Ministry of Magic

• Type: Governmental Body Headquarters
• Location: Underground, Whitehall, London, England, Great Britain
• Owner/Residents: The British wizarding community; led by the Minister for Magic.
• Key Features: Multi-level subterranean complex, heavily protected by magic, contains numerous departments, courtrooms, and the enigmatic Department of Mysteries.

The Ministry of Magic is the main governing body for the magical community of Great Britain. Its primary responsibility is to preserve the International Statute of Secrecy, which conceals the magical world from Muggles. The Ministry has executive, legislative, and judicial powers, handling everything from law enforcement and international relations to the regulation of magical creatures and transportation. (The Ministry was formally established in 1707, succeeding the earlier Wizards' Council) (Pottermore). The Ministry's headquarters is a vast, enchanted building located deep beneath Muggle London. Visitors typically enter through a derelict red telephone box, which functions as a lift after dialing the code 62442 (M-A-G-I-C). This takes them to the Atrium on Level Eight, a grand hall with a polished dark wood floor and a peacock-blue ceiling inlaid with shifting golden symbols. Originally, the centrepiece of the Atrium was the Fountain of Magical Brethren, featuring golden statues of a wizard, a witch, a centaur, a goblin, and a house-elf. During Lord Voldemort's control, this was replaced with a grim monument of a witch and wizard sitting on thrones made of Muggles, under the slogan “Magic is Might.” Ministry employees historically used other, more discreet entrances, such as flushing themselves down specific toilets connected to the Floo Network, though this method was discontinued for security reasons during the Second Wizarding War. Apparition is also possible directly into and out of the Atrium. Throughout its history, the Ministry has faced numerous crises, most notably the two wizarding wars against Lord Voldemort. Under the leadership of Cornelius Fudge, the Ministry spent a year denying Voldemort's return, orchestrating a smear campaign against Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore. After the Battle of the Department of Mysteries provided undeniable proof of Voldemort's return, Fudge was replaced by Rufus Scrimgeour. In 1997, the Ministry fell when Scrimgeour was murdered, and Pius Thicknesse, acting under the Imperius Curse, was installed as a puppet Minister. The Ministry was liberated following Voldemort's defeat at the Battle of Hogwarts, with Kingsley Shacklebolt appointed as the new, permanent Minister for Magic.

The Ministry of Magic serves as a representation of political power, bureaucracy, and institutional fallibility in the wizarding world. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, it acts as a primary antagonist, as its refusal to accept Lord Voldemort's return leads it to persecute Harry Potter and undermine Albus Dumbledore. Harry's disciplinary hearing for casting a Patronus Charm in the presence of a Muggle showcases the Ministry's capacity for corruption and prejudice. The headquarters becomes the setting for a major climax in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, where Dumbledore's Army clashes with Death Eaters, forcing the Ministry to confront the truth. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the fallen Ministry becomes an instrument of terror. Under Voldemort's control, it enforces a totalitarian, pure-blood supremacist ideology, most notably through the Muggle-Born Registration Commission led by Dolores Umbridge. The infiltration of the Ministry by Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger to retrieve Salazar Slytherin's Locket is a pivotal moment in their hunt for Horcruxes. The eventual reformation of the Ministry under Kingsley Shacklebolt symbolizes a hopeful future for a more just and unified wizarding society.

The Ministry is structured into ten known levels, each housing various departments and offices.

1. Level One: Minister for Magic and Support Staff. This level houses the office of the Minister for Magic and their closest advisors.
2. Level Two: Department of Magical Law Enforcement. One of the most important departments, it includes the Auror Headquarters, the Improper Use of Magic Office, the Administrative Registration Department, and the Wizengamot Administration Services.
3. Level Three: Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. This department is responsible for cleaning up magical mishaps. It contains the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, Obliviator Headquarters, and the Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee.
4. Level Four: Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. It is divided into Beast, Being, and Spirit Divisions and handles affairs concerning all non-human magical beings and creatures.
5. Level Five: Department of International Magical Cooperation. This department works to establish magical treaties and cooperate with the wizarding governments of other countries. It contains the International Magical Trading Standards Body and the British seats on the International Confederation of Wizards.
6. Level Six: Department of Magical Transportation. It regulates all forms of magical transport, containing the Floo Network Authority, Broom Regulatory Control, the Portkey Office, and the Apparition Test Centre.
7. Level Seven: Department of Magical Games and Sports. This department oversees sporting events like the Quidditch World Cup and regulates magical games. It includes the British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters.
8. Level Eight: The Atrium. The main entrance hall and reception area for the Ministry.
9. Level Nine: Department of Mysteries. A top-secret department where Unspeakables study the fundamental mysteries of life, death, time, and magic. It contains rooms such as the Brain Room, the Death Chamber with its veiled archway, and the Hall of Prophecy.
10. Level Ten: Wizengamot Courtrooms. Accessed via a lift from Level Nine, these dungeons are where the Wizengamot high court holds its most serious trials.

• In the film adaptations, the visitor's entrance is depicted as a red telephone box that sinks into the ground like an elevator, rather than a stationary lift. (film)
• The employee entrance is shown in the film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as employees arriving through fireplaces inside toilet stalls, while in the book they flush themselves down the toilets. (film)
• The Atrium in the films is vastly larger than described in the books, rendered with gleaming black tiles and a much more imposing, modern aesthetic. (film)
• J.K. Rowling has published extensive information on past Ministers for Magic and the history of the Ministry on the Pottermore/Wizarding World website. (Pottermore)