Head of Department

"​[…] as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Thicknesse has regular contact not only with the Minister himself, but also with the Heads of all the other Ministry departments."

— Corban Yaxley, concerning Pius Thicknesse's post as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement

Justus Pilliwickle, celebrated Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement

A Head of Department was, in the British Ministry of Magic hierarchical structure, the most senior official within each of the Ministry's seven departments.

The Heads of Department answered to the Minister for Magic, and were all in some degree answerable to the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the largest department in the Ministry. As such, all these top Ministry officials had regular contact.

The heads of the several offices and divisions within each department answered to their respective Head of Department.

Known Heads of Department

Department	Heads	Notes
Department of Magical Law Enforcement	Justus Pilliwickle	Successful Head; late 19th or early 20th century
	Torquil Travers	c. 1927
	Bartemius Crouch Senior	During the height of the First Wizarding War; was later Head of International Magical Co-operation
	Amelia Bones	Early-to-mid 1990s
	Pius Thicknesse	Imperiused as part of the "smooth and virtually silent" coup led by Death Eaters; was later Minister for Magic
	Corban Yaxley	During the Death Eater regime in 1997-1998
	Arthur Weasley (possible)	In office pre-2020
	Harry Potter	In office by 2020
Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures	Gethsemane Prickle
Department of International Magical Co-operation	Bartemius Crouch Senior	Shunted sideways to Department of International Magical Co-operation after he lost his popularity over his son's imprisonment while he was Head of Magical Law Enforcement; had previously been a preferred candidate for Minister for Magic.
Department of Magical Transportation	Unidentified Head of Magical Transportation
	Percy Weasley	Became Head at some point in or before 2014
Department of Magical Games and Sports	Hamish MacFarlan	c. 1968
	Ludovic Bagman	c. 1994-1995
Department of Mysteries	Gareth Greengrass	Head Unspeakable at the Department of Mysteries, and one of the members of the council overseeing the investigation into the disappearance of the London Five in 2015.

Behind the scenes

• No Head of the Minister for Magic and Support Staff department is ever mentioned; it is possible it is headed by the Minister for Magic himself or, perhaps, by his Senior Undersecretary.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) (Appears on a Famous Wizard Card)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game) (Appears on a Famous Wizard Card)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (play)
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Mentioned only)
• Pottermore
• Harry Potter (website)
• Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• Fantastic Beasts: Cases from the Wizarding World
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite