Government Office

• Type: Workspace, Bureaucratic Office
• Location: Primarily within the various levels of the Ministry of Magic headquarters in London, England.
• Owner/Residents: Varies by office and department. Notable occupants include Arthur Weasley, Dolores Umbridge, Percy Weasley, Amos Diggory, and Mafalda Hopkirk.
• Key Features: Typically small, often cramped, and sometimes windowless, particularly those in lower levels or basements. Some offices feature magically enchanted windows displaying weather of the owner's choosing. The decor and state of tidiness vary greatly, reflecting the occupant's personality, status, and the importance of their department.

A government office within the Ministry of Magic serves as the primary workspace for most Ministry employees. These offices are situated along the corridors of the Ministry's ten underground levels, with an office's size, location, and furnishings often indicating the occupant's rank and influence. Many of the described offices are notably small and cluttered. For example, Arthur Weasley's office for the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office is a tiny, windowless room in the basement, crammed with various Muggle items he is studying, such as plugs, batteries, and a toaster. Similarly, Amos Diggory's office is described as cramped. Percy Weasley, upon his promotion to Junior Assistant to the Minister for Magic, was given a very small office, which he nonetheless kept immaculately tidy, reflecting his ambitious and fastidious nature. In stark contrast, the office of a high-ranking official like Dolores Umbridge, the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic, was lavishly and distastefully decorated. It featured lacy cloths, dried flowers, and numerous ornamental plates, each adorned with a garishly colored, moving kitten. This decor sharply contrasted with her cruel personality and served as a disarming facade. Communication between offices is often conducted via Interdepartmental Memos, which are enchanted pieces of violet paper folded into paper airplanes that fly through the corridors to their destination.

Government offices within the Ministry of Magic primarily serve as settings that reveal character traits and expose the inner workings and bureaucratic culture of the wizarding government.

• Characterisation: The state of an individual's office provides significant insight into their personality. Arthur Weasley's cluttered, Muggle-filled workspace highlights his genuine curiosity and the low-priority status of his department. Conversely, Dolores Umbridge's sickeningly sweet office decor creates a memorable and unsettling portrait of her deceptive nature.
• Plot Settings: Key events occur within these offices. Harry Potter visits Arthur Weasley's office before his disciplinary hearing in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, where he gets a firsthand look at the Ministry's internal environment. He is also taken to Dolores Umbridge's office before this hearing. Later in the same book, Harry has a false vision of Voldemort torturing Sirius Black in a nondescript office within the Department of Mysteries. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger infiltrate several offices, including Umbridge's, while disguised, in their search for Salazar Slytherin's Locket.

While “Government Office” is a general term, several specific offices are described in the novels. Notable examples located within the Ministry of Magic include:

• The office of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, occupied by Arthur Weasley.
• The office of the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic, occupied by Dolores Umbridge.
• The office of the Junior Assistant to the Minister for Magic, occupied by Percy Weasley.
• The office of the Improper Use of Magic Office, from which Mafalda Hopkirk sends official correspondence.
• Regulus Black's brother, Sirius Black, had a poster of a bikini-clad Muggle girl in his room, which his mother, Walburga, was unable to remove due to a Permanent Sticking Charm. He also decorated his room with numerous Gryffindor banners and a picture of the four Marauders, to the great displeasure of his family.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the visual design of the offices is highly detailed. Arthur Weasley's office is depicted as an incredibly cramped space overflowing with Muggle technology, while Dolores Umbridge's office is overwhelmingly pink, and the kitten plates are animated with disturbing realism. (film)
• The Interdepartmental Memos, the primary form of office correspondence, are visualized in the films as a constant stream of paper airplanes soaring through the Ministry of Magic's atrium and corridors, reinforcing the sense of a massive, bustling bureaucracy. (film)