Board of Governors

• Type: Governing Body
• Jurisdiction: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
• Known Members: Lucius Malfoy (formerly), eleven unnamed governors.

The Board of Governors of Hogwarts is a twelve-member group responsible for the general oversight of the school. The composition of the board suggests that its members are typically influential, wealthy, or politically connected witches and wizards from the community. The most prominent governor depicted in the series is Lucius Malfoy, who used his position to exert significant influence and pursue personal agendas. The other eleven members are portrayed as being more passive and susceptible to intimidation, as seen when Lucius Malfoy threatened their families to secure their votes. This implies that while the board as a whole has power, its effectiveness and integrity can be compromised by a single, powerful, and manipulative member.

The “usage” of the Board of Governors refers to its powers and responsibilities in governing Hogwarts. Their authority is primarily administrative and political, not magical in nature.

• Appointment and Suspension of Headmaster: The Board's most significant power is the ability to hire and fire the Headmaster of Hogwarts. A majority vote is required to pass such a resolution. This power was exercised when they suspended Albus Dumbledore in 1993.
• School Oversight: The governors are responsible for the general welfare and management of the school. However, the Headmaster, particularly a figure as powerful as Albus Dumbledore, seems to possess considerable day-to-day autonomy.
• Political Influence: Members can leverage their position to influence other wizarding bodies. Lucius Malfoy, for example, used his connections with his “old friends” on the board to apply pressure on the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures regarding Buckbeak's case.
• Limitations: The Board's authority is not absolute and can be superseded by the Ministry of Magic. During the 1995-1996 school year, the Ministry's Educational Decrees effectively stripped the Board of its power, culminating in the Ministry directly appointing Dolores Umbridge as Headmistress.

The Board of Governors plays a significant role at several points in the series, primarily through the actions of Lucius Malfoy. During the 1992-1993 school year, amidst the panic caused by the reopening of the Chamber of Secrets, Lucius Malfoy convinced the other eleven governors to suspend Albus Dumbledore. He argued that Dumbledore was not doing enough to stop the attacks on students and coerced the other members by threatening their families should they refuse to sign the order of suspension. Following Harry Potter's defeat of the basilisk and the exoneration of Rubeus Hagrid, the other governors swiftly turned on Lucius. They sent a flurry of owls to Dumbledore pleading for his return and voted to sack Lucius Malfoy from his position. In the 1993-1994 school year, although no longer a member, Lucius Malfoy successfully used his lingering influence with the remaining governors to ensure the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures ruled against Buckbeak the hippogriff. By the 1995-1996 school year, the Board's power was systematically dismantled by Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge and Dolores Umbridge. Through a series of Educational Decrees, the Ministry of Magic seized control of Hogwarts curriculum and staffing. The passing of Educational Decree Number Twenty-eight, which allowed the Ministry to install a new Head in Dumbledore's absence, completely circumvented the Board's traditional authority to appoint a Headmaster.

The Board of Governors primarily serves as a narrative device to illustrate the political landscape of the wizarding world and the pervasive, corrupting influence of individuals like Lucius Malfoy. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the Board's decision to suspend Dumbledore creates a power vacuum at Hogwarts, isolating Harry Potter and forcing him to confront the monster in the Chamber without the Headmaster's guidance. Their subsequent reversal and sacking of Lucius serves as a minor victory for the forces of good and a public humiliation for the Malfoy family. In later books, the Board's subjugation by the Ministry of Magic is a key indicator of the Ministry's slide into paranoia and authoritarianism, a central theme of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It demonstrates how established institutions could be easily overridden when the Ministry sought absolute control.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Lucius Malfoy delivers the suspension order in person to Dumbledore in his office, accompanied by Cornelius Fudge. In the novel, Dumbledore states he received “the requisite twelve owls” confirming his suspension, indicating the decision was delivered by post. (film)
• The full scope of the Board's duties, the process for selecting governors, and their term lengths are not detailed in the original seven novels.