Ministry of Magic

*See British Ministry of Magic Wiki*

The **Ministry of Magic** (**M.o.M.**) was the main governing body of the magical community of Great Britain (*i.e.* England, Scotland and Wales) and Ireland, with the intention of preservation of magical law. The Ministry connected the British government to the wizarding world. The headquarters of the Ministry was under the HM Treasury building and Whitehall, in central London, deep underground.

It was headed by the Minister for Magic. Each Prime Minister of Great Britain was visited by the Minister for Magic. During the height of the Dark Lord's power, the Minister for Magic worked with the Muggle Prime Minister to ensure protection for the Muggle world.

The Ministry of Magic was formed as a successor to the earlier Wizards' Council and came into being in 1707. It was involved, in some capacity before its actual formation, in the International Confederation of Wizards' decision to enact the Statute of Secrecy in 1692, which took the responsibility of enforcing said Statute in the United Kingdom. The laws against magic-use by underage wizards and against wand use by non-wizard folk were also enforced by the Ministry, in part to maintain secrecy.

## Headquarters

The headquarters of the Ministry of Magic was located in the heart of London. The actual structure was all underground, although magical windows showed whatever weather Magical Maintenance had chosen for the day, from bright sunshine to hurricanes.

### Visitors' Entrance

Visitors to the Ministry of Magic came to a broken-down red telephone box on a dingy street which had several shabby offices, a pub, and a wall covered with graffiti. When the telephone in the box was dialled (62442, the word M-A-G-I-C), the welcome witch's voice answered. Visitors had to state their business, upon which a silver badge popped out with the visitor's name and purpose of visit. Then the telephone box dropped down like a lift for about one minute, after which the visitor would be in the Atrium.

### The Atrium

The Atrium was on level 8. It was a large hall with fireplaces up and down both long walls. Down the left-hand side of the hall were gilded fireplaces which witches and wizards used to arrive at the Ministry. The right-hand side contained gilded fireplaces as well, and these were used for departures. The floor was polished dark wood. The ceiling was peacock blue with golden symbols moving across it.

The Fountain of Magical Brethren was halfway down the Atrium. A group of golden statues, depicting a wizard, a witch, a centaur, a goblin, and a house-elf, spouted water into the surrounding pool of water. At the end of the Atrium was a set of golden gates, next to which was a security stand. Eric Munch was usually on duty here. He registered the wands of visitors. Another smaller hall was beyond the gates, where there was a series of lifts. The lifts provided access to the other levels, except the tenth.

### Levels

On level one were the offices of the Minister for Magic and Support Staff.

On level two was the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

On level three was the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes.

On level four was the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

On level five was the Department of International Magical Co-operation.

On level six was the Department of Magical Transportation.

On level seven was the Department of Magical Games and Sports.

On level eight was the Atrium.

On level nine was the Department of Mysteries.

Level ten could only be reached by the stairs to the left of the door which led to the Department of Mysteries on level nine. Dungeon-like corridors led to Courtroom Ten. The walls of the courtroom were dark stone. In the centre of the room was a chair covered in chains that stood below rows of high benches on which the Wizengamot sat.

## History

### Early years

#### 18th century

The Ministry of Magic was founded in 1707 to succeed the earlier Wizards' Council, with former Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Ulick Gamp, serving as the first Minister for Magic. His term lasted from 1707-1718. Gamp had the onerous job of policing a fractious and frightened community adjusting to the imposition of the International Statute of Secrecy. His greatest legacy was to found the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

In 1717, the Ministry classified the Imperius, Cruciatus, and Avada Kedavra curses as the Unforgivable Curses, with the strictest of penalties attached to their use. By the 1980s, their use would command a life sentence in Azkaban.

Damocles Rowle was the Minister for Magic from 1718-1726. He was elected on a platform of being 'tough on Muggles'. When the Ministry proposed a purpose-built wizarding prison on a remote Hebridean island, Rowle swiftly scrapped the plans and insisted on using Azkaban instead, which was carried through despite protests. Censured by the International Confederation of Wizards, he was eventually forced to step down.

Perseus Parkinson was the Minister for Magic from 1726-1733. He tried to pass a bill making it illegal to marry a Muggle. This proved to be against the public mood; the wizarding community, tired of anti-Muggle sentiment and wanting peace, voted him out at the first opportunity. Parkinson was also pro-Azkaban.

Eldritch Diggory was the Minister for Magic from 1733-1747. He was a popular Minister who first established an Auror recruitment programme. While visiting Azkaban, Diggory realised what conditions inside were like. Prisoners were mostly insane and a graveyard had been established to accommodate those that died of despair. He established a committee to explore alternatives to Azkaban, or at least to remove the Dementors as guards. Before they could reach any decision, however, Diggory caught Dragon Pox and died.

Albert Boot was the Minister for Magic from 1747-1752. He was considered a likeable but inept Minister, resigning after a mismanaged goblin rebellion.

Basil Flack was the Minister for Magic for two months in 1752. He was the shortest serving Minister, having resigned after the rebelling goblins joined forces with werewolves.

Hesphaestus Gore was the Minister for Magic from 1752-1759. One of the earliest Aurors, he successfully put down a number of revolts by magical beings, although historians felt his refusal to contemplate rehabilitation programmes for werewolves ultimately led to more attacks. He renovated and reinforced the prison of Azkaban.

Maximilian Crowdy was the Minister for Magic from 1759-1781. Father of nine, he was a charismatic leader who routed out several extremist pure-blood groups planning Muggle attacks. When the Revolutionary War began in 1775, the Ministry of Magic were asked by MACUSA to decide whether they were to intervene and help their Muggle neighbours. In 1777, MACUSA President Elizabeth McGilliguddy asked Crowdy what they had decided. He replied with a simple four-word letter stating that they were "*sitting this one out*", to which she replied with an even shorter letter stating "*mind you do*". Crowdy's mysterious death in office was the subject of numerous books and conspiracy theories.

Porteus Knatchbull was the Minister for Magic from 1781-1789. He was called in confidentially in 1795 by the Muggle Prime Minister of the day, Lord Frederick North, to see whether he could help with King George III's emerging mental instability. When it leaked out that Lord North believed in wizards, he was forced to resign after a motion of no confidence.

Unctuous Osbert was the Minister for Magic from 1789-1798. Because he was too much influenced by pure-bloods of wealth and status, many saw him as little more a puppet to his own advisor Septimus Malfoy, who would have served as the Ministry's *de facto* head.

Artemisia Lufkin was the Minister from 1798-1811. The first witch to ever hold the office, she established the Department of International Magical Co-operation, lobbying hard and successfully to have a Quidditch World Cup tournament held in Britain during her term.

### 19th century

Grogan Stump was the Minister from 1824-1832. Very popular and passionate fan of Quidditch team Tutshill Tornados, he established the Department of Magical Games and Sports and managed to steer through legislation on magical beasts and beings that had long been a source of contention.

Josephina Flint was the Minister from 1832-1840. She revealed an unhealthy anti-Muggle bias in office; she disliked new Muggle technology such as the telegraph, which she claimed interfered with proper wand function.

Ottaline Gambol was the Minister from 1840-1848. A much more forward-looking Minister, Gambol established committees to investigate Muggle brainpower, which seemed, during this period of the British Empire, to be greater than some wizards had credited.

Radolphus Lestrange was the Minister from 1848-1854. He was a reactionary, who attempted to close down the Department of Mysteries, which ignored him. He eventually resigned due to ill health, which was widely rumoured to be inability to cope with the strains of office.

Hortensia Milliphutt was the Minister from 1854-1862. She introduced more legislation than any other sitting Minister, much of it useful, but some wearisome (hat pointiness and so on), which ultimately resulted in her political downfall.

Evangeline Orpington was the Minister from 1862-1868. A good friend of Queen Victoria's, who never realised that she was a witch, let alone Minister for Magic. Orpington was believed to have intervened magically (and illegally) in the Crimean War.

Priscilla Dupont was the Minister from 1868-1871. She conceived an irrational loathing of the Muggle Prime Minister Lord Palmerston, to an extent that caused such trouble (coins turning to frogspawn in his coat pockets, etc.) that she was forced to step down. Ironically, Palmerston was forced to resign by the Muggles two days later.

Dugald McPhail was the Minister from 1871-1878. A safe pair of hands. While the Muggle parliament underwent a period of marked upheaval, the Ministry of Magic knew a period of welcome calm.

Faris "Spout-hole" Spavin was the Minister from 1878-1916. Longest-ever serving Minister for Magic, and also the most long-winded, he survived an 'assassination attempt' (kicking) from a centaur who resented the punchline of Spavin's infamous 'a centaur, a ghost and a dwarf walk into a bar' joke. Attended Queen Victoria's funeral in an admiral's hat and spats, at which point the Wizengamot suggested gently that it was time he move aside (Spavin was 147 when he left office).

#### Early 20th century

Venusia Crickerly was the Minister for Magic from 1916-1925. Second ex-Auror to take office and considered both competent and likeable, Crickerly died in a freak gardening accident (mandrake related).

Archer Evermonde was the Minister from 1925-1936.

Lorcan McLaird was the Minister from 1936-1938. A gifted wizard, but an unlikely politician, McLaird was an exceptionally taciturn man who preferred to communicate in monosyllables and expressive puffs of smoke that he produced through the end of his wand. He was forced from office out of sheer irritation at his eccentricities.

Hector Fawley was the Minister for Magic from 1938-1943. Undoubtedly voted in because of his marked difference to McLaird, the ebullient and flamboyant Fawley did not take sufficiently seriously the threat presented to the wizarding community by Gellert Grindelwald. He paid with his job.

Leonard Spencer-Moon was the Minister from 1943-1961. A sound Minister who rose through the ranks from being tea-boy in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, he oversaw a great period of international wizarding and Muggle conflict. Enjoyed a good working relationship with Winston Churchill.

Wilhelmina Tuft was the Minister from 1961-1972. She was a cheery witch, who presided over a period of welcome peace and prosperity. Died in office after discovering, too late, her allergy to Alihotsy-flavoured fudge.

### Late 20th century

Ignatius Tuft was the Minister from 1972-1975. The son of his predecessor, Ignatius was a hard-liner who capitalised on his mother's popularity to gain election. He promised to institute a controversial and dangerous Dementor breeding programme, and was forced from office.

Nobby Leach was the Minister from 1975-1981. First Muggle-born Minister for Magic, his appointment caused consternation among the old (pure-blood) guard, many of whom resigned government posts in protest. He always denied having anything to do with England's 1979 Quidditch World Cup win. Left office after contracting a mysterious illness (conspiracy theories abound).

Eugenia Jenkins was the Minister from 1981-1988. Jenkins dealt competently with pure-blood riots during Squib Rights marches in the late 1980s, but was soon confronted with the first rise of Lord Voldemort. Jenkins was soon ousted from office as inadequate to the challenge.

Harold Minchum was the Minister from 1988-1993. Seen as a hard-liner, he placed even more Dementors around Azkaban, but was unable to contain Voldemort's apparently unstoppable rise to power.

Millicent Bagnold was the Minister from 1993-2003. A highly able Minister, she had to answer to the International Confederation of Wizards for the number of breaches of the International Statute of Secrecy on the day and night after Harry Potter survived Lord Voldemort's attack. Acquitted herself magnificently with the now infamous words: 'I assert our inalienable right to party', which drew cheers from all present.

### 21st Century

Shortly before Minister Millicent Bagnold's retirement in 1990, many of the wizarding population wanted Albus Dumbledore to become Minister. He was offered the job four times, but turned it down, because of his previous negative experiences with power.

The most likely person to become Minister from that point on was Bartemius Crouch Senior, who, as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, had gained popularity from his purges of Death Eaters after the first fall of Lord Voldemort, including arresting his own son for participating in the Cruciatus Curse torture of Alice and Frank Longbottom. However, he fell out of favour when people suspected that his son's actions and 'death' in Azkaban were the result of Crouch neglecting his son and by not spending enough time at home due to his ministerial pursuits.

#### Under Cornelius Fudge

"*Our information from inside the Ministry is that Fudge doesn't want you trained in combat.*"
— Cornelius Fudge's paranoia surrounding the teaching of Defence Against the Dark Arts[src]

Cornelius Fudge was Minister for Magic during the events surrounding Lord Voldemort's second rise to power. He became Minister for Magic in 1990 and stayed on as Minister until being sacked on 2 July 1996. Early on in his administration he requested frequent help from wizards such as Albus Dumbledore, but Fudge later became suspicious of Dumbledore, who he believed was trying to usurp Fudge's position.

In the summer of 1992, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office Arthur Weasley proposed a Muggle Protection Act, leading to a massive Ministry crackdown for illegally enchanted or dark objects. At the same time, the Improper Use of Magic Office sent Harry Potter a letter of reprimand after the Malfoy family house-elf, Dobby, performed magic in an attempt to keep him away from Hogwarts. In early 1993, Fudge went to Hogwarts to send Rubeus Hagrid to Azkaban on suspicion of opening the Chamber of Secrets, an accusation that had led to his expulsion from Hogwarts 50 years earlier. Hagrid was eventually freed in June after the trio solved the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets.

In the summer of 1993, wrongfully convicted "mass-murderer" Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban, leading to a massive Ministry manhunt. In early 1994, Severus Snape captured Black and returned him to Fudge's custody, but Harry Potter and Hermione Granger helped him escape using a Ministry Time-Turner and Buckbeak the Hippogriff, thus making the Ministry a "*laughingstock*".

Organising the 1994-1995 Triwizard Tournament involved substantial efforts from the Department of International Magical Co-operation, the Department of Magical Games and Sports, and other parts of the Ministry. The Tournament concluded with the death of Cedric Diggory and the Rebirth of Lord Voldemort on 24 June, 1995. Fudge refused to believe Dumbledore and Harry Potter's accounts of these events, leading Dumbledore to reactivate the Order of the Phoenix to counter Voldemort. Because of Fudge's refusal to see the truth, the wizarding community was put at a disadvantage when dealing with the imminent threat of Lord Voldemort and his followers.

After Voldemort's return, the Ministry campaigned to discredit Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter, as Fudge, his mind "twisted and warped by fear", refused to believe this horrifying truth. This trend of attempting to minimise the immediate damage included the Ministry's attempts to get Harry drummed out of the wizarding community, forcing on teachers an oversight on Hogwarts, removing privileges from Dumbledore and anyone who accepted his statement that Voldemort had returned, and encouraging the *Daily Prophet* to publish stories mocking and denigrating Dumbledore and Harry.

On 12 August, Harry was summoned to a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry, pertaining to what the Ministry termed "*offences committed under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and the International Statute of Secrecy*". The hearing was changed to a full court trial, which was unorthodox and was outside the context of the law, in a biased and obvious attempt to further discredit Harry.

#### Battle of the Department of Mysteries

*Main article: Battle of the Department of Mysteries*
Finally, the Ministry had to hide the reason for the mass breakout from Azkaban, as the Ministry could not explain, or justify, the defection of the Dementors. Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters tried to retrieve a specific prophecy pertaining to Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort from the Hall of Prophecy on Level Nine, the Department of Mysteries. In order to do that, they placed both Broderick Bode and Sturgis Podmore under the Imperius Curse to no avail, as only Harry could take it from its shelf.

Shortly after midnight on 18 June, 1996, the Death Eaters lured Harry and and five other Dumbledore's Army members into the deserted Ministry. A battle broke out over a prophecy concerning Harry and the Dark Lord. The D.A. members did well holding the Death Eaters at bay until help arrived. The Order of the Phoenix went to rescue them, and the Death Chamber standoff ensued, which resulted in the death of Sirius Black at the hands of his own cousin Bellatrix Lestrange. The standoff also included a duel between Voldemort and Dumbledore in the Atrium of the Ministry.

After the battle, Fudge and several other witnesses saw Voldemort with their own eyes, and this position of denial became untenable. Thus, the Ministry was forced to acknowledge the return of the Dark Lord and Fudge was unceremoniously replaced by Rufus Scrimgeour, although Fudge was allowed to aid in an "*advisory capacity*". The public was then made aware of the growing threat to its population and this marked the start of open warfare.

#### Under Rufus Scrimgeour

"*Maybe the Ministry should put some people onto that, instead of wasting their time stripping down Deluminators or covering up breakouts from Azkaban... People are dying — I was nearly one of them — Voldemort chased me across three counties, he killed Mad-Eye Moody, but there's no word about any of that from the Ministry, has there? And you still expect us to co-operate with you!*"
— Harry Potter's position regarding the way the Ministry is operating[src]

In response to the war situation the country was facing, Rufus Scrimgeour, the previous Head of the Auror Office, was appointed Fudge's successor on 2 July 1996, and was responsible for the creation of several new bureaucracies, such as the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects.

Despite this, Scrimgeour did not fare much better than Fudge. Again reacting to public opinion, Scrimgeour tried desperately to make the Ministry look like it was making progress despite the reality being the contrary, such as by wrongfully imprisoning Stan Shunpike. Under Scrimgeour's regime, there was no progress. He was too concerned with the appearance of false safety, something that would ultimately led to his downfall and the downfall of the Ministry.

Harry had two meetings with Scrimgeour, in which Harry's co-operation with the Ministry was solicited for his propaganda value: the Ministry wanted Harry to be the "*poster child*" for the Ministry so as to give the public hope, by telling them that the Ministry remained a source of safety, strength, and that "*the Chosen One*" endorsed the Ministry's investigations. Harry turned Scrimgeour down flat both times. Harry made it perfectly clear that he did not approve of what the Ministry was doing and made his opinion of Scrimgeour known.

This led the Minister for Magic to believe that Harry was arrogant and the two parted on bad terms. The two remained on bad terms during the reading of the last will and testament of Dumbledore and it came to an argument in which Scrimgeour lost control of his temper. Harry stated that he will never co-operate with the Ministry if they keep conducting themselves in a less then positive way as they have previously done.

In the summer of 1997, shortly after Albus Dumbledore's murder, the Atrium at the Ministry was the setting for a speech by Scrimgeour about the "*dark times*" in which the wizarding world was living, and how the Ministry remained "*strong*" and active in the fight against the dark forces. In the meantime, the Death Eaters were managing to infiltrate the Ministry by magically controlling some of its higher-ranking officials. As a result, later in the summer, on the evening of 1 August, 1997, the Ministry was the stage of a silent coup, during which Scrimgeour was murdered while refusing to give the Death Eaters any information on Harry Potter.

#### Under Pius Thicknesse

*Main article: Fall of the Ministry of Magic*
"*The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming.*"
— Kingsley Shacklebolt warning the Order of the Phoenix of the Ministry's fall[src]

After the Death Eater coup, the Ministry of Magic was headed by Pius Thicknesse, who was under Death Eater control by the Imperius Curse. Voldemort chose not to openly reveal himself as Minister, so as to keep an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty within the community. Much more security was added to the building and personnel were monitored.

In addition, lower-ranking employees were now forced to go to work via a toilet network, accessible inside a set of underground public toilets in Whitehall; only the senior-ranking personnel are permitted Apparition and Floo Network access. The Ministry became very corrupt during Pius's time in office.

Under Thicknesse's control, the Ministry became totalitarian, placing surveillance upon those of whom it was suspicious, such as Arthur Weasley, and creating the Muggle-Born Registration Commission to prosecute Muggle-borns for allegedly stealing magic. Unfair trials were held to weed out Muggle-borns and to give the impression of justice, although it was anything but. The Ministry also acquired the motto 'Magic is Might', which was inscribed upon a sculpture with a witch and wizard sitting on thrones made of Muggles. Death Eaters such as Corban Yaxley gained high positions within the Ministry, as well.

Snatchers or bounty hunters were also employed by the Ministry. Snatchers appeared to be a relatively informal organisation with the main purpose of rounding up or arresting Muggle-borns and "blood traitors". Snatcher camps were set up all over Britain. If they caught their intended targets, said targets were killed or sent to Azkaban.

### Under Kingsley Shacklebolt

**Harry Potter**: "*The Ministry isn't perfect, but think of all the good we've done since the Second Wizarding War ended. Werewolves used to be ostracised and discriminated against. But thanks to our outreach programme, attitudes are changing. The wizarding community is becoming more inclusive.*"
**Constance Pickering**: "*I'm not discounting the progress you've made, but didn't your original proposal include providing free Wolfsbane Potions to any werewolf who wanted them? Politics and protocols prevented you from making the kind of change that would have done the most good. I know you're trying your hardest, Harry. But at its best, the Ministry is ineffective. At its worst, it's dangerous. You can try to change it, but there will always be things the Ministry simply can't do.*"
— Discussion of the Ministry's new progressiveness and of its limitations[src]
In 1998, after the destruction of Lord Voldemort and the end of the Second Wizarding War, Kingsley Shacklebolt became Minister for Magic and led a massive reform of the Ministry. He did this in an effort to weed out corruption and prejudice. Kingsley replenished the Auror Office and saw that the Death Eaters that escaped custody were caught and tried for their crimes against the wizarding community.

The revitalisation and reform included the efforts of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley in the Auror Office, and Hermione Granger advancing the rights of non-humans, and eradicating pro-pure-blood laws in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and later the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The Ministry was a much happier place to work since the reforms.

At some point during Kingsley's tenure as Minister Harry Potter helped advance werewolf rights. He did this by setting up an outreach programme. He also proposed providing free Wolfsbane Potions to any werewolf who wanted the potion. However, his Wolfsbane proposal never came to fruition, as politics and protocols prevented it from happening.

## Government structure

"*All right, Fudge is leaning on the Prophet, but it comes to the same thing. They won't print a story that shows Harry in a good light. Nobody wants to read it. It's against the public mood. This last Azkaban breakout has got people quite worried enough. People just don't want to believe You-Know-Who's back.*"
— The *Daily Prophet's* role during the campaign to discredit Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter[src]

The Ministry's employees were largely unelected, but the Minister for Magic was voted into office by the wizarding community. Employment with the Ministry could be obtained directly upon completion of a wizarding education, although different offices required different levels of education and sometimes specific exam results. Both the Minister and the Ministry as a whole were seen to be sensitive to wizarding public opinion, which they attempted to influence via the wizarding newspaper the *Daily Prophet*.

The Ministry of Magic had no rights to punish Hogwarts students for misdemeanours, nor did they have privilege of their expulsion and wand confiscation, unless charges had been successfully proven and passed. Dumbledore made it clear to Fudge that the Ministry had little influence on the detailed workings within the school, which Fudge tried to change with a series of Educational Decrees, effectively annexing the school into the government.

### Minister for Magic

"*They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one. So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice.*"
— Rubeus Hagrid and Harry Potter discuss the Minister for Magic[src]

The Minister for Magic was the elected leader of the Ministry. The post of Minister for Magic was established with the creation of the Ministry of Magic after the International Statute of Secrecy went into effect. The first Minister (Ulick Gamp) took office in 1707. The Minister and Support Staff occupied Level One of the Ministry. The Minister enjoyed a position of great prominence and prestige. He or she represented the British magical community in international affairs and set the tone for the policies of the Ministry of Magic. In addition to this, the Minister for Magic was known to the Muggle Prime Minister, and the two leaders would communicate when necessary. The Minister for Magic also presided over the Wizengamot.

During the puppet regime set up by Lord Voldemort in 1997-1998, this level also housed the office of the Head of the Muggle-Born Registration Commission. After the war, the Muggle-Born Registration Commission was disbanded and discarded. It included these offices: Office of the Minister for Magic, Office of the Advisor to the Minister for Magic, Office of the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic, and Office of the Junior Assistant to the Minister for Magic.

### Departments

The Ministry had seven departments in all, each dealing with different aspects of the wizarding world. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement was the largest, and all others more or less answered to it (except the Department of Mysteries).

Each Department had a level of Ministry Headquarters assigned to it, although Law Enforcement had not only level two, but also the courtrooms of level ten. There were also many minor offices within the departments, which were part of an informal ranking system based on its size and perceived importance by senior officials, with transfer from a smaller division to a bigger and busier one being viewed as a "*promotion*." The departments communicated through "*interdepartmental memos*" written on pale-violet paper aeroplanes, which flew on their own to destinations, because previous routine use of owls for messages within the Ministry caused an excess of dirtying by owl droppings and moulted feathers. Known Ministry departments and offices included:

#### Department of Magical Law Enforcement

"*Level two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services.*"
— Description of Auror headquarters[src]

 Wizengamot Administration Services

#### Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes

"*Level Three, Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, incorporating the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, Obliviator Headquarters and Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee.*"
— Voice of lift at the Ministry of Magic[src]

 Muggle Liaison Office

#### Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures

"*Each wizarding governing body will be responsible for the concealment, care and control of all magical beasts, beings, and spirits dwelling within its territory's borders. Should any such creature cause harm to, or draw the notice of, the Muggle community, that nation's wizarding governing body will be subject to discipline by the International Confederation of Wizards.*"
— Clause 73 of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy[src]

 Office of Misinformation

#### Department of International Magical Co-operation

"*Level Five, Department of International Magical Co-operation, incorporating the International Magical Trading Standards Body, the International Magical Office of Law and the International Confederation of Wizards, British Seats.*"
— Voice of lift at the Ministry of Magic[src]

 International Confederation of Wizards, British Seats

#### Department of Magical Transportation

"*Level Six, Department of Magical Transportation, incorporating the Floo Network Authority, Broom Regulatory Control, Portkey Office and Apparition Test Centre.*"
— Voice of lift at the Ministry of Magic[src]

 Apparition Test Centre

#### Department of Magical Games and Sports

"*Level seven, Department of Magical Games and Sports, incorporating the British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters, Official Gobstones Club, and Ludicrous Patents Office.*"
— Voice of lift at the Ministry of Magic[src]

 Ludicrous Patents Office

#### Department of Mysteries

"*The lift clattered into view and they hurried inside. Every time it stopped Mr Weasley cursed furiously and pummelled the number nine button. 'Department of Mysteries,' said the cool female voice, and left it at that.*"
— Voice of lift at the Ministry of Magic[src]

 Love Chamber (aka The Ever-Locked Room)

### Other offices

"*A long-awaited Ministry for Magic [sic] report made public today warns against the dangers of underestimating Muggles. A Study into Muggle Suspicions about Magic draws conclusions which may shock the wizarding community. Professor Phoebus Penrose, who headed the committee which drew up the report, says that Muggles are more observant than we might like to think.*"
— *Daily Prophet*, 31 July 1998[src]

 Foreign Affairs and Sports Department

## Law enforcement

"*Ludo Bagman, you have been brought here in front of the Council of Magical Law to answer charges relating to the activities of the Death Eaters.*"
— Bagman's trial before the council[src]

The Department of Magical Law Enforcement was in the Ministry of Magic, and was the wizarding equivalent of both the Muggle police force and the judiciary. It was the largest of the departments in the Ministry of Magic, and all others more or less answered to it. There were several different subdivisions located in this department, such as the Auror Office, Improper Use of Magic Office, Magical Law Enforcement Patrol, and many others.

### Courtroom procedure

Minister for Magic Ulick Gamp's greatest legacy was to found the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The Wizengamot and Council of Magical Law were subdivisions of this department.

The Wizengamot was the high court of wizarding law in Britain. The head of the Wizengamot was called the Chief Warlock, an old-fashioned title that denoted "particular skill or achievements" similar to a Muggle knighthood. A Court Scribe took notes of the proceedings. Wizengamot members wore plum-coloured robes with an elaborate silver "W" on the left side.

The high wizard court of law was held in a dungeon. In court, the accused was magically bound to a chair in the centre of the room. A jury sat on the right of the prosecutor, who stated the case against the accused and eventually asked for a verdict.

## Muggle relations

"*People say Muggle Studies is a soft option, but I personally think wizards should have a thorough understanding of the non-magical community, particularly if they're thinking of working in close contact with them — look at my father, he has to deal with Muggle business all the time.*"
— Percy Weasley regarding the importance of Muggle studies[src]

The Ministry kept in touch with the Muggle Prime Minister of the United Kingdom through the help of a portrait of Ulick Gamp in the Downing Street office. The portrait is fixed to the wall magically, likely with a Permanent Sticking Charm, so no Muggles will be able to remove it, and the subject of the painting will notify the Prime Minister of the Minister for Magic's impending arrivals. The British Crown, including the Prime Minister and the Monarch, were in full knowledge of the Ministry.

Each new Muggle Prime Minister received a visit from the Minister for Magic, who informed him or her that the wizarding world exists. He or she would explain that they will contact the Prime Minister only in circumstances in which the events of the wizarding world may affect Muggles. For example, the Minister had to inform the Prime Minister if dangerous magical artefacts or animals were to be brought into the UK.

No Muggle Prime Minister has ever set foot in the Ministry of Magic; as summed up by former Minister Dugald McPhail, "*their puir wee braines couldnae cope wi' it*". Ministers Cornelius Fudge and Rufus Scrimgeour tended to act in a somewhat patronising manner towards the Muggle Prime Minister.

However, after the Fall of the Ministry of Magic into the hands of Lord Voldemort, and Pius Thicknesse becoming Minister as Voldemort's puppet, a new era of Wizard-Muggle relations was brought on that was more in line with Death Eater ideology. These actions included the instalment of the "Magic is Might" statue in the Ministry Atrium to replace the Fountain of Magical Brethren. This statue depicts a witch and wizard on top of a throne made from the bodies of crude-looking Muggles, with twisted ugly faces.

While prejudiced depictions of Muggles were taught by professors Amycus and Alecto Carrow at Hogwarts School under its new headmaster, Severus Snape, the Ministry began claiming that Muggle-borns "stole" their magic from "real" witches and wizards. The Muggle-Born Registration Commission, headed by Dolores Umbridge, was set up to persecute and imprison Muggle-borns. Furthermore, the Snatcher organisation was formed in an attempt to round up any Muggle-borns or blood traitors on the run. People with known connections to the Order of the Phoenix or sympathies for Muggles, such as Arthur Weasley, were put under surveillance, and a reward for the capture of Harry Potter, known to the Ministry as "Undesirable No. 1", was offered.

Presumably, after Voldemort's defeat and Kingsley Shacklebolt's installation as Minister for Magic, the cruel prejudiced measures imposed under the Death Eater regime towards Muggles (such as the Muggle-Born Registration Commission) were abolished, and the Ministry went on communicating with the Muggle Prime Minister when necessary.

## Criticisms

"*That Harry Potter's got more backbone than the whole Ministry of Magic put together!*"
— Augusta Longbottom's negative view of the Ministry[src]

The magical government sometimes gave the impression of, at various times, either incompetence or malice, which were demonstrated by successful break-outs from Azkaban and the campaign to discredit Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter. The Ministry was known to be corrupt in nature, as it was shown to be quite prepared to decree and enforce draconian laws without notice, and seemed uninterested in solving serious problems, choosing instead to ignore or cover up bad news. More often than not, the Ministry was focused on positive publicity rather than genuine betterment of the community, and took the pressures from the satisfaction of the majority citizens as a factor to their decisions.

The Ministry proved their incompetent and insensitive nature in how they dealt with werewolves, which resulted in years of poor surveillance. The government arrogantly expected the werewolves to willingly show up to sign the Werewolf Register and Werewolf Code of Conduct, assuming that they would openly admit their infection and promise to lock themselves up to protect the community. Unsurprisingly, no one showed up to sign either due to the stigma, which the Ministry apparently did not take into consideration, thus leading to their record on werewolves being inadequate, which resulted in several attacks and failure to arrest the culprits.

More than half of the personnel within the Ministry were unable to perform the Shield Charm, resulting in them having to use Shield Hats for protection.

### Corruption

"*Blatant corruption! The Ministry did not cut deals with petty criminals in my day, no sir, they did not!*"
— The portrait of Dexter Fortescue discussing the Ministry's actions[src]

More than once, the Ministry had been seen to decree and enforce harsh and tyrannical laws without notice. The few rights that human wizards did have were denied to non-humans. Even people who had later been found to be innocent were subjected to the horrors of Azkaban, and not all of the accused were given trials, as was the case with Sirius Black. Sloppy police work led the Ministry to sentence Morfin Gaunt to his second term in Azkaban, for life, without properly investigating the situation of the crime he was accused of; by the time contradicting evidence was presented, he was weakened by the prison and died, at which the Ministry simply let his corpse be buried alongside the other inmates who expired within the walls, never bothering to give him a more proper final resting place, despite him being wrongfully imprisoned.

Modern governments would ostensibly consider some of the actions of the Ministry to be cruel and inhumane. Under the direction of Minister Cornelius Fudge, trials were short and did not employ juries; instead, a Wizarding Council heard every case regardless of what prior knowledge they had of the case. Defendants were unlikely to be able to appeal verdicts, and lawyers were not allowed. It is likely that conditions improved with newer administrations. During Hagrid's appeal case before the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures, the executioner (Walden Macnair) was present with his axe before a verdict was even decided on, and most of the Committee's decisions were influenced by Lucius Malfoy, who threatened and intimidated the members into doing his bidding.

During Bartemius Crouch Senior's tenure as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, he legalised the usage of the Unforgivable Curses, underwent the principles of fighting violence with violence, kill rather than capture, attack first and ask questions later, and imprison many suspects without trials. His cruel and ruthless methods made him as bad as the Death Eaters he sought to defeat, and has corrupted the magical community at large, as they came to believe he was doing the right thing, and that there was no other method to win the war.

However, Crouch was seemingly more worried about his own reputation and rise of rank than genuine justice, as he sentenced his son to a life term in Azkaban despite ambiguous evidence of the situation that his son was allegedly involved in, and tried (unsuccessfully) to imprison Ludovic Bagman for unwittingly giving information to the Death Eaters, more so because he disliked the man than a proper sentencing. He even accepted a plea bargain from Death Eater Igor Karkaroff, releasing him from incarceration in exchange for information. It was only after the war had ended and the people finally managed to calm themselves from their savage approvals of Crouch's methodologies that they finally saw how cruel he was, and socially shunned him for his corruption.

As a sign of corruption, Ministry officials tended to accept plea bargains from criminals to advance what they deemed progress in exchange for leniency, if not outright soliciting bribes. Known dealings included Barty Crouch Snr granting Igor Karkaroff parole in exchange for names of Death Eaters, Dolores Umbridge not prosecuting Willy Widdershins for Muggle-baiting in exchange for spying on a gathering of students, and Umbridge later releasing Mundungus Fletcher after accepting a bribe. Likewise, Cornelius Fudge had a tendency for being discreetly bribed (by Lucius Malfoy's frequent donation of gold to important establishments) to reveal classified information, delay certain laws, and return with undeserved gifts. Arcturus Black also bribed the Ministry with a huge sum of gold (officially written as "services to the Ministry") to undeservedly earn the Order of Merlin, First Class.

After the return of Lord Voldemort, the Minister at the time, Cornelius Fudge, refused to believe that Voldemort was back, despite mounting evidence, and the Ministry even mounted a campaign to damage Harry Potter's credibility, an effort fuelled in part by Fudge's own paranoid fear that Albus Dumbledore wanted his job. Eventually, the Ministry was forced to acknowledge the emergency and act. Fudge was removed from office for incompetence and replaced by Rufus Scrimgeour.

Rufus became as bad as Crouch Snr, making scapegoats lock the wrong people in Azkaban, such as Stan Shunpike, to try and make it look like the Ministry was doing a good job. When he asked Harry to be a mascot so that the public would support them, Harry refused because he knew it was still corrupt.

After the Fall of the Ministry of Magic, the entire Ministry was under Voldemort and doing his bidding under the puppet government headed by Pius Thicknesse. The various laws implemented in this regime included the persecution and harassment of Muggle-borns and Muggles, and propaganda suggesting the inferiority of Muggles and how they should be treated as sub-humans by wizards. However, after Lord Voldemort's fall and Kingsley Shacklebolt being appointed minister, Harry, Ron, and Hermione worked for the Ministry and changed it in ways to make it drastically less corrupt.

Despite the Ministry's corruption, it was more liberal than other governments in the wizarding world, as in the case of relations between wizardkind and non-magic people, something that was not allowed in other countries like the United States.

## Personnel

### Ministers for Magic

*Main article: Minister for Magic*
The following is a list of the Ministers for Magic and their tenures in office:

Following the revelation that Voldemort was back, Fudge was replaced as Minister as he had denied the truth for nearly a year. He was replaced by Rufus Scrimgeour before he was killed by Voldemort and replaced by Pius Thicknesse, who was acting under the influence of the Imperius Curse and put in power by Voldemort.

Kingsley Shacklebolt replaced Voldemort's puppet Thicknesse at the end of the Second Wizarding War and reformed the Ministry. By 2019, Hermione Granger was elected Minister for Magic.

Albus Dumbledore was offered the job of Minister and refused it at least four times. In his latter days at Hogwarts, Tom Riddle was widely predicted to become Minister, as he had great intelligence and magical talent along with a great talent for creating strategic alliances with people. He could also gather followers to serve his interests. However, Riddle refused every opportunity to work at the Ministry, as a career in the government did not strike his interest.

### Heads of Departments and offices

"*The hearing's on my floor, in Amelia Bones's office. She's Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and she's the one who'll be questioning you.*"
— Arthur Weasley stating that Amelia Bones is the Department Head[src]