British Ministry of Magic

### Headquarters

Whitehall, London, England, Great Britain (Scotland Pl, Westminster, London SW1A 2BD, UK)

### affiliation

* International Confederation of Wizards
* Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

### Enemies

* Under Fawley
	+ Gellert Grindelwald
	+ Gellert Grindelwald's army
* Under Bagnold, Fudge, and Scrimgeour
	+ Lord Voldemort
	+ Death Eaters
* Under Fudge and Thicknesse
	+ Dumbledore's Army
	+ Order of the Phoenix
* Under Thicknesse
	+ Muggle-borns

Template:Dialogue a-b-a-b-a-b-a
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 in Whitehall, in central London, deep underground.
It was headed by the Minister for Magic. By 2019, the Minister for Magic was Hermione Granger. 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.

Other countries, such as Norway, France, Germany, Bulgaria, etc., had their own Ministries of Magic. The United States of America was one of the exceptions, given that its governing magical body was instead referred to as a "Magical Congress" (MACUSA).

## Headquarters

Main article: British Ministry of Magic 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, not from the phone, but from the air, as if the person was standing right there. 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 Cooperation.

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. Courtroom Ten was first seen during Harry’s first forays into Dumbledore’s Pensieve, when he witnessed various Death Eater trials. 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 Head of the Wizengamot Ulick Gamp serving as the first Minister for Magic, 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 1990s, 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 1752-1770. 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 1770-1781. 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 1782 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 1811-1819. 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 1819-1827. 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 1827-1835. 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 1835-1841. 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 1841-1849. 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 1849-1855. 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 1855-1858. 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 1858-1865. 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 1865-1903. 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 1903-1912. 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 1912-1923. In post during the Muggle First World War, Evermonde passed emergency legislation forbidding witches and wizards to get involved, lest they risk mass infractions of the International Statute of Secrecy. Thousands defied him, aiding Muggles where they could.

Lorcan McLaird was the Minister from 1923-1925. 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 1925-1939. 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 1939-1948. 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 1948-1959. 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

#### Political warfare

Ignatius Tuft was the Minister from 1959-1962. 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 1962-1968. 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 1966 Quidditch World Cup win. Left office after contracting a mysterious illness (conspiracy theories abound).<

Eugenia Jenkins was the Minister from 1968-1975. Jenkins dealt competently with pure-blood riots during Squib Rights marches in the late 1960s, 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 1975-1980. 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 1980-1990. 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.

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, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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, 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 had earlier discovered in the Shrieking Shack that Black was not really to blame for the crimes of which he was accused. They helped him escape by 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 Cooperation, 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 cooperate with you!
>
> Harry Potter's position regarding the way the Ministry is operating, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

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 cooperate 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, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

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

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.

## 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, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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

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, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

#### 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, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

#### 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, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

#### Department of International Magical Cooperation

> Level Five, Department of International Magical Cooperation, 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, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

#### 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, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

#### 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, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

#### 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, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

### 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, The Daily Prophet (real-world)

## 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 trail before the council, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

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.

## 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.