Fletching

• Type: Supposed Ministry of Magic Department
• Location: Ministry of Magic (alleged)
• Owner/Residents: None (non-existent)
• Key Features: Not applicable (non-existent)

Fletching is a non-existent department within the Ministry of Magic. The name was fabricated on the spot by Ludo Bagman, the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, during the Quidditch World Cup in 1994. There is no evidence in canon that such a department has ever existed within the Ministry's structure.

The only mention of Fletching occurs in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. While at the Quidditch World Cup campsite, Ludo Bagman encounters a group of goblins to whom he owes a significant amount of gold. To avoid being recognized and pressed for payment, he gives the false name “Roddy Pontner” and, when asked for his department, claims to work in “Fletching.” Arthur Weasley, who was present during the exchange, immediately informed Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger that there was no department by that name at the Ministry of Magic. This incident serves as an early clue to the reader about Bagman's deep financial troubles and his dishonest methods of dealing with his creditors, which become a more significant plot point later in the book.

As a fabricated department, Fletching has no known areas.

In the non-magical world, “fletching” is the craft of fitting feathers or vanes to arrows or darts, which stabilize their flight. This is a fittingly plausible-sounding name for Ludo Bagman to invent, given his position as the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. The connection to archery, a classic sport, makes the name sound just credible enough for a quick deception.