History of the Ministry of Magic (+ALL Departments) - Harry Potter Explained

Hey guys, welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In this video, we’re going to be discussing the ministry of magic, or more specifically, all of the Departments and levels that exist within the ministry of magic. We hear different departments being namedropped on several occasions throughout the books films, but I’ve never really thought about how many there actually are. Are there any that we don’t know about?

“Perhaps there are some that have never been mentioned” I thought to myself

The ministry of magic is of course the primary form of government in the magical world - at least in the UK. Other countries have a similar structure of government, but have different names. I.e in the US there is MACUSA - The Magical Congress of the United States of America. Like a muggle government, the ministry’s responsibilities are vast, as they are the primary body that attempts to sustain law and order in the magical world. Like any system of government, in an effort to cover as much ground as possible, the primary governmental body is systematically divided to focus on different sectors of the wizarding world. The ministry of magic was formed

The governmental body in britain before the The Ministry of Magic was the wizards council, which was the longest-serving form of government that served britain. However, the wizards council lacked structure, and it was time for their antiquated system to spring forward in to an area. In the year 1707, the ministry of magic (that we now know) was formed, a newer and more modern form of government that could more appropriately address all of the concerns of the wizarding world, while simultaneously ensuring that the statute of secrecy was carefully upheld.

The CORE reason for the ministry’s existence, summed up quickly, is explained in this quick exchange between Harry and Hagrid in the Philosopher’s stone:

Rubeus Hagrid: "Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual."
Harry Potter: "There's a Ministry of Magic?"
Rubeus Hagrid: "Course. They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one. So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice."
Harry Potter: "But what does a Ministry of Magic do? "
Rubeus Hagrid: "Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country."
Harry Potter: "Why?"
Rubeus Hagrid: "Why? Blimey, Harry, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone."

This quote highlights that regardless of everything that they take on, their ultimate responsibility is to ensure that there is a harmonious and distinctly segregated relationship with the muggle world. Secrecy is of utmost importance, which is why there are such strict regulations around underage magic, and magic in the muggle world. If muggles knew of all that goes on in the wizarding world, then it could really cause quite the kafuffle.

However, while secrecy is important, and always takes highest priority, there are a number of sub-departments inside the ministry that function in order to achieve or uphold this ultimate goal. The ministry of magic has 7 separate departments in total, which are distributed amongst the 10 levels that the ministry building offers. One important thing to note is that as the entire Ministry is underground, the higher the floor number, the deeper the floor is. Level by level, let’s see what the ministry of magic physical location has to offer:

Level one:
Level one isn’t that interesting, and does not house any particular department. The first level is used primarily as office space for the minister of magic, who oversees all ministry operations, as well as other administrative staff.

Level two:
Level two houses the department of magical law enforcement, which is the largest department of the ministry. It’s arguably the most important department of the entire ministry, and is responsible for ensuring that all laws are upheld in britains wizarding community. Heads of this department have included Barty Crouch Sr, Amelia Bones, Pius Thicknesse, and others.

...Watch the video for the rest!

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Music by:
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Jacob A. Cadmus
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[HarryPotterTheory]

Thanks for watching guys! I've already written the script for an awesome theory video that I think you guys will really like. It's dropping tomorrow night!

[tinazhangg]

this channel never fails to impress me I am glad that people are still doing Harry Potter videos to this day

[justsomepersononyoutube]

Just imagine how happy Arthur wesealy would be when he finds out what the internet is

[ivanhunter]

i wish they added more levels to the ministry. It would've been nice to see the brain tape and the Unspeakable office

[kaenachoo]

Basically it’s the Harry Potter version of Area 51

[elisabailis]

Who was that guy who disliked the video, THIS WAS AWESOME.

[henryaustin]

@Harry Potter Theory Not sure if you've touched on these theories before but would be great to know a little more about: the Death Eaters, Voldemort refers to as Crabbe & Goyle in the graveyard (Goblet of Fire), and the quidditch reference made by Newth Scamander in FB & WTFT about being "more of a chaser" when asked if he is a seeker. Guess he was a chaser in his day?

Thanks & Great content as always

[realKnowItAll]

Why is your channel so great! Please keep up the great work

[Ds-nunm]

Hiyah, all POTTERHEADS! Merlin's beard the video is good and informative, I'd love more of these history based videos they are simply magica!

[yassi]

Your videos are absolutely sublime 💯✔️🌙✨

[MrWhiteLioness]

These levels are exactly how the psyche work.

[thepastcomesalive]

My favorite department in the Ministry of magic is the space chamber and the time chamber.

[human_boulder]

Why is Arthur Weasley looking so creepy in the thumbnail lol

[jakukuja]

Hell....










You fell for it fool, THUNDERCROSS SPLIT ATTACK

[sarfaraz]

I loved how MR Weasley behaves in the muggle world, the Underground subway, elevators lol

[Germ_f]

Likes: 141
Dislikes: 0
*I love democracy*

[jameswest]

How in Merlin's pants, Do you get more and more magnificent, with every Video HP theory 💯. How does one gain such knowledge.

[rocklyf]

Yay, new video to make up for a bad day at work

[magicweaver]

I love how you make harry's eyes green

[BrennySpain]

still cannot get over how underwhelming the deathly hallows parts 1 and 2 games for ps3 were. they both had so much potential but fell very flat I feel.