Archive of Riddles

Julia H. - Jun 24, 2009 2:46 am (#9 of 1343)
Edited Jun 24, 2009 3:47 am

Yes! The form of the riddle is exactly what you had to notice to solve it.

The answer is indeed Sonnets of a Sorcerer. Congratulations, Mona!

The explanation:

There was once a wizard in Britain
The sorcerer (whoever he was)...

Who liked something charmingly written
Sonnets that enchanted the reader...

Like a Slytherin
It was sly therein
Anyone who unwittingly read the sonnets had to speak in limericks for the rest of their lives.

But ended up famous in Britain.
Even Ron, who does not seem to read much literature, knows about this book and tells about it to Harry.

Hint: The answer is not so much a "who" as a "what".

A book, not a person.

But the most important clue was the form of the riddle - it was my attempt to make a limerick, and I was getting desperate that no one would recognize it as such.

Well done, Mona!

mona amon - Jun 26, 2009 7:54 pm (#21 of 1343)

LOL, ok, the answer to my riddle, guessed correctly by Freshwater, is Knockturn Alley.

The explanation-

Of the period of darkness, - Of the night = Nocturnally
That's what it sounds like, - Knockturn Alley sounds like 'nocturnally'.
Strike! = Knock
Take a new direction! = Turn
It's a way! = Alley

As Freshwater is busy moving, Verity has kindly offered to do the next riddle.

Verity Weasley - Jun 29, 2009 1:50 am (#37 of 1343)

That's it Julia! Congratulations. It is indeed Mr. Tibbles. I'm glad you guessed it now as I won't be able to check in tomorrow.

If you can hold your post when those around abandon theirs,
Mrs. Figg set Mr. Tibbles to watch Harry at the beginning of OOTP. When Mundungus abandoned his watch to check out the stolen cauldrons, Mr. Tibbles alerted Mrs. Figg.

If you can't describe yourself without splitting hairs,
There has been some speculation that Mr. Tibbles was half kneazle, like Crookshanks.

If you have a fancy title where none is usually bestowed,
The title referred to here is Mr. Cats don't usually have the title Mr. or Mrs, although of course JKR seems to favour it.

If your reward comes in handy as a useful heavy load,
The reward here is Mr. Tibbles' catfood. Mrs. Figg beats Mundungus with her shopping bag full of catfood, so it came in handy.

Then, you'd be me.

Who am I?

Hint: The title in line three is fancy in this context, but in an everyday context, it would be an everyday title.

Congratulations Julia. I look forward to your next riddle.

Julia H. - Jul 13, 2009 12:48 am (#70 of 1343)

Thanks for the new guesses! I am happy to announce that the riddle has been solved. Verity's guesses were very good all along, but the answer to the riddle is Haymoni's guess: Yes, it is the memory with the playground and the swings. Congratulations, Haymoni!

The explanation:

I follow the end
We learn about these memories after the end of Snape's life.

But I mark the start
This clue is to help you pinpoint the first memory. The playground scene marks the beginning of Snape's and Lily's story.

A mistake I mend -
The memories reveal the truth about Snape - unsuspected by anyone.

At least play a part.
It is only one of the memories. Play is also a reference to the playground.

I am shade and sun
Snape is hiding in a bush on a sunny summer day.

I am down and up
The swings.

I am wait and run
Petunia runs away when Snape appears, but Lily waits to see what he is going to say.

I’m a bitter cup.
Snape is disappointed in the end (when the girls leave) - the first meeting has gone wrong.

Hint: Hide-and-seek.

Snape is hiding, but he is also seeking Lily's friendship. Also, another reference to playing and the playground.

Well done, Haymoni! The next riddle is yours!

haymoni - Jul 16, 2009 2:48 pm (#82 of 1343)
Edited Jul 16, 2009 3:48 pm

Whoo Hoo! Verity Weasley has it!!!

I was there before he knew, but he knew me when he was there.
Dedalus bowed to Harry in the shop way before Harry found out that he was a wizard, but Harry recognized him once he crossed over into the Wizarding World at The Leaky Cauldron.

I was present at first and present at last.
Dedalus was in the first book and in the last book.

I'm always early, never late.
He appears in the beginning of the books, not at the end.

We've got to hurry or we'll miss our date.
He had to get the Dursleys out of #4 on time.

It's all yours, VW.

Verity Weasley - Jul 20, 2009 2:04 pm (#100 of 1343)

I'm sorry to have to tell you this Mona, but ... you are correct! It is Reg Cattermole! Well done. Here's the explanation:

My first sounds like Professor Sprout
But the start we can do without.
Replace the beginning instead
With what's in red but not in bed.
These first four lines refer to Reg. Sprout is a type of vegetable, commonly shortened to veg. Replace the V with an R, and you have Reg.

My second speaks of creatures three
Who played their part, but not with me.
Cats! There are three cats in the series - Mrs. Norris, Crookshanks and Mr. Tibbles. All have their part to play but none are involved with Reg.

After that comes the sound you make
When you have no words to take.
I stole this idea from the sphinx's riddle in the maze. 'Er' is what you say when you don't know what to say.

Finally, I make the sound
Of that which burrows underground.
I know, you were all thinking Niffler, right? But it was the more mundane mole!

Put them together and you will see
That you have discovered me!
Reg + cat + er + mole = Reg Cattermole! For those who don't remember, Reg was the unfortunate Ministry of Magic worker impersonated by Ron.

Well done Mona!

mona amon - Jul 30, 2009 11:25 pm (#118 of 1343)
Edited Jul 31, 2009 12:27 am

It's the Unspeakable, but not Croaker! Anyway I'll give it to you Shadow, since it's close enough. Well done!

To explain further~

Of what I do, I never tell
Unspeakables work in The Department of Mysteries. The work is very secret, hence the name.

'Frog' was one
and 'Auger' as well.
Frog = Croaker. Auger = Bode (to bode is to portend or auger). Bode and Croaker are Unspeakables, we learn in GOF.

Who or what am I? I'm an Unspeakable!

Hint 1: What would you call a frog? Or rather, what would you call a frog based on the sound it makes? A Croaker!

Hint 2: The answer can be guessed most easily from the first line of the riddle. Well, Frog and Auger did confuse things a bit.

Hint 3: He-who-must-not-talk. An Unspeakable.

My apologies to Croaker for calling him a frog.

Looking forward to your riddle, Shadow!

me and my shadow 813 - Aug 6, 2009 9:03 am (#126 of 1343)
Edited by Potteraholic Apr 11, 2010 11:15 am

John and mona, thank you for your guesses. Mona, Stan Shunpike is CORRECT!

Here is the summary:

I might not be valiant atop a fine mount,
but riding's my thing, more than I can count.
Stan rides the *Knight* Bus all over Britain, giving rides to many people

What they call me recalls when fine music you see.
Stan is the *conductor* of the Knight Bus

And something like royal is all around me.
Stan wears a purple uniform; the Knight Bus is purple. Purple is considered the color of royalty

The tale was so simple, there's somewhere to go
until it all changed but I wouldn't know.
Stan was Imperiused by Death Eaters -- one day he was riding around on the bus, then everything in his life changed but he had no memory of it.

CONGRATULATIONS, MONA!! Back to you

(NOTE: Edited to complete the last line of the riddle's explanation from me and my shadow 813's post, which followed this one. This way, a complete explanation of the riddle could be viewed all at once in the Riddles Archive.)

mona amon - Aug 13, 2009 7:04 am (#147 of 1343)
Edited Aug 13, 2009 8:05 am

Ha, Orion! Your generalised guessing got you there, because the answer is Gringotts Wizarding Bank.

A fair face I present
Gringotts is a snowy white building.

But deep down inside
Dear and dark secrets
Within me I hide.
In vaults miles underground, wizards and witches store their valuables. (dear = expensive, dark = stuff like the Horcrux in Bella's vault)

Deeply twisted and amazed
Refers to the maze of twisting underground tunnels deep inside the bank.

Both bright and dark I hide
Same as the third line.

Beneath my cold, pure surface
old = marble, pure = snowy white

Enter not without a guide!
Only the goblins know the secrets of the underground passages, so you'll need one as a guide.

My secrets I closely guard
The vaults are heavily guarded by dragons and various enchantments.

Do you have a key
this has to be taken literally. Some vaults like Harry's are opened with a key.

Or gentle stroke and special touch
To get what you need from me?
The vault guarding the Philosopher's stone required a goblin to stroke the door with his finger to gain entry, and Bella's vault needed the goblin to place his palm on the door.

Hint: Two of the things entrusted to me were both aids to immortality. - This refers to the Philosopher's Stone and the cup Horcrux, both of which were kept in the bank's vaults.

Well done, Orion! Now I'm looking forward to your riddle

Orion - Sep 9, 2009 7:09 am (#209 of 1343)

Yes! At last! Now I'll have to post the whole kaboodle again or PAH will have my head for breakfast. Congratulations, mona! The explanation:

Creepy
Insulting It makes your hair stand on end and it’s an insult on Ron’s autonomy and dignity.

Loving - Well-acted Lavender really loves Ron and the actress was great.

Deeply embarrassing - Both for Ron and for the audience.

Shares a feature with the description!
It’s a nickname and it has an alliteration just like the word ‘NickName’.

Hint 1: All those Bloody Slytherins don't even know that the solution to the riddle exists, during the short time that it exists. They never even get to hear it.

Hint 2: Running Gag No 1 shares the same feature, too, although he doesn't have anything to do with it.Sev Snape has an alliteration.

Hint 3: Now what can the feature be? Guesses two, three, six, ten have it! Severus Snape, Bloody Baron, Marauder’s Map, Harry and Hermione.

Hint 4: You can't see me, you can't touch me, but you can hear me. It’s spoken language, so you can only hear it.

Hint 5: If you're a certain character played by a very talented actor you hear it more often than others. Poor you! If you’re Ron, played by Rupert Grint.

Hint 6: We all heard it a lot recently. In the recent HBP film.

Hint 7: I read the news today, oh boy, a certain hair colour is dying out, it has a lot to do, oh boy, with the solution - An attempt to put you all on Ron’s tracks.

Hint 8: Have you ever danced a Cancan with a chowchow in a tutu? All words which have the same syllable twice. There’s surely a special word for them.

Hint 9: What have we all seen and discussed recently? And what could we hear in it? The HBP movie with lots of WonWons.

mona amon - Sep 11, 2009 7:35 am (#220 of 1343)
Edited Sep 11, 2009 8:39 am

Congratulations, SSS! You have solved the short-lived riddle.

And now for the whole kaboodle, to use Orion's words~

A godfather's love - Sirius loved that motorbike, according to Hagrid.

Expanded and enhanced
It must have been expanded or Hagrid would never have been able to ride it. And it was enhanced with dragon fire and other cool things, and besides it could fly!

Right there at the opening
And there at the close
But never in-between.
This can refer either to the fact that Harry was brought to the Dursleys for the first time on the motorbike and left for the last time on it, or to the fact that we see it only in the first book of the series and in the last, but never in-between.

Looking forward to your riddle, SSS.

Swedish Short-Snout - Sep 16, 2009 10:40 am (#241 of 1343)
Edited Sep 16, 2009 11:41 am

You're right, Dryleaves - the answer is Dobby's tea cozy!

I'm always on top, I'm special, I'm hot
It's on top because it's a hat. "Special" is rather self-explanatory. "Hot" because it keeps you warm.

Some may think I'm weird, but I know I'm not Not = knot

I serve in an unusual way
different than most of my kind
Most tea cozies aren't used as hats.

And I will get replaced, one day,
by others my master will find.
Dobby replaces his tea cosy with Hermione's knitted hats.

Hint 1: The opposite of uncomfortable. Cozy.

Hint 2: A symbol of freedom. It's clothes.

Hint 3: There's a pun in the riddle.

Dryleaves - Sep 19, 2009 7:06 am (#260 of 1343)
Edited Sep 19, 2009 8:07 am

A combination of Ravenclaw wit and Slytherin ambition did the trick! Congratulations, Swedish Short-Snout! The answer to the riddle is indeed Snape and Sirius shaking hands in GOF. The riddle goes back to you!

The darkness was double
Sirius Black and Snape, who is black except for his sallow face and his hands.

and ancient the sign
Shaking hands is a very old symbolic gesture in some cultures.

Brief the alliance
They let go of each other as soon as possible.

of what must entwine
It is Dumbledore who as good as orders them to take each other's hands.

Hint 1: Trembling limbs
Shaking hands...

Hint 2: Forced gesture
As Dumbledore tells them to do it.

Nice work, SSS!

Swedish Short-Snout - Sep 21, 2009 3:46 am (#270 of 1343)

Julia, you have it! The answer was indeed the chrystal chandelier in Malfoy Manor.

Darkness triumphed when I fell - It went dark.

but hope was alighted as well - Harry & co were given a chance of escape.

A last defiance, a desperate try - Dobby defies his former masters for the last time...

that did succeed, though the price was high - ...and gets killed, but Harry & co escape.

Who or what am I?
Everyone seemed to be thinking of happenings instead of concrete things, so I added this line.

Hint: Look up to me. - It's hanging from the ceiling.

Congratulations, Julia! Looking forward to your riddle.

Julia H. - Sep 22, 2009 7:41 am (#280 of 1343)
Edited Sep 22, 2009 8:52 am

LOL, Dryleaves, you've got it! That's the perfect answer.

You have explained this short-lived riddle very well, but here is an "official" explanation anyway, just for the record:

A is hiding, holding B
Hogwarts Castle is hidden from Muggles ...

B is round, containing C
the circular office in the castle ...

C is dark, it's hiding D
with the black cabinet in it ...

D is hard, inside is E
the stone Pensieve in the black cabinet ...

E is moving, holding me
the memories are swirling ...

Though in E, I should not be.
and Harry has plunged into them without permission.

Congratulations, Dryleaves! I look forward to your next riddle.

Dryleaves - Sep 24, 2009 11:46 am (#314 of 1343)
Edited Sep 24, 2009 12:48 pm

Mais oui, Julia! The answer is Mollywobbles! Congratulations!

Obviously, this riddle was really far-fetched, so I hardly dare to explain it... But it must be done, so:

Here I come, how I sway
Sway = wobble...

See the lights along my way
When Molly is forced to say it when other people are listening, her cheeks turn bright red (and one might assume that her eyes glow when Mr. Weasley whispers this name in a romantic moment).

Open fire, secret glow
Refers to the fact that she blushes when the name is pronounced in public, and that you can probably see that she likes to be called this by her husband when they are alone.

I'm the one who makes them show
The name is what causes the reaction.

Though I'm quiet, I will tell
If something's wrong or all is well
The name is whispered, but will tell if it is really Molly who is standing there and not a poly-juiced Death Eater.

Hint 1: I make certain things glow, but I myself is not alight.
The name is just a sound, but makes Molly's cheeks turn red.

Hint 2: The fish is unsteady.
There is a species of fish called Molly and (in this case) it wobbles...

Hint 3: I am preferred in private, not in public.
See explanations above.

Hint 4: An appellation.
It's a name (or nickname).

Congratulations, Julia! It's time for you to make the next riddle now!

Julia H. - Oct 7, 2009 12:14 pm (#422 of 1343)
Edited Oct 7, 2009 1:31 pm

A winner at last! ***applauds***

Sorry, Orion and Legolas, the answer is neither Angelina nor Wormtail, but SSS has found the correct answer: It is indeed Neville's Mimbulus Mimbletonia!

Here is the explanation:

Wishes of a happy day
Neville receives the Mimbulus Mimbletonia for his 15th birthday.

Coming from so far away
Neville's says that his Great Uncle Algie has brought the plant from Assyria.

Joker's love and lion's pride
The "joker" is the generous Great Uncle (known to have been responsible for a couple of practical jokes), who still must love Neville (as he gives him a rare present that Neville really likes). The "lion" is, of course, Gryffindor Neville, who is very proud of his Mimbulus Mimbletonia.

Hopes for offspring far and wide.
Neville plans to breed from the Mimbulus Mimbletonia.

I am not a friendly one
The Mimbulus Mimbletonia speaking...

When attacked, I will not run
Well, it is a plant and it has a fantastic defense mechanism.

I can help you find your rest
In OotP, "Mimbulus Mimbletonia" is the password to Gryffindor Tower. The students need its name if they want to get a good night's rest!

But don't make me meet your guest.
Cho (as a "guest") visits Harry in his compartment on the Hogwarts Express, resulting in a very embarrassing experience for Harry, who is at the moment covered with the disgusting defensive liquid of the Mimbulus Mimbletonia.

Still, in good hands, by the end
I become a cuddly friend.
At the end of the OotP-year, Neville is gently stroking his Mimbulus Mimbletonia, while the plant is giving out soft crooning sounds.

Hint: I might be a time traveller.
The plant is allegedly from Assyria, but that's an ancient empire. It is never explained.

Hint 2: I fought Harry Potter and his friends.
Harry, Neville, Luna and Ginny are at the receiving end of the fabulous defense mechanism.

Hint 3: An adjective that can be used to describe me may remind you of a certain Slytherin at night.
The Mimbulus Mimbletonia is grey like Snape's nightshirt.

Hint 4: I was attacked by the one who loved me.
Neville tested the defense mechanism, using the tip of his quill.

Hint 5: Heart? Lung? Kidney? No!
Harry thinks the Mimbulus Mimbletonia looks like a diseased internal organ.

Hint 6: If you are a Gryffindor, remember my name!
It is a password, one that Neville can remember!

Hint 7: One of three, but not the fellow from St. Mungo's and not the one to spend a holiday with.

It is not the healer (i.e. the fellow from St. Mungo's) and not the hag (the "definition" is a reference to Lockhart's book Holidays with Hags) - the hint refers to the joke Ron told and Madam Rosmerta did not laugh at in HBP about the hag, the healer and the Mimbulus Mimbletonia.

Congratulations, SSS! I look forward to your next riddle!

Swedish Short-Snout - Oct 8, 2009 5:18 am (#428 of 1343)

I knew this riddle would be easy, but still... 19 minutes must be a record. You're right, Julia, the answer is Dumbledore's beard.

My first is unable to say - Dumb

My second's being shown the way - led

My third's what you have before you have steel - -ore

plus the sound of an animal that looks like an eel - -s

My final is another word
that looks like it should rhyme with heard - beard

Swedish Short-Snout - Oct 13, 2009 8:10 pm (#445 of 1343)

Verity, you were very close, but the answer is not the blackthorn wand. It's not a centaur or Trelawney, legolas, and it isn't Fred and George either, Orion. Victoire, unfortunately Peeves isn't correct either.

However, we do have a winner. The answer was Bella's wand. Congratulations, Julia! It seems like the riddle baton is a boomerang - throw it away and it comes back to you.

One, two, three, four - It is 12 3/4".

In trickery I've played a part - The Trio used it when they broke into Gringotts.

In battles too, with burning heart - The battle in the Department of Mysteries, for example. "Burning heart" refers to the dragon heartstring.

I may be nutty, but I'm not ashamed - It's made of walnut. Since wands seem to pick up the personality of their masters, I don't think it's ashamed of the things it's done.

I have no master; I will not be tamed - It has a mistress, not a master. Ollivander describes it as unyielding.

Who or what am I?

Julia H. - Oct 20, 2009 8:19 am (#494 of 1343)
Edited Oct 20, 2009 9:30 am

Orion, thanks for the guesses, but the answer is neither Voldemort nor any of his AK's. LOL at no resemblance to the Potter's cat!

But we have a winner today: Congratulations, Victoire! The answer is indeed Padfoot, Sirius's Animagus form. Well done!

Here is the explanation:

I was here and there, then I was nowhere
Depending on what shape Sirius was wearing...

I was born of love,
I.e., the Marauders' friendship toward Lupin.

born to shield and share
Sirius became an Animagus to protect himself against a werewolf bite and to share Lupin's difficult nights.

born of labour long, duty left undone
It took years for Sirius to become an Animagus, and he did not register though in principle he should have.

once upon a time I belonged to one
Padfoot was Sirius's Animagus form.

named for me at birth,
Sirius is the name of the Dog Star, and Black means, of course, 'black'. Padfoot is a black dog. Sirius seems to have been named after his future Animagus form.

named for me then twice
Sirius was called "Padfoot" by his friends even in his human form.

one mistake was made, we both paid the price
Sirius was imprisoned by mistake (it seemed Orion interpreted this clue correctly ) and, in Azkaban, he sometimes sat in the shape of a black dog, i.e., "both" Sirius and Padfoot were locked up.

I was born to share,
Sirius and Padfoot shared the same identity.

to accept a chore
The task of keeping Lupin under control.

I did see some light, darkness even more.
Padfoot mainly roamed at full moon nights, so he must have seen the light of the moon, but it was still night, and it must have been still quite dark, especially in places like the Forbidden Forest. In the later years as well, poor Padfoot saw more darkness than light (assuming that the cell in Azkaban was quite dark).

Hint: I never saw the one that I belonged to.
Padfoot and Sirius never saw each other...

Victoire, the next game is yours! I look forward to your riddle!

Victoire Weasley - Oct 21, 2009 10:16 am (#497 of 1343)

Edit:

Wow, three minutes after my post, that must be a record! Even though you said Dumbledore I'm counting your Dobby guess, Legolas, so the riddle baton is now passed to you.

It was so obvious I don't even think it needs an explanation.

Sorry gang, that wasn't much fun. Victoire shall go iron her hands now and leave the riddle writing to the professionals.

legolas returns - Nov 12, 2009 12:34 pm (#580 of 1343)

Congratulations! The answer is Arianna's portrait

Beginnings and endings.
The start or end of the tunnel into the Room of Requirement

My begining was fixed but who knows how long I will behave like I do.
Will I be the same again? Fitted to the wall. After the war was over there was no need for anyone to be fed or anyone to find the ROR just to sneak out of the castle. I would imagine that she would revert to a normal portrait when the ROR was empty.

Uncertainty over how I left remains.
Nobody knows who struck the fatal blow

Unusual circumstances demanded I disappear at request and re-appear later.
Most portraits go to the next door portrait or the other one of the pair but Arianna went to collect Neville

I am slightly different from the rest of my peers. See above

Hint 1: It wouldn't have needed Trelawney to look at the tea leaves to tell you that there was a skull and a club (perhaps you might look at CH6 POA). What do the skull and club stand for? The skull and club points you to who or what I am. I have nothing to do with POA.club=an attack, Skull=danger in your path

Hint 2: Prone to unexpected outbursts Arianna could not control the magic.

Hint 3: Gone but not allowed to be forgotten. Rita Skeeter made people wonder what was going on.

Hint 4: It is in not an animal.

Hint 5: Definitive proof of my existence was found when in a tight corner. The portrait, Aberforth/Albus spoke to Harry about her. The trio ducked into the Hogs Head after setting the Caterwauling alarm went off.

Hint 6: NOT a Black.

Hint 7: My dirty washing was hung out for people to root through. Rita again.

azi - Nov 17, 2009 11:17 am (#605 of 1343)

Congrats Victoire, the answer is Dawlish!

Outstanding - He got Outstanding in all of his NEWTS.
But Confused - Dirk Cresswell reckons he was Confunded when he escaped from him in DH.
Tough - Dawlish is described as a tough-looking auror.
But Defeated - Twice by DD ('Sneak' incident in OotP, when tracking DD in HBP) and also by Dirk Cresswell in DH.
Able - DD says he thinks he is probably a very able Auror during the 'Sneak' incident.
But out at sea - Last we know, Dawlish is somewhere out at sea towards Azkaban.

Potteraholic - Nov 21, 2009 6:52 am (#628 of 1343)

Riddle Update #7 (and the final)

Thanks for your guess, legolas, but Julia cracked the code! Congratulations, it was indeed 'Daily Prophet'!

My identity consists of a pair.
'Daily Prophet' is 2 words.

The front brings to mind a recurrence.
The front, the 1st of the 2 words, and a recurrence brings to mind 'daily'.

A similarity, of sorts,
The similarity, of sorts, was the pronunciation of the words, (and not the spelling or meaning).

brings up the rear,
The rear, the 2nd of the 2 words.

to an advantage, at times quite excessive.
The definition of 'profit' which sounds like 'prophet'.

What, or who, or where would I be?

Hint 1: The first line refers to the number of words in the answer.
(Maybe this explanation of line 1 will give you a window into how this riddle’s wording works?)

Hint 2: The answer is not a living thing.

Note: In the 1st riddle update, I changed a word and added punctuation that was not in the original post.

Looking forward to your riddle, Julia.

Julia H. - Nov 23, 2009 11:27 pm (#637 of 1343)

Thanks for the guesses, everyone! LOL, I suspected that this one would be a short-lived riddle. The answer is neither the Ministry of Magic nor the flying key that unlocked one of the chambers leading to the Philosopher's Stone (very good guesses both), but SSS has solved the mystery: The answer is indeed the Order of Merlin!

Congratulations, SSS!

The explanation:

The first part of the riddle gives you the words of the answer, the second part adds some extra information.

Take what goes from up to down
"Order", in the sense of 'instruction', given by the commander/boss etc. to subordinates.

What you need to run a town
Another reference to "order" in a different sense - you need order to run a town, a country, a school etc.

Take what gives one owner's right
"Of" is a preposition with a possessive meaning (among others).

Take a wizard of renown. - Merlin.

When you have got all these three. - Order + of + Merlin.

You have one that may be three
The Order of Merlin is one concept, but we know about three different versions: first, second and third class.

It's for black and it's for white
Among the recipients, we find Sirius's grandfather (a member of the Black family) and Albus Dumbledore ("Albus" means 'white').

But it's lost when one gets free.
Snape does not get the Order of Merlin when Sirius escapes.

Well done, SSS! I look forward to your riddle!