Educational Decree Number Twenty-Three

• Type: Ministry of Magic Educational Decree
• Issuer: Ministry of Magic
• Authorised by: Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic
• Purpose: To create the post of Hogwarts High Inquisitor and grant this individual the power to inspect, place on probation, and dismiss any Hogwarts educator.

Educational Decree Number Twenty-Three was issued in the form of an official notice from the Ministry of Magic. At Hogwarts, a small, framed notice materialised on the notice boards of the House common rooms. The decree was formally worded and bore the signature of Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic. Its contents were also published in the Daily Prophet, which is how Hermione Granger first learned of its existence.

The full text of the decree, as read from the Daily Prophet, established the creation of a new position at Hogwarts: the Hogwarts High Inquisitor. The decree's primary function was to grant this Inquisitor extraordinary powers over the school's faculty. The core content of the decree stipulated:

• The appointment of Dolores Umbridge as the first Hogwarts High Inquisitor.
• The authority for the High Inquisitor to inspect her fellow educators.
• The power to assess whether teachers were performing their duties to the standards set by the Ministry of Magic.
• The power to place teachers on probation or dismiss them entirely.

The immediate effect of this decree was the formalisation of the Ministry's interference at Hogwarts. It gave Dolores Umbridge a legitimate platform from which to intimidate and undermine the teachers, particularly those loyal to Albus Dumbledore. Her classroom inspections began almost immediately, creating an atmosphere of intense scrutiny and anxiety among the staff.

Educational Decree Number Twenty-Three was passed by the Ministry of Magic in the autumn of 1995. Its passage was a direct response to the Ministry's fear that Albus Dumbledore was using Hogwarts as a base to train an army against them.

1. The first hint of the decree came from Percy Weasley in a letter to his brother Ron Weasley, where he advised Ron to sever ties with Harry Potter and align himself with Umbridge, alluding to upcoming Ministry-led reforms at the school.
2. Hermione Granger discovered the decree's existence by reading the Daily Prophet in the Gryffindor common room.
3. Shortly after, a notice confirming the decree was posted on school notice boards, solidifying Umbridge's new role.

This decree was the first in a wave of Educational Decrees designed to strip Dumbledore of his authority and place Hogwarts under Ministry control. It was followed by others, such as Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four, which disbanded all unapproved student societies, and Educational Decree Number Twenty-Six, which forbade teachers from discussing anything outside their subject matter with students.

Educational Decree Number Twenty-Three is a pivotal plot device in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It represents the Ministry's first direct and official assault on Albus Dumbledore's authority and the autonomy of Hogwarts. By establishing Dolores Umbridge as the High Inquisitor, the decree provides the legal framework for her campaign of control. This power leads directly to her hostile inspection of Sybill Trelawney's Divination class and her subsequent public sacking of Trelawney. This act, in turn, prompts a key act of defiance from Dumbledore: he invokes his own authority as Headmaster to appoint the centaur Firenze as the new Divination teacher, infuriating both Umbridge and the Ministry. The decree is the foundational step in a power struggle that eventually sees Dumbledore temporarily forced out of the school and Umbridge appointed Headmistress.

In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the implementation of the Educational Decrees is depicted as a major visual motif. Argus Filch is shown laboriously hanging each new framed decree on a large stone wall in a prominent Hogwarts corridor. The decrees magically affix themselves to the wall with a loud bang, and as more are added, they form an imposing “wall of rules” that symbolises the oppressive and growing control of the Ministry of Magic over the school. (film)