Committee for Experimental Charms

• Type: Governmental Body, Committee
• Purpose: To regulate and provide clearance for the use of experimental, complex, or potentially dangerous Charms, particularly those that interact with the Muggle world.
• Headquarters: Assumed to be within the Ministry of Magic in London.
• Known Members: None are identified in the novels.

The Committee for Experimental Charms is a regulatory body within the Ministry of Magic responsible for overseeing the use of certain types of magic. Its existence is revealed by Arthur Weasley in 1992 when explaining the risks associated with his flying Ford Anglia to Harry Potter. According to Mr. Weasley, if he and his family were stopped by a Muggle policeman while in the enchanted car, they would need to obtain a “top secret clearance” from the Committee before they could legally perform a Memory Charm (Obliviate) on the officer. This indicates that the Committee holds significant authority over spells that could breach the International Statute of Secrecy and require careful, high-level approval. The name of the committee suggests its mandate extends beyond just Memory Charms. It likely presides over the creation, testing, and implementation of new or unusually powerful Charms to ensure they are not misused or dangerously unstable. It functions as a crucial part of the Ministry's legal and safety framework, preventing wizards from experimenting with magic without proper oversight.

The Committee's primary role in the narrative is to deepen the world-building of the wizarding community, illustrating the intricate bureaucracy of the Ministry of Magic. Its mention by Arthur Weasley serves several purposes:

• It establishes the strict legal consequences for the misuse of magic, especially concerning Muggles.
• It highlights the internal conflict for Arthur Weasley, a law-abiding Ministry official who is nevertheless fascinated by Muggle artefacts to the point of illegally enchanting them.
• It provides a logical, in-universe explanation for why wizards cannot simply use magic to solve every problem without facing repercussions from their own government.

The Committee for Experimental Charms is mentioned only once in the original seven novels and has not been elaborated upon in supplementary materials such as the films, Pottermore, or interviews with J.K. Rowling.