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The Harry Potterseries is one of the most beloved book and movie franchises in history. However, there is a lot about the series that both fans and critics didn’t particularly enjoy. One of the biggest issues fans and critics have voiced about the series is the upholding of the corrupt status quo in the Wizarding World. Throughout the novels, the Ministry of Magic is shown to be an incredibly corrupt system, constantly holding systemic power over other species in the Wizarding World while constantly trying to maintain a good public image.

Several main characters of the series, particularly Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger, often voice their disdain for the Ministry, meaning the reader should understand that it is not a good system. However, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child revealed that both Harry and Hermione ended up joining the Ministry in high-standing positions. With HBO planning to reboot the series, there is an opportunity to rectify this while still remaining book-accurate, as the upcoming series heavily markets itself to be.

The Ministry of Magic in Harry Potter

The Ministry Is Painted in a Negative Light in the Later Novels

Image Via Warner Bros.

When Harry Potter first enters the Wizarding World, it is presented to the reader/viewer as a whimsical, magical world full of wizards and magical creatures, where Harry is finally accepted after spending his entire childhood feeling like an outsider. However, as the books progress and the tone of the series matures, readers start to see the less positive aspects of the Wizarding World, with the Ministry of Magic being a major player. While the villains of the series are clearly Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters, the Ministry of Magic are certainly not the ‘good guys’ the reader is to initially believe.

The Ministry of Magic was founded in 1707 CE.

The Ministry really starts being painted in a negative light at the end of Goblet of Fire, when Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge refuses to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned. This thread is then further explored in Order of the Phoenix, with the Ministry doing whatever it takes to silence Harry and maintain their good public image of having everything under control. The large fountain statue Harry sees when he first visits the Ministry is a perfect example of the systemic issues with the Wizarding government, with the statue depicting a triumphant wizard standing above a centaur, a goblin, and a house elf who all look up at him, showcasing the Wizarding World’s tendency to belittle non-human races. Despite the later novels showing how corrupt the ministry is, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, confirmed that both Harry Potter and Hermione Granger went on to join the Ministry, and very little explanation is given in the text about whether positive changes have been made.

Harry’s Desire to Become an Auror

Harry Shows Interest in the Career From Goblet of Fire

Image via Warner Bros. 

Harry first shows interest in becoming an Auror in Goblet of Fire when he meets former Auror Alastor Moody (Barty Crouch Jr. in disguise), who suggests Harry should pursue the career due to his skills in Defense Against the Dark Arts. This subplot is then further explored in Order of the Phoenix when Harry attends a career counseling session with Minerva McGonagall, confirming that this is the career he wants to go into after his studies. Harry, in his sixth year, starts attending all the classes required for the Auror qualification at N.E.W.T. level, showing that he was serious about his ambition.

“Have you had any thoughts about what you would like to do after you leave Hogwarts?”

“Er,” said Harry.

He was finding the scratching noise from behind him very distracting.

“Yes?” Professor McGonagall prompted Harry.

“Well, I thought of, maybe, being an Auror,” Harry mumbled.

– Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003)

As Harry decides not to return to Hogwarts for his seventh year, and the Death Eater takeover of the ministry in Deathly Hallows, there is very little development for the subplot, with even the epilogue chapter of the final book giving no specific resolution as to what career Harry ended up with in adulthood. However, author J.K. Rowling confirmed via Pottermore that Harry was accepted into the Auror program after defeating Lord Voldemort, with The Cursed Child confirming that he had worked his way up to Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement by the age of 39.

The Ministry Constantly Let Harry Down

Harry Was Mistreated by the Ministry Several Times

Image Via Warner Bros.

While it makes complete sense for a 14-year-old Harry to want to be an Auror, it’s rather surprising that Harry chose to join the Ministry after how they treated him in the last three novels. As previously stated, in Order of the Phoenix, the Ministry essentially pushed a smear campaign against him for saying that Lord Voldemort had returned, with Dolores Umbridge even orchestrating a dementor attack in an effort to expel him from Hogwarts.

They looked at each other, long and hard. Finally Scrimgeour said, with no pretense at warmth, “I see. You prefer — like your hero, Dumbledore — to disassociate yourself from the Ministry?” “I don’t want to be used,” said Harry.“Some would say it’s your duty to be used by the Ministry!”

“Yeah, and others might say it’s your duty to check that people really are Death Eaters before you chuck them in prison,” said Harry, his temper rising now. “You’re doing what Barty Crouch did. You never get it right, you people, do you? Either we’ve got Fudge, pretending everything’s lovely while people get murdered right under his nose, or we’ve got you, chucking the wrong people into jail and trying to pretend you’ve got ‘the Chosen One’ working for you!”

– Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. (2005)

While Cornelius Fudge resigned as Minister in Half-Blood Prince, his successor, Rufus Scrimgeour, wasn’t a very good Minister either. In the sixth novel, Scrimgeour pays a visit to Harry when he is spending Christmas at the Burrow, essentially asking Harry to team up with the Ministry to give the public a sense that the government has everything under control. Rightfully, Harry immediately understands that this is a PR move, with Harry proudly stating that he agrees with Albus Dumbledore in dissociating from the Ministry. Considering how quickly the Ministry fell in Deathly Hallows, it’s clear that the government wasn’t stable enough and would’ve been able to fight against the Death Eaters’ control if previous measures had been taken. While Kingsley Shacklebolt is named Minister after Harry defeats Lord Voldemort, there is very little chance the Ministry would’ve completely changed overnight, as many of its employees were complicit in its corruption, Death Eater or not.

Hermione Granger Showed Radical Beliefs From a Young Age

Hermione Campaigned for the Liberation of House-Elves

Image Via Warner Bros.

Harry was not the only major character who majorly disagreed with the Ministry. Hermione Granger, also an outsider to the Wizarding World as a muggle-born witch, shows some radical beliefs as early as the age of 14 years old when she learns that the Wizarding World has normalized House-elf slavery, which was originally introduced as something only villainous characters like the Malfoys participated in, with Goblet of Fire thenrevealing that Hogwarts also was complicit, with hundreds of House-elves working in the school kitchens. Hermione starts the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, (S.P.E.W.) campaigning for the liberation of House-elves.

“Are you planning to follow a career in Magical Law, Miss Granger?” asked Scrimgeour.

“No, I’m not,” retorted Hermione. “I’m hoping to do some good in the world!”

– Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)

By the time Hermione was 17, it was clear that she too had grown disdain for the Ministry. When Rufus Scrimgeour pays the Burrow a visit in Deathly Hallows, he asks if Hermione has considered a career in magical law, with Hermione immediately shooting it down, stating boldly that she’d rather “do something good” for the world.

Hermione Became the Minister for Magic

The Cursed Child Revealed That Hermione Was Elected as the Minister in Adulthood

While Hermione’s future career is not revealed in the actual text, further canon revealed that, like Harry, Hermione went on to join the Ministry. This happened after she went back to school to complete her studies before going on to work for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. With this position, Hermione was able to continue her work with S.P.E.W., but there is no canon information regarding whether she was able to push full House-elf liberation.

Hermione Granger published a translated version of The Tales of Beedle the Bard in 2008.

Hermione went on to become Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, a surprising turn given her comment to Scrimgeour in Deathly Hallows. While it could be assumed that the Ministry had made positive changes by the time Hermione took on the job, there is little to no proof of this in the text or any further canon. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child revealed that Hermione had become Minister for Magic by the age of 39, succeeding Kingsley.

Harry Should’ve Become a Professor

Harry Would’ve Made a Great Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher

Image via Warner Bros.

Many Harry Potter fans agree that it made much more sense for Harry to become a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor instead of an Auror. While Harry showed interest in being an Auror in his early teenage years, the Ministry’s treatment of him would’ve very easily turned him off a political job. Harry showed clear proficiency in teaching in Order of the Phoenix when he taught Dumbledore’s Army Defense Against the Dark Arts. Given how much Harry loved Hogwarts, seeing it as his home, it would’ve been a great ending for the character.

“Oh, he definitely wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts job,” said Dumbledore. “The aftermath of our little meeting proved that. You see, we have never been able to keep a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for longer than a year since I refused the post to Lord Voldemort.”

– Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005)

Harry becoming a professor instead would’ve been a nice parallel to Dumbledore, who also chose a life of academics over a Ministry job. While the Defense Against the Dark Arts position had high turnover due to the curse Lord Voldemort set on the job, it turned out that the curse had broken often Voldemort’s death, meaning that Harry would’ve been perfectly safe to teach the subject for many years. Harry, as a professor, would also be able to watch out for students who, like him, didn’t really have a safe or healthy home to go to during Christmas or the summer.

How HBO Can Fix This Issue

The Upcoming Series Could Give These Arcs Better Resolution

HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series has heavily marketed itself as being book-accurate, so it can be assumed that some fans would take issue with the idea of changing Harry and Hermione’s future careers. However, in the actual books, there is no reference to what careers the two ended up having, with the epilogue chapter completely neglecting to mention it.

It would be rather interesting if HBO decided to explore different career paths for Harry and Hermione while still maintaining Harry’s desire to become an Auror during his teenage years. However, if they do choose to keep their ‘canon’ future careers, it would be essential to explore how the Ministry has changed since the events of the books, perhaps with the final scenes of the Deathly Hallows adaptation revealing that the Ministry, under Kingsley, would outlaw any laws upholding pure-blood supremacy, or the liberation of House-elves.