisonment. The Muggleborn Registration Commission has still failed to bring forward any credible evidence that suggests Muggleborns are a threat to our world. Accusations of stealing magic are made, but they are cloaked in shadowy language of 'discoveries made by the Department of Mysteries.' No authority has explained these discoveries, such as how an eleven year old child would even know to steal magic, let alone accomplish it. To invoke the difficulties of straddling two different worlds, a challenge none of us purebloods and halfbloods can completely appreciate, is not wrong. Those of us who know Muggleborns well know that they speak of feeling as though they are not of either world, and this is certainly a concern which needs to be addressed. The question raised by Weasley's speech is how imprisoning Muggleborns in Azkaban solves the problem. We are, as Weasley said, the future of the wizarding world, the next generation that will carry the torch, and all that rubbish. All that is being done is being done for our futures, it's said. But if we are to grow into conscientious citizens, ones who value justice, fairness, and the rights of every person, magical and Muggle, on this earth, we need to question the ideas currently being shoved down our throats. Is this the bright shining future that Weasley was referring to, where wizards can be imprisoned on flimsy charges, the press withholds information from the public, and we Hogwarts students are being taught bigotry and violence? Or is it a future in which all wizards live in peace and protection, regardless of blood? |
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HARRY POTTER Butterfly Everyone knows Harry’s story. He’s the Boy-who-Lived. His name has been in the paper since the moment he vanquished You-Know-Who the first time. Since returning to the wizarding world, there is hardly an aspect of his life that hasn’t come under scrutiny. We all remember when Ms. Skeeter was obsessed with his love life and whether or not he was dating Hermione, right? (He definitely wasn’t). Despite the fame and attention, Harry has managed to remain somewhat private, and there’s a side to him that few people at Hogwarts know. He’s more than just the Boy-Who-Lived and Undesirable No. 1. My name is not Hermione, and I am not a ginger. But I still consider Harry one of my friends, it’s an honour in part because he can be difficult to really get to know. I think what drew me to him was that I admire him so much and not just because of |
what he did as a baby, impressive as that was. Maybe it was because through everything he puts up with — the gossip and accusations — he is still just Harry. Or the fact that he has lost everything, most notably his family and now Dumbledore, and he is still so strong and willing to keep fighting, regardless of what people say. I know he’s out there, fighting to defeat You-Know-Who. There wouldn’t be such a smear campaign against him if he weren’t a credible threat. Knowing how brave and strong he always is makes me feel stronger. No matter what this year holds for me, I know I can persevere. Harry is also funny. Not in the way the Weasley twins are funny. His sense of humor tends to be dry and sarcastic, and he often surprises me with the witty things he says. He’s the king of deadpan one liners. The thing I think most people don’t realize is that Harry is an incredible teacher. If he survives this (and I believe he will), he should definitely consider taking over for our esteemed Professors Carrows. There will be a vacancy when they’re in Azkaban, after all. I did not fail |
my Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. the year Professor Umbridge was in charge, and I owe that all to Harry’s teaching. Harry took time, and at great risk to himself if he’d been caught, taught us defensive spells in secret. Many of the spells he taught were advanced and beyond anything we would learn at Hogwarts. The fact that any of us learned them was due to his exceptional skill as an instructor. He was patient, kind, and persistent. It’s because of his example that we are all willing to take a stand against You-Know-Who and the Ministry. And, it’s because of him that we’re able to come together and share this paper with you. It is what he would do: share and help as many people as possible. Say what you want about Harry Potter, but I know this to be true: he’s a great friend, an even better instructor, and he has the best heart of anyone I know. A true Gryffindor, he’s the Boy Who Lived, who vanquished You-Know-Who once and will do it again. |
PAGE 2 (BACK) |
WHAT CAN I DO? Dragonfly With the school administration in the hands of Death Eaters, being subversive might be the furthest thing from your mind. And with good reason, considering the Carrows' punishments don't fit the crimes. The blood quills were a brutal punishment two years ago and they remain an unacceptable punishment today. Being vocally disruptive, however, isn't the only way one can be subversive. Headmaster Snape and the Carrows can be undermined in ways that might not land you in a blood quill detention. - Be aware the Carrows are misinforming us. Question what they teach in class, even if you're only questioning yourself at first. - Remember the Ministry isn't what it used to be. Many of our parents work for the Ministry and that alone may be enough to convince you the Ministry would never fall to Death Eaters. But consider, for instance, the pamphlet we were all sent. The Ministry of Magic used a slur to describe Muggle-borns. Our parents might've had no choice. - Don't be afraid to correct people's mistakes. Contradicting the Carrows might result in a detention, but the same isn't -- or shouldn't be -- true of our peers or your friends. If you overhear someone say Muggles have horns and you know better, don't be afraid to say so. A small mistake might be a doorway to a deeper conversation. - Don't trust the mainstream media. Times are dangerous and even if the WWN or The Daily Prophet aren't in the Ministry's pocket, they can't dispute the Ministry without repercussions. Above all, silence is complaisance, but the opposite of silence isn't always loud noise. Sometimes it's a whisper and sometimes it takes a little time to find your voice. |
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REMEMBER TO DISCARD AFTER READING We don't want anyone in trouble for keeping hold of banned materials, so take notes and get rid of this copy! |