Wizarding Courtrooms

• Type: Judicial Chamber
• Location: Level Ten, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Ministry of Magic, London, England
• Owner/Residents: Ministry of Magic; presided over by the Wizengamot
• Key Features: Dungeon-like atmosphere, dark stone walls, torch lighting, tiered benches for the court, and a central chair for the accused equipped with magical self-binding chains.

Wizarding courtrooms are chambers located on Level Ten of the Ministry of Magic, used for formal legal proceedings and criminal trials conducted by the Wizengamot. The most described example is Courtroom Ten, which has a grim and intimidating appearance. The walls are made of dark stone, and the room is lit only by torches, creating an environment reminiscent of a dungeon. The layout is that of an amphitheater. High, tiered benches rise in rows on all sides, where the fifty or so members of the Wizengamot sit during a trial, looking down upon the accused. In the center of the room is a single, isolated chair. When the accused sits in this chair, magical chains emerge from the armrests with a “faint, metallic whisper,” binding them securely for the duration of the hearing. There is no other furniture in the room, and no visible windows, contributing to a feeling of coldness and isolation. These courtrooms have a long history of holding significant trials. After the First Wizarding War, many captured Death Eaters were tried here. Through Albus Dumbledore's Pensieve, Harry Potter witnessed the trials of Igor Karkaroff, who secured a lighter sentence by providing names of other Death Eaters, and the group consisting of Barty Crouch Jr., Bellatrix Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange, and Rabastan Lestrange, who were sentenced to Azkaban for torturing Frank Longbottom and Alice Longbottom into insanity. During the Second Wizarding War, the function of the courtrooms was corrupted. After Lord Voldemort's takeover of the Ministry of Magic, these chambers were used by the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, led by Dolores Umbridge. In these sham trials, innocent Muggle-born witches and wizards were falsely accused of stealing magic and sentenced to Azkaban, while Dementors hovered in the chamber to feed on their despair.

• In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter first encounters a courtroom through Dumbledore's Pensieve memories. These memories provide crucial exposition on the aftermath of the First Wizarding War, revealing the fates of key Death Eaters like Barty Crouch Jr. and establishing the ruthless character of figures like Bellatrix Lestrange. It also highlights the Ministry's past dealings, such as making bargains with captured Death Eaters like Igor Karkaroff.
• In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Courtroom Ten is the setting for Harry's disciplinary hearing for casting a Patronus Charm in the presence of a Muggle. The event showcases the Ministry of Magic's corruption under Cornelius Fudge, who attempts to use the trial to discredit Harry and Dumbledore. The trial is a pivotal moment, forcing Dumbledore to appear publicly in Harry's defense and revealing Arabella Figg's role as a Squib watching over Harry. Harry's acquittal is a significant, albeit temporary, victory against the Ministry's smear campaign.
• In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger infiltrate a courtroom trial being conducted by the Muggle-Born Registration Commission. The scene demonstrates the complete perversion of justice under Voldemort's rule. The trio intervenes to free the Muggle-born victims and stun Dolores Umbridge and Yaxley, retrieving Salazar Slytherin's Locket from Umbridge in the process.

• The courtrooms seen in the film adaptations differ visually from the book's description. In the film version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the trial chamber is a vast, spherical cage that is mechanically lowered into a huge chasm for the proceedings (film).
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Courtroom Ten is depicted as a massive, circular chamber with green and black tiles, far larger and more open than the dungeon-like room described in the novel (film).
• According to Pottermore, the Wizengamot predates the Ministry of Magic itself, having evolved from the earlier Wizards' Council. This implies that some form of judicial chamber for wizarding law has existed for centuries (Pottermore).