Ministry of Magic

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Harry Potter association
The Ministry of Magic
Headquarters	London
Leader(s)	Minister for Magic (see below)
Intentions	Preservation of magical law
Enemies	Order of the Phoenix (temporarily), Death Eaters
First appearance	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (mention), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (appearance)

The Ministry of Magic is a fictional governing body in the Harry Potter series of books by J. K. Rowling, that oversees the magical community of the United Kingdom; it is the successor organisation in the UK to the earlier Wizards' Council, though other countries have their own Ministries of Magic^[HP4]. At the head of the Ministry is the Minister for Magic (Minister of Magic in American versions), a position that seems to include executive, legislative and judicial functions.

Contents 1 Composition and status 2 Ministers for Magic 2.1 Cornelius Fudge 2.2 Rufus Scrimgeour 2.3 Pius Thicknesse 2.4 Kingsley Shacklebolt 3 Line of precedence 4 Leadership and Key Officers 5 Floor directory 6 The Atrium 7 Department of Magical Law Enforcement 7.1 Auror Office 7.1.1 Training 7.1.2 Aurors during the War Against Voldemort 7.1.3 Known Aurors 7.2 Improper Use of Magic Office 7.3 Wizengamot 8 Department of Magical Games and Sports 9 Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes 9.1 Accidental Magic Reversal Squad 9.2 Obliviator Headquarters 9.3 Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee 10 Department of Magical Transportation 11 Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures 12 Department of International Magical Cooperation 12.1 International Confederation of Wizards 13 Department of Mysteries 13.1 Unspeakables 13.2 Hall of Prophecies 14 Notable Ministry officials 14.1 Ludo Bagman 14.2 Amelia Bones 14.3 Barty Crouch, Sr. 14.4 John Dawlish 14.5 Bertha Jorkins 14.6 Dolores Umbridge 14.7 Others 15 Political commentary 16 References 17 External links

Composition and status

The term "Ministry of Magic" implies that it is a branch of the British government (much like the Ministry of Defence or the Ministry of Justice), However, though the exact relationship between the Ministry and the Muggle government is vague -- and indeed, there's no indication that the British government (aside from the Prime Minister, as detailed below) is even aware of the Ministry of Magic, much less that the two are engaged in a relationship -- it is clear that the Ministry exists as a full-fledged government in its own right, exercising full jurisdiction over its own community. The Ministry seems to be largely an unelected body. The post of Minister itself appears to be just like any 'job' rather than a special office of election. However, who has the power to sack or appoint ministers is never explained. Both the Minister and the Ministry as a whole are seen to be highly sensitive to, and reliant on, public opinion among the wizard population, which they attempt to influence via the wizarding press, specifically the Daily Prophet. Each new Muggle Prime Minister receives a visit from the Minister for Magic, each new Minister for Magic calls on the current Muggle Prime Minister, the Minister for Magic informs the Prime Minister of the importation of dangerous creatures, such as the dragons for the Triwizard Tournament, and in cases of special emergencies. The ministry keeps in touch with the British Prime Minister via a wizard's portrait in the Prime Minister's office at 10 Downing Street, which notifies the Prime Minister of the Minister for Magic's arrival.^[HP6] It cannot be removed. The Ministry has seven major departments and many minor offices to deal with different aspects of the wizarding world. Different departments communicate through Inter-departmental memos, pale violet paper airplanes that will fly to their destination. The British Ministry of Magic headquarters is in central London, deep underground. There is no indication in the books of separation of powers, and the judicial system is seen to be subject to political influence. The examples of judicial proceedings in the Ministry of Magic occur at or around times of upheaval and social unrest. The minister and other senior officials seem to preside personally over at least some high profile trials conducted before the Wizengamot (the British Wizards' court; a play on the ancient Witenagemot), though verdicts are decided by show of hands and may be swayed by skilful representation. The books show the Wizengamot relying on personal prejudice rather than evidence to determine the outcome of trials. Not all criminals are even given trials, as is mentioned by Sirius Black in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Whilst this mixture of powers is unusual in America, it is not constitutionally dissimilar to the arrangement in the British Parliament, whereby the Law Lords, who sit in the House of Lords and act as the final court of appeal, and the ruling executive, are also members of the legislature. At times the Ministry can also seem uninterested in solving problems the magical community faces, instead choosing to ignore or cover up bad news: in the fifth book Cornelius Fudge refused to believe that Voldemort had returned, despite the mounting evidence, and for several months did not respond to the attacks on Hogwarts school throughout Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Eventually, however, both Fudge and the Ministry were ultimately forced to admit to and respond to the situation. As can be seen from the events described in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the Ministry is quite prepared to decree and enforce draconian laws over the magical community without notice where it sees its own interests threatened. Little information is given as to the magical administration of other nations, though some senior foreign dignitaries, including the Bulgarian minister, attend the Quidditch World Cup in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The Ministry gives an appearance of (at various times) either incompetence or malice. However, given that descriptions of the Ministry only come from through Harry Potter's point of view, its real abilities (or lack thereof) are difficult to determine. Even so, from events depicted in the novels, it still appears woefully incompetent, to the point of being unable to detect or prevent an assault on the Department of Mysteries, apparently their most heavily guarded department (the security of which was so lax that a group of Hogwarts students were able to enter it unannounced without provoking any response whatsoever). However, this visit was later found to be the result of a ruse concocted by Lord Voldemort, who was himself able to gain access, and whose operatives are known to have infiltrated and subsequently assumed control of the Ministry, allowing for the possibility that their easy admission may have been at least partly engineered. Employment with the Ministry can be obtained soon after completion of a wizarding education, as in the case of Percy Weasley. Additionally, a line in the film version of Goblet of Fire mentions the possibility of summer internships with the Ministry, although this is a non-canonical departure from the book. The jurisdiction of the British Ministry of Magic does not seem to correspond exactly to that of the United Kingdom. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, when the Irish National Quidditch Team wins the Quidditch World Cup, the cup is handed to the British Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge. The Quidditch League which is run from the Ministry covers both Britain and Ireland, and given there exists no evidence whatsoever that Muggle politics has played any role in Wizarding society since the Ministry was created (400 years ago) there is no evidence that any of the nationalist and unionist politics that has so bedevilled British/Irish relations in the Muggle world has impacted at all in the Wizarding one. While the exact relationship between the two nations in the Magical world is unclear, it is defiantly not the one in this world.

Ministers for Magic

At the close of the Harry Potter series, the Minister for Magic in Britain is Kingsley Shacklebolt. Shacklebolt replaced Voldemort's puppet Pius Thicknesse, who had been placed under the Imperius Curse. Voldemort put Thicknesse in power after he killed Rufus Scrimgeour. Scrimgeour himself replaced Cornelius Fudge, who in turn replaced Millicent Bagnold about whom nothing else is known. Other Ministers have included the highly popular Grogan Stump (1770–1884), who was appointed to the post in 1811 and settled the Beings vs. Beasts classification problem, and Artemisia Lufkin, the first witch to be elected to the post. Albus Dumbledore, former headmaster of Hogwarts, was offered the job of minister and refused it at least three times. In his latter days at Hogwarts, Tom Marvolo Riddle was widely predicted to become Minister due to his intelligence, magical talent and ability to forge friendships and alliances with the people around him, gathering a crowd of followers to serve his interests; however, Riddle refused all offers of assistance to find work at the Ministry. The following is a list of known Ministers for Magic and their tenures in office:

• Artemisia Lufkin (1798-1811)
• Grogan Stump (1811-1819)
• Faris Spavin (1865-1903)
• Nobby Leach (1962-1968)
• Millicent Bagnold (1980-1990)
• Cornelius Fudge (1990-1996)
• Rufus Scrimgeour (1996-1997)
• Pius Thicknesse (1997-1998)
• Kingsley Shacklebolt (1998-unknown)

Cornelius Fudge

Harry Potter character
Cornelius Fudge
Robert Hardy as Cornelius Fudge in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Actor	Robert Hardy
First appearance	Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Cornelius Oswald Fudge was first introduced in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as the Minister for Magic of Great Britain. Due to the belief that Rubeus Hagrid is controlling Slytherin's Basilisk to attack on Hogwarts, Fudge shows himself in the school to send Hagrid to Azkaban; and allows the removal of Dumbledore as Headmaster when pressured by Lucius Malfoy. However, it was not until Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban that Harry meets Fudge for the first time, who acts very kindly by not pressing charges against him for inflating Aunt Marge, and also advises him to be careful because an escaped convict is at large, suggesting Sirius Black might have a connection to him. When Fudge gets a drink at the Three Broomsticks pub, he inadvertently tells Harry that Sirius was James Potter's best friend and was believed to have betrayed the Potters to Lord Voldemort. Fudge allowed the near-execution of Buckbeak to occur, once again influenced by Lucius Malfoy. His kindly relationship to Harry suddenly changes in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. When Harry emerges from the Triwizard Tournament's third task after having seen the rebirth of Voldemort, Fudge refuses to believe it, worried about the fallout of announcing Voldemort's return, and that that would be the end of the Wizarding world's years of peace, and decided to merely ignore all of the evidence rather than accept the truth. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Fudge also passes a law allowing him to place Dolores Umbridge, his Senior Undersecretary, as a teacher at Hogwarts; he then appoints her "High Inquisitor," and ultimately Dumbledore's successor as Headmaster, giving her (and by extension, himself) primary control of how Hogwarts is managed, because Fudge is particularly paranoid that Dumbledore is a threat to his power and that he is planning to train the Hogwarts students to overthrow the Ministry. However, this is overturned after Voldemort appears in the Ministry of Magic, which forces Fudge to be sacked as Minister for Magic and being replaced by Rufus Scrimgeour, though he stays on as a powerless advisor in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Rufus Scrimgeour

Harry Potter character
Rufus Scrimgeour
First appearance	Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Rufus Scrimgeour served as the Minister for Magic of Britain, succeeding Cornelius Fudge, from 1996 until his death in 1997. He is described as looking like an old lion with tawny hair and bushy eyebrows, with yellow eyes and wire-rimmed spectacles, and was heavily battle-scarred from his years of service as an Auror, giving him an appearance of shrewd toughness. Scrimgeour was a more capable leader than Fudge and served as Minister for Magic at the beginning of Lord Voldemort's second reign of terror. Before the events of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Scrimgeour headed the Auror Office of the Ministry. After Fudge's sacking, Scrimgeour was selected to be the next Minister and he visited the Muggle Prime Minister with Fudge, now a powerless advisor, to inform him about recent wizarding events, crucial to internal security. Scrimgeour sought to raise the wizarding population's morale by asking Harry, who had been labelled as the 'Chosen One', to be seen visiting the Ministry, so that the public would believe that Harry supported the Ministry's actions against Voldemort. Upon becoming Minister, Scrimgeour's desire to use Harry to improve morale was a source of contention between the Minister and Dumbledore, who did not support this idea. Harry also rejected the role primarily because of his own antagonistic history with the Ministry, and the Ministry's treatment of Dumbledore and Stan Shunpike.^[1] Scrimgeour made a short appearance in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at the Burrow with Albus Dumbledore's will. According to Scrimgeour, only three students were mentioned in the will – Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter. He was murdered shortly after the visit when Death Eaters took over the Ministry. He was tortured for Harry's whereabouts by Voldemort before he was killed. Harry felt a "rush of gratitude" to hear that Scrimgeour, in his final act, attempted to protect Harry by refusing to disclose his location. With the Ministry in Death Eaters' hands, the official line for Scrimgeour's death was that he resigned.

Pius Thicknesse

Harry Potter character
Pius Thicknesse
First appearance	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Pius Thicknesse is first introduced in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. He is the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the start of the book, when he is placed under the Imperius Curse by Yaxley, who uses his position to infiltrate the senior ranks of the Ministry. Thicknesse is described as being a man with long hair and a beard, which are mostly black but tinged with some grey, along with a great overhanging forehead and glinting eyes. After the coup in which Rufus Scrimgeour is killed, the Ministry comes under the de facto control of Lord Voldemort, who appoints Thicknesse as his puppet Minister. Thicknesse joins the ranks of the Death Eaters for the rest of the book and fights with them at the Battle of Hogwarts, where he duels against Percy Weasley (who Transfigures him into a sea urchin). Following the end of the battle, the Imperius Curse that was placed upon him is broken. Kingsley Shacklebolt replaces him as interim Minister for Magic.

Kingsley Shacklebolt

Main article: Kingsley Shacklebolt

Line of precedence

Below the minister are various undersecretaries (most notably Dolores Umbridge), and heads of various magical departments. The exact structure of power within the ministry is relatively unknown.

It seems to have been established that in general, the Minister for Magic has a history in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Three of the four past Ministers for Magic with a known back story have come from there; as well, Bartemius Crouch, Sr., a former Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, was widely considered to be a viable candidate for the office, although Crouch lost favour due to the trial of his son. In addition the lines of automatic succession to the office seem to go through Magical Law Enforcement before branching out into other departments, as evidenced by Kingsley Shacklebolt's accession to the office after the removal of Pius Thicknesse, and Thicknesse's own succession to the office after the murder of Rufus Scrimgeour.

Leadership and Key Officers

In addition to the prestigious office of minister, there are also the deputies that make up the power structure at the ministry. However, due to the authoritative role of the minister, the power itself is only as much as he or she allows.

• Senior Undersecretary: A post held by Dolores Umbridge before her arrest due to crimes against Muggle-borns. The exact amount of power this office has is relatively unknown, due to the fact this person is allowed to sit in on the Wizengamot trials with the minister and Head of Magical Law Enforcement shows that it is a very high office.
• Junior Undersecretary: A post held by Percy Weasley; an honourable position to possess as evidenced by his excitement. The post might be similar to a White House Fellow due to Percy's young age at his appointment.
• Heads of Departments: These high officers are in charge of the day-to-day operations of their departments. The Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement seems to be the most senior department head and the most prestigious as it is one of the main components of the Line of Succession.
• Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot: A post held by Albus Dumbledore, due to the fact that Wizengamot is both judicial and legislative, this post is like chief justice and speaker of the house. The person is mostly independent from the control of the ministry and does not have a superior except the minister who can still appoint and fire who he or she chooses.
• Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards: Another post held by Albus Dumbledore, since the International Confederation of Wizards is supposedly similar to the United Nations, this post could be considered like the secretary-general. If so then it should be an independent international agency and outside the control of the British ministry, however since Dumbledore was unceremoniously removed from the position it demonstrates the great influence of the British minister.

Floor directory

To enter the ministry via the Visitors Entrance, one must dial the number 62442 (which can spell out the word "MAGIC" using text-keys) into a specific public telephone and state one's name and reason for entering. Passes are then issued (apparently through a magical system) and the telephone box then descends through the ground into the ministry's lobby in Floor B8. A floor directory of the Ministry of Magic is as follows; note, as the entire ministry is underground, the higher the floor number, the deeper the floor:

• Level 1 — Minister for Magic and Support Staff
• Level 2 — Department of Magical Law Enforcement
  • Auror Headquarters
  • Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects Office
  • Magical Law Enforcement Squad
  • Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office
  • Wizengamot Administration Services
  • Improper Use of Magic Office
• Level 3 — Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes
  • Accidental Magic Reversal Squad
  • Obliviator Headquarters
  • Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee
• Level 4 — Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures
  • Beast Division
  • Being Division
  • Spirit Division
  • Goblin Liaison Office
  • Pest Advisory Board
• Level 5 — Department of International Magical Cooperation
  • International Magical Trading Standards Body
  • International Magical Office of Law
  • International Confederation of Wizards, British Seats
• Level 6 — Department of Magical Transportation
  • Floo Network Authority
  • Broom Regulatory Control
  • Portkey Office
  • Apparition Test Centre
• Level 7 — Department of Magical Games and Sports
  • British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters
  • Official Gobstones Club
  • Ludicrous Patents Office
• Level 8 — The Atrium
  • The Reception Area
  • Fountain of Magical Brethren (Destroyed, replaced by "Magic is Might" monument, presumably removed after defeat of Thicknesse/Voldemort regime)
  • Security Desk
  • Lifts
• Level 9 — Department of Mysteries
  • The Time Chamber
  • Hall of Prophecies
  • The Death Chamber
  • The Brain Room
  • The Planet Room
  • Locked Room in the Department of Mysteries, which, according to Dumbledore, investigates the powers of the heart.
• Level 10 — Courtrooms (stairway access only)

More than twenty service lifts stops at all floors from level 1 to level 9. Stairways may provide access to all ten levels in the ministry. They must be used to access the courtrooms on level 10.

The Atrium

The atrium is a long hall, with a highly polished wooden floor and a ceiling in peacock blue, engraved with constantly changing golden symbols. The walls are panelled, and lined with fireplaces, which are used to "Floo" in and out of the Ministry. Halfway down the hall is the Fountain of Magical Brethren, a fountain depicting the golden statues of a wizard, a witch, a centaur, a goblin, and a house-elf. Jets of water fly from various points of the statuary, adding a hiss of water to the other areas of the hall. The witch and wizard are set-up as a focal point of the Fountain, with the "lower beings" looking up in awe at the two humans. It is very unrealistic: centaurs consider themselves much more intelligent than humans and want nothing to do with them, whilst goblins get on poorly with wizards. A sign at the pool's base says that all coins thrown into the fountain are donated to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. The atrium receives damage during the conflict between Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: the floor is scratched and scarred, the security booth is burned, and the fountain is largely destroyed, although the goblin and the house-elf survive. It is unknown if it was replaced. In the film adaptation, the damage was much more severe, with much of the atrium (specifically the glass and some of the tiles) being demolished and smashed by Voldemort. It is unknown (in the film) what happens with the fountain. In the film adaptation, the fountain is separated into two, with the wizard separated from the group into his own fountain; the wizard statue is much bigger than the other fountain statues. The witch, centaur, goblin, and house-elf statues are separated into another fountain. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it is revealed that the fountain was replaced during the Voldemort regime with a black statue which contained a witch and wizard sitting on thrones made of many naked Muggles twisted together, with the words "Magic is Might" engraved in the base. This statue demonstrates the Pure-Blood supremist, fascist and racist nature of Voldemort's regime; some see it as a symbol and reference to the past Nazi regime of Germany. It is very likely that this was destroyed after the downfall of Voldemort. It is significant that both regimes at this ministry use the statute in the Atrium to promote their own vision of wizard society. Neither is accurate.

Department of Magical Law Enforcement

Arguably the most important of the various departments, this one is a combination of police and justice facilities, and is roughly equivalent to Britain's (Muggle) Home Office. Bartemius Crouch Sr. once headed the department. For the majority of the final novel, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was the Death Eater Yaxley, who succeeded Pius Thicknesse, who had replaced Amelia Bones after her brutal death at the hand of Lord Voldemort. According to J. K. Rowling, this is the department that Hermione Granger became a part of after the events of The Deathly Hallows, transferring from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures where she began her post-Hogwarts career. Located on the second level of the Ministry of Magic, it includes:

• Auror Headquarters: a group of elite dark wizard hunters.
• The Magical Law Enforcement Squad" the bureau tasked with pursuing criminals (roughly the same duties as the US Marshal's office it appears- they are trained in the art of using restraining magic upon criminals while not alerting Muggles to what they are doing).
• The Improper Use of Magic Office: which punishes wizards for using magic in inappropriate ways, at the wrong time, or in violation of magical laws.
• The Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office: which regulates the use of magic on Muggle objects and recovers those, which have been bewitched; this sub-section is located in a tiny office, staffed by an enthusiastic but ill-informed Arthur Weasley and his assistant, Perkins. The aim of the office is to keep enchanted items out of the hands of Muggles, often necessitating raids to remove such items from circulation. Harry Potter briefly visits this office before his trial at the beginning of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.^[2]
• Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects Office: the office into which Arthur Weasley was promoted in the sixth book. Apparently, several new offices sprung up when Rufus Scrimgeour came to power as Minister for Magic because of the threat from Lord Voldemort.
• The Wizengamot: the wizarding High Court of Justice.

Auror Office

Training

It is extremely difficult to fulfil the requirements of Auror training, let alone pass the training with high marks. Applicants are required to train extensively in advanced magical fighting, and must have excellent academic credentials before they are accepted on a rigorous training program (which normally lasts three years). Some see the job as glamorous, as there is a great deal of danger involved and it is extremely difficult to join the ranks of the Aurors. Harry Potter becomes increasingly interested in becoming an Auror as the novels progress, since he has had to fight dark wizards and adversity his whole life. According to Rowling's website, Harry joins the department at age seventeen, and starts as head of the department in 2007.^[3] According to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Transfiguration Professor Minerva McGonagall, to be accepted for Auror training, one must have at least five Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests (and no grade lower than "Exceeds Expectations"), and although no list of subjects is specified, suggests to Harry Potter that Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, and Herbology are the best suited subjects to take to N.E.W.T. level. Then, prospective Aurors must undergo a stringent series of character and aptitude tests to show they react well under pressure and have very high skills in practical defence. Two of the disciplines included are "Concealment and Disguise" and "Stealth and Tracking.

Aurors during the War Against Voldemort

In the war during Lord Voldemort's first rise to power, Aurors were authorised to use the Unforgivable Curses on suspected Death Eaters and criminals. This means that they were given the licence to kill, coerce and torture. It is unknown if, following the return of Lord Voldemort, this power has been revoked. Captured criminals are generally handed over to the authorities. It is not unknown for criminals to resist arrest; some choose to fight to the death rather than let them be captured. Aurors are also used to guard high profile personalities or people who are in great danger but are protected by the Ministry. The Ministry had enlisted them to protect Harry Potter and Hogwarts by the time of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Before this, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the Order had Auror members who were part of the advance guard that escorted Harry to Grimmauld Place. It was also arranged for Kingsley Shacklebolt to protect the British Prime Minster by posing as his secretary to protect him against the possibility that Lord Voldemort might take control of him to gain access to various Muggle resources at the highest level. After the return of Voldemort, Rufus Scrimgeour (until then the Head of the Auror Department) became Minister for Magic, as the Wizarding world placed more trust in him as a war leader than his predecessor, Cornelius Fudge. However, the most famous Auror in recent times is Alastor Moody, who came out of his retirement to join the Order.

Known Aurors

Aurors seen in the series include:

• Alastor Moody (Retired, later killed by Voldemort.)
• Frank Longbottom (Driven insane by Bellatrix, Rabastan, Rodolphus Lestrange, and Barty Crouch Jr. after Voldemort was defeated for the first time.)
• Alice Longbottom (Driven insane by Bellatrix, Rabastan, Rodolphus Lestrange, and Barty Crouch Jr. after Voldemort was defeated for the first time)
• Nymphadora Tonks (Killed during the Battle of Hogwarts, implied to be due to Bellatrix Lestrange.)
• Kingsley Shacklebolt (A powerful Auror, second only to Mad-Eye Moody. In addition, a member of the Order of the Phoenix had been in post for at least 19 years. At the end of the series ^[HP7], he became interim Minister for Magic.)
• John Dawlish, who attempted to assist Umbridge in sacking Rubeus Hagrid in The Order of the Phoenix.
• Rufus Scrimgeour (Later became Minister for Magic. Killed by Death Eaters after not telling Voldemort where Harry was. He was killed after Voldemort gained control of the Ministry of Magic)
• Gawain Robards (head of the Auror office after Rufus Scrimgeour becomes Minister for Magic)
• Proudfoot
• Savage
• Williamson
• Harry Potter (head of the Auror office)
• Ron Weasley (member of the Auror office) ^[4]

Improper Use of Magic Office

The Improper Use of Magic Office is responsible for investigating offences under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and International Confederation of Wizards' Statute of Secrecy. The Decree regulates an under-age wizard or witch's use of magic, while the Statute of Secrecy prohibits wizards and witches from performing magic in the presence of Muggles or in a Muggle-inhabited area. On receiving intelligence reports of a violation of the Decree, a note is sent to the offender detailing actions that will be taken by the Office. First-time offenders are usually let off with a warning while extreme cases more serious the Improper Use of Magic Office will take action. Office personnel include Mafalda Hopkirk. The Improper Use of Magic Office is mentioned multiple times in the series; Harry receives a warning letter from them when Dobby uses a hover charm on a pudding of Harry's aunt in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. In the book Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry receives a letter when he uses the Patronus Charm against threatening Dementors. The letter informs him that his wand will be confiscated and broken by ministry officials and that he will be detained until court notice. The Improper Use of Magic Office tracks underage magic usage with an enchantment cast upon underage magic practitioners presumably either at birth or upon departing from their first year at Hogwarts. Called "the Trace", it is capable of detecting all magic cast near the target, and reports it to the Improper Use of Magic Office. The Trace breaks upon the coming of age of the target. Although under-age magic cases are normally dealt with by the Improper Use of Magic Office, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry is tried by the entire Wizengamot court, however, Arthur Weasley remarks that it is highly unusual procedure for an under-age use of magic case. The courtroom is the same one that is visited by Harry in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire via the Pensieve; it includes a chair that can restrain the defendant when he or she sits down.

Wizengamot

The Wizengamot serves as the wizard high court of law (presumably the wizarding version of the Law Lords), and as a form of Parliament. It is headquartered at the Ministry of Magic and at least some of its trials take place in the dungeons of the lower levels. The word "Wizengamot" is a portmanteau created from the words "wizard," and "Witenagemot," which was a council of powerful people summoned to advise and appoint kings in Anglo-Saxon England. The word derives from the Old English for "meeting of wise men" (witan, wise man or counsellor; gemot, assembly). The Wizengamot has approximately fifty members, whose selection is unclear (although the Minister for Magic appears to have some control over selection), in addition to the Court Scribe, who acts as its stenographer. The Minister for Magic, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, and Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement all apparently sit on the Wizengamot ex officio. Members wear plum-coloured robes embroidered with the silver letter "W" while the court is in session. Trials seem to be quite short. The defence can present witnesses and the Wizengamot can examine them and the accused, but no lawyers are involved. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ^[2], the Wizengamot tries Harry on charges of violating the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and reluctantly dismisses the charges. References to "the whole Wizengamot" (in Percy's letter to Ron) imply that this type of trial is unusual. Smaller disciplinary hearings do not require the court's attention at all and are dealt with by a single questioner. Until his death, Albus Dumbledore held the position of Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, except during the period coinciding with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ^[2] in which he was removed from the post because of his insistence that Lord Voldemort had returned. He was reinstated at the end of the novel. The exact powers of this position are unknown. The Wizengamot also appears to act as a form of parliament: the various decrees introduced by Cornelius Fudge are referred to as being passed and sanctioned by the Wizengamot, just as Muggle laws in Britain must be agreed to by Parliament. It is not stated how much control the Wizengamot has over passing these decrees, and how much control the Minister exercises in such circumstances.

Department of Magical Games and Sports

Seen as the most relaxed department (posters for favourite Quidditch teams are found tacked to the wall in its entrance corridor) deals with such sports-related pastimes as organising the Quidditch World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament. Ludovic "Ludo" Bagman used to be the Head of Department here, but his gambling problem forced him to flee from Goblin creditors. The current head of the department is unknown. The department is located on the seventh level of the Ministry of Magic, and includes:

• British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters
• Official Gobstones Club
• Ludicrous Patents Office

Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes

This department is responsible for repairing accidental magical damage. It is located on the third level of the Ministry of Magic and houses the following offices:

Accidental Magic Reversal Squad

The Accidental Magic Reversal Squad is a squad of wizards whose job it is to reverse "accidental magic," which is normally magic performed by young witches and wizards who have not learned to control their magic or even older wizards out of control, or severe, unintentional effects of charms or spells, such as splinching. For instance, the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad was sent out in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban when Harry inflated his Aunt Marge. They were able to successfully reverse the spell, deflating her, and proceeded to modify her memory (to remove any recollection of the incident) — presumably, the Obliviators, according to their duty, performed this latter task.

Obliviator Headquarters

An Obliviator is the designation for a Ministry of Magic employee who has the task of modifying the memory of a Muggle after witnessing incidents belonging to the magic world. They are first called so in the sixth volume, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, although the mentioned practice already appears in the previous novels. Any wizard can use the act of memory modification by using the spell, "Obliviate." This event, however, is frowned upon in the wizarding society; most believe that memory modification should be done by Obliviators only. Examples of times in which a memory charm was committed include when Professor Gilderoy Lockhart attempts to erase the memories of Harry and Ron in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and when the Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt removed all memories of the secret D.A. organisation from the mind of Marietta Edgecombe, who had been in the process of betraying its secrets. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, it is mentioned that Barty Crouch Sr. used the spell on Bertha Jorkins to conceal that fact his son was alive. The spell was so powerful it permanently damaged her brain. Voldemort is notorious for his use of Memory Charms. In the book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry and Hermione have also used this charm a number of times.

Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee

Explains away any magical accidents or occurrences which cannot be magically cleared up or completely removed from the minds of Muggles, or which Muggles do not develop their own explanation for. For example, Peter Pettigrew killed twelve Muggle bystanders and tore apart a street by means of an immense explosion during his altercation with Sirius Black. The massive and obvious damage and mortality was explained away by the committee as being due to a tragic accidental explosion of the gas main.

Department of Magical Transportation

This department is responsible for various aspects of magical transport. It is located on the sixth level of the Ministry of Magic and includes the following offices:

• Floo Network Authority: responsible for setting up and maintaining the network, and distributing the greenish Floo powder. The network is composed of the fireplaces of all the wizarding houses and buildings, which are interconnected, and it allows the user to transport themselves to any other fireplace on the network thanks to the magical qualities of the Floo powder.
• Broom Regulatory Control
• Portkey Office
• Apparition Test Centre: the magical equivalent of the DVLA; grants licences to witches and wizards so that they can apparate.

It is unknown if the Knight Bus is regulated by this department.

Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures

It is divided into three divisions ("Being", "Beast" and "Spirit") and contains liaison offices for goblins and centaurs, though the centaurs, being isolationists, have never interacted with the Centaur Liaison Office since its creation. Thus, "being sent to the Centaur Office" has become a euphemism at the Ministry for those about to be fired. For further detail on the distinctions between these divisions, see Magical Beasts. It is also noted that Hermione Granger began her post-Hogwarts career here before transferring to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. In Chapter 7 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, we learn that the department is located on the fourth level of the Ministry of Magic. Offices include:

• Beast Division
  • Centaur Liaison Office
  • Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures
  • Dragon Research and Restraint Bureau
  • Werewolf Registry
  • Werewolf Capture Unit
• Being Division
  • Office of House-Elf Relocation
  • Werewolf Support Services
  • Goblin Liaison Office: little is known about the operations of this office but in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,^[5] Arthur Weasley indicates Cuthbert Mockridge as the head of this office, although by the time of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,^[6] Horace Slughorn is referring to Dirk Cresswell as the holder of this post. No mention is made of the reasons behind the change.
• Spirit Division
  • Ghoul Task Force
  • Pest Advisory Board

Department of International Magical Cooperation

The Department of International Magical Cooperation is an agency that, as its name suggests, tries to get wizards from different countries to cooperate. The British International Confederation of Wizards is based here, as are offices that regulate international magical law. This department on the fifth level of the Ministry of Magic includes the headquarters of:

• The International Magical Trading Standards Body
• The International Magical Office of Law
• The International Confederation of Wizards, British Seats

The former head was Barty Crouch, Sr., until he was killed by his son Barty Crouch, Jr.. The current head is unknown. This is also where Percy Weasley began his ministry career. The Department of International Magical Cooperation is similar in function to the Muggle British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, with the notable exceptions of the fact that the wizarding world has no equivalent to the Commonwealth, and that this department is created for the purpose of co-operation, whilst the Muggle equivalent has no such lofty aims.

International Confederation of Wizards

The International Confederation of Wizards (ICW) has many responsibilities, mostly to enforce the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. For example, Clause 73 of this statute reads:

“

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.'[7]

”

The full power and role of the ICW has never been explored in much detail, though it is possible that it is a form of magical United Nations meant to unite all the Ministries of Magic in the world. It is known to have met in 1692, at which time numerous important measures were passed, such as the establishment of the right for wizards to carry wands at all times. It is possible the ICW was involved in the final break between the Wizarding and Muggle worlds, due to anti-magical persecution. Pierre Bonaccord, who also became the first Supreme Mugwump, formed the International Confederation of Wizards. Many of the countries in what is now the European Union attended. Liechtenstein (Which, historically, was not created until 1719), however, refused. It is unknown what year its formation occurred, though it must have been before or during 1692. In Order of the Phoenix, it is revealed that Dumbledore was thrown out as Supreme Mugwump because of his insistence that Lord Voldemort had returned. At the end of the novel, he is reinstated. Dumbledore's death means the post of Supreme Mugwump is once again open; the identity of the current Mugwump is unknown.

Department of Mysteries

The Department of Mysteries is, as its name suggests, a department within the Ministry of Magic building that deals with studying enigmas. It carries out most of its operations in total secrecy. Few wizards within the ministry actually know what is located within this department. Those wizards who work in the Department of Mysteries are called the Unspeakables. Because of the covert nature surrounding this particular branch of the Wizarding government, the Department of Mysteries can be likened to real-world intelligence agencies like the CIA or MI6, in which most of their operations are kept in total secrecy from the general populace; however, their primary operations seem to be more like those of scientists, attempting to uncover the sources and rules governing magic. For this reason, the Department of Mysteries may be likened to the Manhattan Project or the Skunkworks. Although most of the workings of the Department are still covert, some of the projects undertaken, most seemingly for research purposes, were revealed in Order of the Phoenix: the department apparently works to uncover the secrets of death, time, thought, the universe, and love, among other things, and record prophecies whenever they are made. Records of prophecies are magically stored within glass orbs on rows of shelves within the Hall of Prophecy. They are magically protected, so that the only people who can lift them off their shelves are the Keeper of the Hall of Prophecies and the subject or subjects of the prophecies; all others are afflicted with instant madness. Whenever an orb breaks, the recorded prophecy it contains is repeated out-loud once, after which the recording is useless. Its name could be a reference to the Eleusinian Mysteries of Ancient Greece. It shares with those rites a preoccupation with immortality and the cycle of time. The "Unspeakables" may be a reference to The Untouchables, a group of US Treasury agents gathered by Eliot Ness to preserve Prohibition. The rooms at the Department each seem (although not spelled out directly) to refer to various mysteries of life, such as "Time", "Space", "Death", and "Love". These rooms include:

• An entrance room whose walls rotate, disorienting its occupants for several seconds, whenever all of its doors are closed. This is presumably a security device to keep non-employees of the department from reaching a desired room. Responds to a verbal request for an exit by opening the correct door.
• The Thought Chamber — A long room in which brains swim in a green solution.
• The Space Chamber — A dark room full of planets floating in mid-air. Visitors may find themselves floating as well.
• The Death Chamber — A large, square room with stone tiers leading down to a pit in the centre. In this pit is a dais, on which stands an ancient arch with a tattered curtain hanging from it. Called the Death Chamber by Dumbledore. It was through this archway that Sirius Black, Harry Potter's godfather, fell through and died in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It is implied that the veil somehow leads to the afterlife, as some (perhaps those who have seen someone die) are able to hear voices whispering from behind it.
• The Time Chamber — A room in which various time-related devices are kept, such as clocks of every description and Time-Turners (necklaces with hourglass pendants, which will send the wearer back in time when the pendant is turned over). It also contains a mysterious bell jar, inside which anything will grow steadily younger and younger, and then slowly return to its original age in a never-ending cycle.
• The Hall of Prophecy — A giant room with over a hundred rows of shelves, where recordings of prophecies are kept. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood are lured to this room by Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
• The ever-locked room — A room behind a door that remains locked at all times and which both the “‘‘Alohomora’’” spell and magical unlocking penknives cannot unlock. According to Albus Dumbledore, behind that door is the most mysterious subject of study in the Department: a force "that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human intelligence, than the forces of nature ... It is the power held within that room that you [Harry] possess in such quantities and which Voldemort has not at all." In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, this power was confirmed through a dialogue between Harry and Dumbledore to be love. It was confirmed by JK Rowling in an interview with PotterCast that in this room sat a fountain, in which was an extremely powerful love potion, Amortentia.

Sixteen years before Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,^[2] Sybill Trelawney made a prediction about Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter. According to Albus Dumbledore, a Death Eater (Severus Snape) overheard the first half, and reported that section to Voldemort (the Death Eater was revealed by Sybill Trelawney to be Severus Snape in Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince, although her account also cast severe doubt upon Dumbledore's account). Voldemort decided to kill Harry Potter, believing this would prevent the prophecy from happening: instead, he caused the events described by the prophecy to be set into motion in the first place, and lost his powers. After his powers were restored in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Voldemort decided to listen to the complete prophecy, a recording of which he knew to be stored in the Department of Mysteries. However, only he or Harry Potter could take them from the Department of Mysteries, due to the prophecy label referring only to the two of them. Since Voldemort was unwilling to personally visit the Ministry, he decided to lure Harry there. This plan nearly succeeded, but the prophecy was destroyed before Voldemort could obtain it. There was a struggle in the department, during which Sirius Black fell through the veil in the Death Chamber and perished. When Cornelius Fudge — in addition to a large number of others — witnessed Voldemort at the Ministry of Magic, he was forced to acknowledge that he was wrong in denying that Voldemort had indeed returned. The Department of Mysteries had not fully recovered as of September 1996 (the beginning of the autumn term in Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince): At one point, it is mentioned that the department's entire stock of Time-Turners was smashed, with the implication that it has not managed to replace them. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows it is revealed that the Department of Mysteries believed that Muggle-born wizards stole their magic from pure-blood ones, so this is a "proof" that all Muggle-borns have their magic illegally. However, this is known to be false information invented by Voldemort and his puppet regime.

Unspeakables

The Unspeakables are a group of wizards whose jobs are classified for security reasons. They work in the Department of Mysteries. One of the Unspeakables, Broderick Bode, was a friend of Arthur Weasley. Another known unspeakable is Croaker, mentioned in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Augustus Rookwood, a Death Eater spy, was also an unspeakable before his arrest.

Hall of Prophecies

The Hall of Prophecies is located within the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic. The Hall of Prophecies is described as a huge room that is as high as a church and is filled with row upon row of long, towering shelves. On these shelves, sit "small, dusty, glass orbs."^[8] These orbs are in fact prophecies, magical insights into the future.

Notable Ministry officials

Ludo Bagman

Harry Potter character
Ludovic Bagman
First appearance	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Ludovic "Ludo" Bagman is a former, highly successful Beater for the Wimbourne Wasps, whose good looks have gone a bit to seed; his nose is squashed in (apparently having been broken by a stray bludger) and he is quite a bit thicker around the middle than he was in his Quidditch days. The character is somewhat of a celebrity and is the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports in the Ministry of Magic. It is revealed in the book that Bagman was accused of being a Death Eater about thirteen years before the events in the fourth book because he had given information to recently discovered Death Eater Augustus Rookwood. Rowling uses Dumbledore's Pensieve to provide the character's backstory concerning his trial and subsequent acquittal by the Wizengamot. It is revealed that he had believed Rookwood, who was his father's friend, to be beyond suspicion, and that, consequently, he had thought that he was aiding the Ministry by passing the information on to him. Bagman loved gambling, which got him in financial trouble so severe that he paid some of his creditors (such as Fred and George Weasley and the father of Lee Jordan) with disappearing Leprechaun Gold, after they had gambled on the Quidditch World Cup. After the World Cup final, some goblins cornered him in the woods outside the stadium, took all the gold he had on him, and it still did not cover all his debts. To clear his debts with the goblins, Bagman made a bet on the Triwizard Tournament (he was one of the Tournament's judges). He bet the goblins that Harry Potter would win. He tried to help Harry over the course of the Tournament, giving him a perfect score in the First Task even though he was injured, and offering him advice. Harry did win the Tournament (tying with Cedric Diggory since they both finished the Third Task together and had equal points from the first two), but Bagman did not win the bet: the goblins argued that Harry had tied with Cedric Diggory, and Bagman was betting he would win outright. Bagman ran away after the Third Task of the Tournament and his current whereabouts are unknown — we know that he has not yet repaid his debts to the goblins. One problem is that he is not fluent in Gobbledegook, the Goblin language. He only knows one word - bladvak (meaning "pickax"). In Quidditch Through the Ages, Bagman was one of the people who gave the book praise, saying: Bet you anything it'll be a best-seller. Go on, I bet you. Bagman's character was cut from the film adaptation of book four, although he was featured in an earlier draft (and it was reported that Martin Landham had won the role). Some of Ludo's primary roles in the story were primarily performed by Cornelius Fudge and Bartemeis Crouch, Sr. in the film adaptation.

Amelia Bones

Harry Potter character
Amelia Susan Bones
Parentage	Pure-blood
Actor	Sian Thomas
First appearance	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Amelia Susan Bones (d. July 1996) was the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She is described as being a square-jawed witch with close-cropped grey hair and a monocle. Harry's classmate from Hufflepuff, Susan Bones, is her niece. Her brother Edgar Bones was a member of the Order of the Phoenix during the first war and was killed together with his wife and children by Death Eaters. Madam Bones sat on the Wizengamot and presided over Harry's trial in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, in which Cornelius Fudge acted as the prosecutor and Albus Dumbledore was the defence counsel. Despite poor treatment of Harry by Fudge, Madam Bones managed to keep the trial unbiased and Harry was acquitted by a large majority of the court. During the trial, Madam Bones expressed admiration for Harry's ability to produce a corporeal Patronus at such a young age. According to Cornelius Fudge, Bones is believed to have been brutally murdered by Voldemort himself shortly before the events that take place in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Fudge, the recently dismissed Minister for Magic, said that all the evidence at the scene suggested she put up a good fight. The Muggle Prime Minister also referred to her as a "middle-aged woman that lived alone." Afterwards, some members of the Order of the Phoenix referred to her as one of the greatest witches of the era (her abilities were such that Voldemort may have chosen to kill her personally), and several wizards felt deeply troubled by Bones' death. British actress Sian Thomas portrayed Bones in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.^[9]

Barty Crouch, Sr.

Harry Potter character
Barty Crouch, Sr.
Roger Lloyd-Pack as Barty Crouch in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Parentage	Pure-blood
Actor	Roger Lloyd-Pack
First appearance	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Bartemius "Barty" Crouch, Sr. was the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement when Lord Voldemort first came to power. He became as ruthless as some on the Dark Side, and gave Aurors powers to kill rather than capture suspected Death Eaters who resisted arrest. He sent Sirius Black to the wizard prison Azkaban without a trial. Crouch appeared to be the favourite to become the next Minister for Magic, when his own son, Barty Crouch, Jr., was caught with Death Eaters who were trying to bring Voldemort back to power. Crouch gave his son a trial before sending him to Azkaban; however, according to Sirius, the trial was a sham, merely a public demonstration of how much he hated the boy. About a year after the trial, Crouch's terminally ill wife begged for her son's life to be saved, so Crouch gave her Polyjuice Potion that made her take on her son's appearance while their son drank some that caused him to take on his mother's appearance, and thus escape Azkaban. After the supposed death of his son in prison, public sympathy fell on Crouch Jr; the wizarding world placed all the blame on Crouch Sr., accusing him of driving his son to join the Death Eaters because of his neglect of his family. After the scandal, Crouch lost much of his popularity and he was shunted sideways to a post as the head of the Department of International Magical Co-operation. Barty Crouch, Sr. makes his first appearance in the series at the Quidditch world cup in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Crouch accuses Harry Potter of attempting to set off the Dark Mark, and when Winky is found to have Harry’s wand, he angrily dismisses Winky, as the house-elf was supposed to look after his son who was always under an Invisibility Cloak. Voldemort and his servant Wormtail showed up at the Crouch family home and put Barty Crouch under the Imperius Curse, freeing Crouch Jr from the Imperius Curse placed on him by his father and thus rejoining Voldemort. Crouch continues to appear in public at first and is one of the five judges at the Triwizard Tournament, attempting to judge the contestants fairly. However, worried that Crouch would fight the Imperius Curse, Voldemort later kept him imprisoned within the house and had him communicate exclusively through supervised owl post. Percy Weasley, who had become Crouch's loyal aid and was known to Crouch as "Weatherby," replaced him, as the British's Ministry's representative on the Triwizard judging panel. Later, Crouch, who had escaped from his home, meets Harry Potter and Viktor Krum in the Forbidden Forest and begs to see Dumbledore. However, Harry, while on his way to inform Dumbledore of the events, unwittingly alerts Crouch, Jr., in the disguise of Mad-Eye Moody, to his father's presence. Crouch, Jr. instantly goes to the Forest, kills his own father, transfigures his body into a bone, and buries it on the Hogwarts grounds. Crouch is played by Roger Lloyd-Pack in the film adaptation. This portrayal of Crouch is more sympathetic as the film eliminates the storyline involving Winky, and shows Barty as being shocked and dismayed by his son's exposure. His son is also portrayed as openly evil and not deserving of sympathy.

John Dawlish

Harry Potter character
John Dawlish
Richard Leaf as John Dawlish in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Actor	Richard Leaf
First appearance	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

John Dawlish is an Auror. He is very capable, self-assured and is described as a "tough-looking wizard" with "very short, wiry" grey hair. He left Hogwarts with Outstandings in all his N.E.W.T.s. It is noted, however, that it is always his lot to take on wizards/witches who end up outmatching him. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Dawlish accompanies Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge to Hogwarts to confront Harry about the secret Dumbledore's Army meetings. Dawlish is knocked out along with Kingsley Shacklebolt, Dolores Umbridge and Fudge when Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, who took the blame for the Army on himself, escapes. A few weeks later, Dawlish is among the wizards who attempt to arrest Hagrid when Umbridge sacks the gamekeeper. Still later, Dawlish arrives at the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic with Fudge after the battle at the Department of Mysteries is over. Fudge then sends him to the Department of Mysteries to attend to the captured Death Eaters. Dawlish appears again in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince guarding Hogwarts after the commencement of the Second War. He is sent to follow Dumbledore when the Headmaster leaves school to search for Voldemort's Horcruxes, but is "regretfully" hexed by the Headmaster. He is Confunded by Severus Snape early on in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Due to being Confunded, Dirk Cresswell managed to defeat him and escape halfway on the way to Azkaban. Later, Dawlish is sent to arrest Augusta Longbottom. After a struggle, she places Dawlish in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries and goes on the run. Dawlish's first name is not revealed in the books or films. However, Rowling said in an interview with the podcast "PotterCast" that she named him John, owing to host John Noe's appreciation of the character.^[10] British actor Richard Leaf portrayed Dawlish in the film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.^[9]

Bertha Jorkins

Harry Potter character
Bertha Jorkins
First appearance	(first mentioned in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)

Bertha Jorkins (b. circa 1957/1958, d. July 1994) was a Ministry of Magic employee killed by Lord Voldemort. Some years before her murder, she accidentally discovered that Barty Crouch Jr, who supposedly died in Azkaban prison, was still alive and being hidden by his father. Barty Crouch Sr. silenced her with a too-powerful Memory Charm, permanently damaging her memory. Voldemort greatly damaged her mentally and physically while breaking through the Memory Charm, through which he gained information about the Triwizard Tournament and Crouch Jr. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Voldemort uses Harry in a ritual to restore his body. During the subsequent duel between Harry and Voldemort in the graveyard at Little Hangleton, Bertha is one of the shadows that spills out from Voldemort's wand and helps Harry escape. Rowling later said that her death was used to turn Nagini, Voldemort's snake, into a Horcrux. Bertha Jorkins was a student at Hogwarts at the same time as James Potter and company. She was known as being nosy, with a good head for gossip. Bertha Jorkins' character was written out of the film adaptation of Goblet of Fire due to time constraints.

Dolores Umbridge

Main article: Dolores Umbridge

Others

• Broderick Bode: A worker in the Department of Mysteries. He is placed under the Imperius Curse by Lucius Malfoy, who sought to obtain the prophecy concerning Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. Bode suffered spell damage from his attempt to steal the prophecy and was sent to St Mungo's Hospital; he was subsequently strangled by a potted Devil's Snare plant at Christmas to prevent him from revealing any information about the Death Eaters' plot.
• Reginald "Reg" Cattermole: Works for magical maintenance in the Ministry. In the final book, Ron uses some of his hair to impersonate him to enter into the Ministry to steal Slytherin's locket. His wife, Muggle-born Mary Elizabeth Cattermole, was being questioned at the time that Harry, Ron and Hermione stole the locket.
• Dirk Cresswell: Muggle-born, member of the Slug Club during his time as Hogwarts student. He was Head of the Goblin Liaison Office until Albert Runcorn exposed his falsification of his family tree and caused him to be sent to Azkaban. However, he escaped, but eventually was killed by Snatchers along with Ted Tonks and Gornuk the goblin.
• Amos Diggory: Father of Cedric Diggory. Works in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Unlike his son, who is quite modest, Amos likes to boast about his son's accomplishments and gives Harry a hard time (although in the film version of Goblet of Fire, he is presented as being quite amicable).
• Mafalda Hopkirk: Works in the Improper Use of Magic Office in the Ministry, and is responsible for sending out warnings when magic by the underaged is detected. In the final book, Hermione uses some of her hair to impersonate her to enter into the Ministry to steal Slytherin's locket.
• Griselda Marchbanks: An elder witch who resigned from the Wizengamot and was already working for the Wizarding Examinations Authority in Dumbledore's time as student. Marchbanks personally examines Harry and some of the students of his year's O.W.L.s.
• Bob Ogden: Rowling used a memory of his that Harry and Dumbledore witnessed to expose the background of the House of Gaunt, Voldemort's maternal family. He worked as a Magical Law Enforcer and was Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad before he died.
• Albert Runcorn: While his allegiance is never made explicit, it is implied that he is a supporter of the Death Eaters. In a discussion with Arthur Weasley, he is revealed to have discovered the falsified genealogy for Dirk Cresswell. Harry uses some of his hair to impersonate him to enter into the Ministry to steal Slytherin's locket.

Political commentary

Main article: Politics of Harry Potter

Some political commentators have seen J. K. Rowling's portrayal of the bureaucratised Ministry of Magic and the oppressive measures taken by the Ministry in the later books (like making attendance to Hogwarts compulsory and the "registration of Muggle-borns" with the Ministry) as allegorical to criticizing the state.^[11][12] Furthermore, under Voldemort's regime (which values Pure-Blood ancestry), the ministry is shown rounding up Muggle-born wizards and imprisoning them, likely even killing many. Many see this as a reference to past Nazi Germany, where they rounded up and massacred those who were not of pure, Aryan blood, most notably Jews among others (see Jewish Holocaust). Many see this as a testament against racism and fascism.

References

External links

• The HP-Lexicon talks about the various departments in The Ministry of Magic
• Mugglenet page on The Ministry of Magic

•  • e The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
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