When Harry Potter got back from the Riddle cemetery after having battled Voldemort and watching Cedric Diggory murdered, he came with the truth. However, despite eye witness testimony and the confidence of Dumbledore, the wizarding public did not believe him. Encouraged by Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, the Daily Prophet lies and dispensed ignorance when action and understanding were necessary. The Ministry claimed powers they should not have and enacted its own will on Hogwarts. Sound familiar? There are more than these similarities between the world we live in today, and the world Harry faced in his fifth year at Hogwarts.
When Harry told the truth, no one believed him. When Dumbledore followed his core belief and tried to warn them of the dark times coming, they did not listen. The wizarding world did not believe out of fear of the truth and the distortion of those who spoke the truth. While Dumbledore had been regarded as one of the most intelligent and accomplished wizards of modern times, he was rendered useless to persuade the wizarding public that Lord Voldemort was back, as honors and credibility were stripped from him one by one. This draws a similarity to the world we live in today. A stunningly large portion of Americans do not believe the truth of what is actually happening today, and even more people did not see the truth last year during the presidential election. Reality has been distorted and facts are no longer believed as true because the credibility of those spoken has been taken away. In the eyes of those who listen and truly believe the lies of a leader that they believe in are similar to those in book five who believed Cornelius Fudge when he said that Dumbledore and Harry Potter were crazy; they are accepting something that is being fed to them.
Within book five, Cornelius Fudge had tight control over the Daily Prophet and as Rita Skeeter had reported absolute nonsense the year before during the Triwizard Tournament about Harry, there was an existing foundation on which the Daily Prophet and Fudge built upon. Fudge told the Daily Prophet to publish what he wanted and allowed the snide jokes of the writers to continue to discredit Harry and Dumbledore. The manifestation of this in real life cannot be ignored. President Donald Trump has been discrediting people and organizations since the beginning of his candidacy with absolutely no basis in truth. The news media has been reinforcing this degradation of credit by reporting what he said without enough fact-checking.
The Order of the Phoenix was an organization of wizards and non-wizards who exemplified the essence of good. As a group and as individuals they did everything in their immense power to counteract Lord Voldemort, promote truth, and persuade. The Order was made up of very influential and passionate people including Kinglsey Shacklebolt and Alastor Moody, who could have an influence when their power was used correctly. This draws an interesting parallel to the world we live in now as accredited, famous, and powerful people try to negate what President Trump does and says every day. Examples of this include Trevor Noah, John Oliver, and Elizabeth Warren. These people are well known, have authority, and most importantly, they have come together to fight against injustice and what the Trump administration has been doing since inauguration day.
Dumbledore’s Army is comprised of students who believe that there is something very wrong in the wizarding world, and they want to learn how to defend themselves and stand up for what they believe in. They are protesting. Since the inauguration of President Trump, people around the world have fought back and marched for women’s rights, called members of congress, and written letters. Those who oppose the actions of President Trump have ensured they are prepared by using the tools at their disposal, similar to Dumbledore’s army.
The use of executive power in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is far-reaching and plentiful. The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, has given Dolores Umbridge the power to instate rules and procedure at Hogwarts. When Hermione says, “the Ministry’s interfering at Hogwarts” (214), it is in reference to the way Umbridge had been placed at Hogwarts having no previous teaching experience, and wanting to carry out the agenda of the minister rather than have the interest of the students be paramount. The reaction to Umbridge’s presence was rather violent as Fred and George Weasley set off fireworks during the O.W.L.s and Harry, Hermione, and Ron founded a secret organization to learn what they were not being taught. Betsy DeVos is unexperienced and does not have knowledge of the Department of Education. She does not have the skill, support, or foresight to be able to handle the education system. DeVos represents the overall moral, monetary, and influential corruption of the Trump administration and its potential effect on the federal government. DeVos’ goal is most likely to ensure the will of the president is carried out, not do what is best for the American education system. The similarities between the two circumstances is incredible, and we will undoubtedly see similar detriments in the American education system very soon.
Dolores Umbridge’s liberal use of educational decrees is utterly ridiculous as she bans everything from touching someone to participating in clubs. Likewise, President Trump has signed and enforced a huge number of executive orders. They are illogical and unfair, equivalent to the educational decrees that Umbridge created. This incessant need of control and enforcing rules that the public does not need or want is common within the Hogwarts community at this time and in the United States today.
It isn’t until the end of book five, when Cornelius Fudge sees Voldemort with his own eyes, that he believes he is back. Only then are Dumbledore and Harry are reinstated as reliable and trustworthy people. The truth came out. In the United States, our President has not seen the error of his policies and words, and has not done anything to correct them. However, I do believe that the truth will come out and our democratic ideals will survive.
And of course, some things are just not right:
