Houses of Parliament

• Type: Muggle Government Building
• Location: Westminster, London, England
• Owner/Residents: The Muggle Government of the United Kingdom
• Key Features: The seat of Muggle Parliament, a prominent landmark in London situated in close proximity to the hidden Ministry of Magic.

The Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster, is the central building of the Muggle government in the United Kingdom. It is an iconic landmark in central London, located on the bank of the River Thames. In the wizarding world, its significance lies in its close proximity to the Ministry of Magic, which is located deep underground beneath the area of Whitehall. This geographical closeness symbolizes the parallel, yet separate, governance of the Muggle and wizarding communities in Britain. The visitor's entrance to the Ministry of Magic during the 1990s, a disused red telephone box, was located on a nearby street, placing wizards conducting Ministry business very near the heart of Muggle political power.

The Houses of Parliament is the setting for a notable incident that highlighted the escalating chaos at the beginning of the Second Wizarding War. In the summer of 1996, Herbert Chorley, a Junior Minister in the Muggle government, was placed under a poorly performed Imperius Curse by Lord Voldemort's followers. As a result of this curse, Chorley behaved erratically, culminating in an event where he “made a fool of himself by imitating a duck in the middle of the Houses of Parliament.” This bizarre public display was one of several magical calamities that the Muggle Prime Minister had to contend with. The Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, later explained the magical nature of the incident to the Prime Minister, revealing it as part of the Death Eaters' campaign to create disruption and terror in the Muggle world. Herbert Chorley was subsequently sent to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries for treatment.

The novels do not describe any specific rooms or chambers within the Houses of Parliament. The incident involving Herbert Chorley is only said to have taken place in “the middle of the Houses of Parliament.”

• J.K. Rowling's choice to place the Ministry of Magic beneath the real-world heart of the British government in Whitehall establishes a direct, if secret, link between the two seats of power.
• In the film adaptation of *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*, the Houses of Parliament and the surrounding area are shown when Harry Potter and Arthur Weasley travel to the Ministry of Magic for Harry's hearing, visually emphasizing the proximity of the two governments (film).
• The building is also briefly visible in an establishing shot of London in the film adaptation of *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1* after Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger escape the attack at the Burrow (film).