In the Harry Potter series, the Ministry of Magic was the majority employer of the Wizarding World, with many Hogwarts graduates working in the government. Although lax and corrupt at times, the Ministry did some things right on occasion, with certain departments and offices running fairly.
While there were seven overall departments, the functions of offices under them were so autonomous that they were largely perceived as departments of their own. Some worked well in tandem for the departments to be considered altogether, while other offices didn’t follow this practice. This is why it’s worth checking out which ones did their jobs well and which were the worst at it.
Worst: Muggle Liaison Office
There are a number of likable Muggles in the series, none of whom had any connection with the Wizarding World other than through family members who were witches or wizards. The Muggle Liaison Office is supposed to bridge this gap yet they did nothing.
Their job was meant to be responsible for Wizard-Muggle relations, yet it was confirmed that a teacher from Hogwarts was the one who contacted Muggle-Borns. Since Muggles weren’t part of the Wizarding World in general, it’s clear the Muggle Liaison Office didn’t do much of anything.
Best: Auror Office
The office that saw the most success was this one, as the number of Aurors and Hit Wizards were largely successful and competent in dealing with dark wizards. The likes of Kingsley Shackelbot, Mad-Eye Moody, Tonks, and others were all able, along with having a sense of integrity.
The Aurors were also credited with rounding up most of the Death Eaters, with the ones that were let go not being their mistake since their job was to apprehend them and not convict them. Under Harry’s role as head of this department, the Auror Office soared to new heights.
Worst: Wizengamot
Being the high court of law, one would assume the Wizengamot to be the best one to function. However, that was hardly the case as the department was rampant with corruption that easily overruled the good personalities within it, and let off evil wizards like Lucius Malfoy due to his influence.
The Wizengamot easily disposed of its Chief Warlock in Albus Dumbledore to make a mockery out of Harry's hearing, with only Dumbledore’s keen lawyer skills getting Harry cleared. The Wizengamot also authorized the use of illegal spells during the Wizarding War, along with easily being overthrown by negative personalities like Dolores Umbridge to wrongfully convict witches and wizards.
Best: Improper Use Of Magic Office
Although the office was seen in a negative light from Harry’s point of view, it did do its job well by identifying when an underage witch or wizard was in breach of using magic. The trace placed on these teenagers and children worked to perfection as well, with Harry only being able to use magic after his seventeenth birthday.
The office was relatively fair in assessment as well, seeing as Harry was let off with a warning in Chamber of Secrets. Harry being faulted for Dobby’s magic wasn’t the office’s fault since it only had knowledge of Harry being a wizard there.
Worst: Department Of Mysteries
It’s rather strange that the Harry Potter movies cut characters in this department for no reason, although the Department of Mysteries itself was shown. The place was overall unneeded, along with numerous unethical practices shown, such as experiments on brains and attempts at reversing death.
The lack of power over this department even for the Minister of Magic made it too dangerous, as the confidential research seemed to point toward more bad than good. The secrecy also allowed Death Eaters to use this department to plant their own mole in the Ministry, Augustus Rookwood.
Best: Obliviator Headquarters
The Obliviators might be the employees who have a perfect track record, having operated for centuries without any breaches. They were shown to be immediate responders as well, appearing instantly after a catastrophe to modify the memories of Muggles.
Considering how many dark wizards, hooligans, and accidental uses of magic were out there, the Obliviator Headquarters most likely had to work full time to ensure the smooth flow of life between Muggles and Wizards. The fact that the spell is so complex even Hermione was unsure of it proves how difficult the work was, making the Obliviator Headquarters’ track record more impressive.
Worst: Department Of International Magical Cooperation
Rather than single out any specific offices here, the whole department was a shambles. After all, the Wizarding World was heavily divided by their countries to the point where many students weren’t even aware of there being other Wizarding schools.
Under Barty Crouch, international relations were a joke as wizards from different nationalities had no real respect for one another, with the Bulgarian Minister of Magic pretending not to understand English just to make fun of the British Minister of Magic. Not to mention how segregated the camps in the Quidditch World Cup were, meaning relations between countries were poor at best.
Best: Department of Magical Transportation
Before the Death Eaters seized the Floo Network, this was a pretty able department as traveling from one place to another was generally authorized. The Apparition Test Centre, in particular, was competent since they would be quick to arrive when someone had splinched.
The Floo Network between sensitive areas like Hogwarts and the Ministry were largely guarded, while the Portkey Office had done a tremendous job at ensuring wizards from all around the world arrived for the World Cup safely and departed in the same manner.
Worst: Department For The Regulation And Control Of Magical Creatures
The only reason book readers know about Dobby is due to Harry’s friendship with the house-elf, and not because Harry learned anything about the species from the Wizarding World. In fact, all beings other than humans were largely treated as second-class citizens at best.
This department encouraged keeping house-elves as slaves, classifying Centaurs and Merpeople as beasts, and passing a law that made it nearly impossible for werewolves to get jobs. Goblins continued to be prejudiced against wizards, proving that nobody other than wizards themselves considered this department to be useful.
Best: Misuse Of Muggle Artefacts Office
Considered as something of a joke within the Ministry, this office actually did its job very well in handling Muggles both good and bad. Arthur Weasley was shown working overtime if need be to ensure Muggle artifacts were free from curses, with a clean record of getting things right.
The biggest accomplishment of this office was the passing of the Muggle Protection Act, which greatly restricted dark items that wizards could carry in order to ensure that unsuspecting Muggles would be safe from harm.