Improper Use of Magic Office
The Improper Use of Magic Office is a division of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic. Its operations work with criminal law, though specialists from other types of law as well as other fields relevant to criminal law are welcome to the Office.
This article was originally edited from the Harry Potter Wiki:Improper Use of Magic Office article.
Related Links
Plot Development Thread: Agents of the IUM
Functions
Statute of Secrecy Regulation
The office is responsible for enforcing and regulating the violations of the International Confederation of Wizards' Statute of Secrecy, arguably the most prominent international wizarding law of them all which prohibits wizards and witches from performing magic in the presence of Muggles or in a Muggle-inhabited area, and of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, that restricts underage wizards from performing magic outside school.
Upon receiving intelligence of a transgression, a note is sent to the offender detailing actions that will be taken by the office. In those cases where infringement is severe, the office may dispatch Ministry representatives to take legal affair, and in the absolutely worst cases, they may have to immediately destroy the accused's wand, or the offender may be referred to the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for an official disciplinary hearing to reach an official decision as to imprisonment and destruction of the accused's wand — although high-profile cases are known to have taken place before the whole Wizengamot, this is highly unusual.
A notable example on their daily work was how the Office was tasked with taking action against the activist Carlotta Pinkstone, who deliberately used magic indiscriminately in public places, in full sight of Muggles, and as a result, she was object of a long series of convictions and imprisonments in the wizarding prison of Azkaban.
While focusing on breaches of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, it keeps a particular focus on witches or wizards living in an area inhabited by Muggles. In these cases, first-time offenders are usually let off with a warning while extreme cases may require them to take legal action against the person in question.
Improper Use of Magic
The definition of 'improper use of magic' is by far a broad paintbrush, but the Office defines it as the use of magic with malicious and/or criminal intent, both within and outside of wizarding society. This definition has caused cases to have additional charges and more severe sentences dealt against the defendant whereby previously cases would have verdicts given due to the act of the crime rather than the use of magic involved.
Regulation of Usage of Magic Within the Ministry
As part of the Department of Law Enforcement, the IUM has posited itself as a (relatively small) body within the Ministry where it is responsible for investigating any misuse of magic within the Ministry, with intentions to strip out corruption within the employees and prevent abuse of power towards the citizenry.
As of current times the Office is still subject to bringing cases to the Head of the department for review and permission in deploying the appropriate forces to carry out arrests and investigations due to its small manpower.
This function of the IUM is similar to the Police Complaints Authority (UK) or Internal Affairs (US).
The Office
Physical office is located directly opposite the Wizengamot Administration Services, with its back to the Temporary Detention Cells. Right next to it is the Domestic Offices of Law, where some employees of the Office (mostly clerks) work since the IUM doesn't have that much space. Senior officers and people trusted most by Mordecai Hollingbury have their desks situated within that space. It is small enough that eavesdropping requires little to no effort, which leads to a select few being present in the office at any given time for private matters.
Within the Office is what is known as the Board. Built against one of the walls of the office, it displays a map of Great Britain and all cities, towns and magical landmarks. Because this makes a map very cluttered, each type of location (city, town, uninhabited landmark) is displayed on its own layer that can be switched to display with a wand. The Board is said to also reveal Unplottable places, but this requires the approval and presence of the Head of the IUM as the ward protecting that type of location can only be removed by him. Each location on the Board, regardless of layer, is depicted by spots of bright blue and connected together by thin lines.
The Board's function is to track any use of magic in an out-of-place (such as magic in a confirmed Muggle area) capacity and/or with regards to the Trace. When no such event has been detected, the Board is dim and appears to be simply an old map. In the event of a detection of magic, the Board lights up, displays the layer with the specific type of location where the event has taken place in proximity and sends red light running along all lines connected to that location.
The Board also doubles as a corkboard for notes, though when it gets hectic the Board can end up being covered in notes until activity dies down.
The IUM has one magical window that appears and disappears on command. It takes up the length of the wall opposite the desk of the Head.
Office Culture
Due to limited space within the physical office, nearly every single conversation can be accidentally eavesdropped on unless the conversers depart for a more private space. Hence there are no secrets to be had within the IUM in terms of work or politics, unless held under a non-disclosure agreement (in the case of Dieter Morgenstern) regarding sensitive material.
As a result, everyone is friendly with each other. The IUM feels very family-like - they will stand up for each other, and also welcome others into their fold. Despite their role within the Ministry and taking their jobs seriously, they will, most of the time, remain friendly and accommodating as much as possible. Friendly banter and arguments are common, as well as a level of familiarity; an employee closing themselves off will generate suspicion. The principle is that since they're in this job together, they have to stick together since their tasks are not easy and acceptance from the rest of the Ministry is hard won.
Within themselves they also keep an eye out. The answer to "Who watches the watchman?" in this office is "each other".
Staff
Current
- Head: Mordecai Hollingbury
- Deputy Head: Sameera Taylor
- Forensic Investigator/Analyst: Dieter Morgenstern (NPC)
Former
- Jacob Dorian, Intern
