Wikipedia:

Ministry of Magic


Harry Potter association
Ministry.JPG
The Ministry of Magic
Headquarters London
Leader(s) Minister for Magic (see below)
Intentions To keep order in wizarding Britain, maintain its respectability.
Keep knowledge of wizarding world contained from Muggles
Enemies Dark witches and wizards, Death Eaters, criminals
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 by J.K. Rowling, overseeing the magical community of the United Kingdom; it is the successor organization in the UK to the earlier Wizards' Council, though other countries have their own ministries of magic. 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.

Composition and status

The first Harry Potter books gave the impression that the Ministry of Magic is a secret part of the British government, but as the series progressed it soon became clear that it is a full-fledged government on its own, exercising full jurisdiction (and in the seventh and, to a lesser extent, fifth books, a brutal dictatorship) over its own community, only pretending to be a part of the Muggle British government, and exercising only certain pro-forma duties and liaise with it. The ministry seems to be largely an unelected body; the only post specifically stated to be elected being that of minister, though by whom is not made clear. There is no explanation as to how this works within British consitutional conventions, wherein government ministers are appointed by the Monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister. Nevertheless, both the minister and the ministry as a whole are seen to be highly sensitive to, and reliant on public opinion, 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. In times of warfare, an Auror is assigned to secretly protect the Prime Minister (although the Prime Minister may not necessarily be told about it). Although the ministry would presumably want to keep up good relations with the Muggles, the behaviour of their delegates does not reflect this; most Ministers for Magic consider the Muggle Prime Minister to be beneath them and act in a patronising manner towards them.

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 appears to be little coherent separation of powers, and the judicial system is regularly seen to be subjected to political influences. Nevertheless, all depicted examples of judicial proceedings in the Ministry of Magic occur at or around times of upheaval and social unrest, which may be a deliberate reflection on the practices of real governments. 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 skillful representation. Whilst this mixture of powers is unusual in most democracies, 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, are also members of the legislature.

The wizarding courts often display a marked lack of interest in evidence for or against a suspect, often relying on personal prejudice to decide the outcome (another key objective is to get the trial over and done with as quickly as possible). Not all criminals are even given trials, as is mentioned by Sirius in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. 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. 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 mounting evidence to the contrary, 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 forced to admit to and respond to the situation, shortly after resulting in a change of minister. 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 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 of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. Though, this could have more to do with the fact that Britain was hosting the World Cup at the time.

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. Thicknesse was put in power by Voldemort 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)

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 past 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 favor 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, however, 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 honorable position to possess.
  • 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 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 agency and outside the control of the ministry, however since Dumbledore was unceremoniously removed from the position it demonstrates the great influence of the 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:

More than twenty service lifts stop at all floors between B1 and B9, inclusive. Stairways may provide access to all ten levels in the ministry. They must be used to access the courtrooms on floor B10.

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: 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 movie version of the fifth book in the series, 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.

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. The department was once headed by Bartemius Crouch Sr. 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 the day to day law offences.
  • 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 Artifacts 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.[1]
  • 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 fulfill 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). The job is seen as glamorous by some, 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 17, and starts as head of the department in 2007.[2]

According to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Transfiguration Professor Minerva McGonagall, to be accepted for Auror training, one has to have a minimum of 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 NEWT level. Then, prospective Aurors are required to 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". Annoyed by Dolores Umbridge's insistence that Harry will never become an Auror, McGonagall declares that she will give him whatever assistance and tutoring he requires in order to become one. Luna Lovegood, however, tells him she does not think he should be an Auror, as according to her, they are part of the Rotfang Conspiracy, working to bring down the Ministry from within using a combination of Dark Magic and periodontitis.

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 reissued.

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 themselves 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. Prior to 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:

Improper Use of Magic Office

The Improper Use of Magic Office is responsible for investigating offenses 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's 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 action will be taken by the Improper Use of Magic Office. 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. Harry later 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 in the vicinity of 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 court room 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-colored robes embroidered with the silver letter "W" while the court is in session.

Trials seem to be quite short. The defense 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 [1], 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 [1] in which he was removed from the post because of his insistence that Lord Voldemort had returned (he was reinstated by 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 unstated 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:

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 this latter task was performed by the Obliviators, according to their duty.

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. The act of memory modification can be used by any wizard, 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 can't be magically cleared up or completely removed from the minds of Muggles, or which Muggles don't 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 or an American Department of Motor Vehicles; 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:

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.

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.

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, 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 shelf 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, 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 cannot be unlocked by either the "Alohomora" spell or magical unlocking penknives. 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.

Sixteen years before Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,[1] 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 Halfblood 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 coming to pass: 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 the September of 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 got their magic illegally. However, this is almost certainly 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 as seen in the film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Enlarge
The Hall of Prophecies as seen in the film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

The Hall of Prophecies is located within the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic. The Hall of Prophecy 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."[5] These orbs are in fact prophecies, magical insights into the future.

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.'"#wp-_note-Fantastical_Beasts_and_Where_to_Find_Them">[6] ”

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 Statute of Wizarding Secrecy above, and 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.

The International Confederation of Wizards was formed by Pierre Bonaccord, who also became the first Supreme Mugwump. 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.

Political commentary

Some political commentators have seen J.K. Rowling's portrayal of the bureaucratized 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.[7][8] 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

  1. ^ a b c d Rowling, J. K. (2003). Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (in English). London: Bloomsbury/New York City: Scholastic, et al. UK ISBN 0747551006/U.S. ISBN 043935806X.
  2. ^ "New 'Wizard' for October", HPANA, 2007-09-30. Retrieved on 2007-10-01. 
  3. ^ Rowling, J. K. (2000). Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (in English). London: Bloomsbury/New York City: Scholastic, et al. UK ISBN 074754624X/U.S. ISBN 0439139597.
  4. ^ Rowling, J. K. (2005). Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (in English). London: Bloomsbury/New York City: Scholastic, et al. UK ISBN 0747581088/U.S. ISBN 0439784549.
  5. ^ OotP, chp 37
  6. ^ Rowling, J.K.: "A Brief History of Muggle Awareness of Fantastic Beasts", Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, 16(65):65.
  7. ^ Barton, Benjamin, Harry Potter and the Half-Crazed Bureaucracy, Social Science Research Network
  8. ^ The Anti-Government Message Is Being Spread Through Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Harry Potter vs. Compulsory Schooling at LewRockwell.com

External links

The Harry Potter Wiki has information related to:
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