Arthur Doge

## Arthur Thorin Doge

**Arthur Thorin Doge** (born 24 August, 1981) was a half-blood English wizard who began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1992. His parents were killed when he was only a few days old, during the First Wizarding War. He was the grandson of Elphias Doge, a member of the Order of the Phoenix. He was an only child.

He was in Gryffindor House in the same year as Ginny Weasley and Aquila Black. In his fourth year of school, Arthur, nicknamed "Dodger," joined Dumbledore's Army, an organisation created by Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley to teach their fellow students practical Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Arthur Doge fought against the regime of the Carrows during the 1997-1998 school year, and he also fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, despite being underaged, on the side of the Order of the Phoenix. He was last seen ducking out of sight of his grandfather, Elphias, who reportedly would have told him to go home.

## Biography

### Early life (1981-1992)

Arthur was born on 24 August, 1981, in Godric's Hollow, a village in Somerset, England, located in the West Country. He and his parents would have lived only a stone's throw away from James and Lily Potter, also members of the Order, in Godric's Hollow.

Tragically, when he was only a month old, his parents, Thorin and Lucy Doge (members of the Order of the Phoenix) were killed, and he was sent to live with his grandparents. After the end of the First Wizarding War, he was raised primarily by his grandfather, Elphias Doge.

He grew up supporting Puddlemere United, a team which played in Puddletown, Dorset. He lived in his grandparents' house in Godric's Hollow for most of his childhood. His grandfather Elphias served as a Special Advisor to the Wizenagmot, essentially a wizarding jurist.

He had a lot of affection for his grandparents growing up. He once fondly reflected on how his grandmother baked cakes and pies for the neighbours. He also seemed to think that having the Hogwarts Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, over for tea was "not an extraordinarily big deal". Dumbledore was a lifelong friend of the Doge family, after having met Arthur's grandfather, Elphias, at Hogwarts in the 1890s.

### Hogwarts years (1992-1998)

He received his Hogwarts letter in the summer of 1992. Before attending, he purchased a wand made of redwood and phoenix feather at Ollivander's Wand Shop in Diagon Alley, London, whose eyes "*gave [him] the creeps."*

Arthur was sorted into Gryffindor House on 1 September, 1992. He shared a dormitory with Colin Creevey, Geoffrey Cresswell, and George Bell, all of whom he got on with quite well.

A few days before Hallowe'en he participated in painting a large flag that was to be hung on the top of Gryffindor Tower by Aquila Black and Ginny Weasley.

At some point in his third or fourth year, Aquila Black and Ginny Weasley began referring to him as "Dodger". He had a large crush on Molly Roper.

#### Fourth year (1995-1996)

He became a member of Dumbledore's Army in his fourth year at school, having joined because he felt that Professor Dolores Umbridge was not an adequate teacher. Dumbledore's Army was a secret organisation initiated by Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley to teach their fellow Hogwarts colleagues proper Defence Against the Dark Arts in 1995. It was founded by Hermione, but taught and led by Harry.

This organisation was made necessary by the refusal of Dolores Umbridge, the subject's professor during the 1995-1996 school year, to teach anything in her classes other than textbook theory.

#### Fifth year (1996-1997)

Arthur Doge sat his O.W.L.s in June of 1997 along with the rest of the members of his year-group. Because he was present in Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Astronomy, and History of Magic, it is certain that he did not fail any of those subjects, meaning that he must have gotten an 'Acceptable' or higher.

#### Sixth year (1997-1998)

Arthur was also apart of the restored Dumbledore's Army in his sixth year, and ended up staying in the Room of Requirement to escape the Carrows. The school year was incredibly difficult for Dumbledore's Army. He, along with many others, started to show the cost of standing up to the new regime at Hogwarts. Michael Corner, a Ravenclaw from the year above him, was brutally beaten for freeing a chained-up first-year, Neville Longbottom was tortured at length for refusing to perform the Cruciatus Curse, and Seamus Finnigan began to look unrecognisable. Arthur had his own fair share of the fight, however- his face, along with that of Geoffrey Cresswell's, was covered in bruises and scratches.

#### Battle of Hogwarts (2 May, 1998)

"*Oh, hell.*"
—Arthur Doge avoiding his grandfather during the battle

When Voldemort's army attacked the castle, sixteen-year-old Arthur was among many of those who stayed to fight, and also among many students who disobeyed their orders to evacuate because they were under-aged. Ginny Weasley, a classmate of his, was also sixteen when she decided to stay to fight in the battle.

His grandfather, Elphias, joined the fight not long after, arriving with the rest of the Order reinforcements near the end of the battle. He reportedly attempted to avoid his grandfather, seeing as he was certain that Elphias would have sent him home. Nevertheless, Arthur was spotted duelling Crabbe and Goyle Snr as Aquila Black and Ginny Weasley sprinted across the battlefield later on.

He survived the battle, and lived to witness Lord Voldemort get defeated by Harry Potter in the Great Hall.

## Personality and traits

He rejoined the revamped Dumbledore's Army, this time run by Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley, Aquila Black, and Luna Lovegood. The D.A. opposed the new headmaster, Severus Snape, and the two new Death Eater professors, Alecto and Amycus Carrow, who taught anti-Muggle propaganda and the Dark Arts. Arthur got in trouble with the Carrows, along with many others, for refusing to practise the Cruciatus Curse on other students as a method of punishment, as well as for standing up against their bigotry and cruelty.

The revived D.A. helped protect fellow students from being bullied by the Death Eater teachers, and generally rebelled against authority, such as writing *"Dumbledore’s Army, still recruiting"* on the Hogwarts walls and freeing students from detention.

## Magical abilities and skills

* **Defence Against the Dark Arts**: Once properly motivated by Harry Potter during Dumbledore's Army meetings, and made more confident, Arthur proved to be proficient in Defence Against the Dark Arts. His talent with defensive spells and Counter-curses was also proven in the Second Wizarding War (which he survived).
* **Charms**: Arthur could even produce a corporeal Patronus Charm, proving of his superior magical ability given the immense difficulty required with casting such an advanced and powerful protective charm.

## Etymology

It could be derived from the Celtic elements *artos,* "bear," combined with *viros* "man" or *rigos* "king". Arthur is the name of the central character in Arthurian legend, a 6th-century king of the Britons who resisted Saxon invaders.

Dodge comes from the mid 16th century (in the senses ‘dither’ and ‘haggle’): of unknown origin.