General Information

The American Bureau of Magical Affairs is unique in comparison to many other countries in that it works closely with the American muggle government, and is actually considered to be an additional branch that is a highly protected government secret.

As American wizards are closely involved with muggles, their magical system closely resembles its muggle counterpart. The leading government official is the Secretary of Magic, a position currently filled by Solange Mullaney, and each department has a leading Vice Secretary that is a member of the Secretary of Magic's cabinet.

The Two-Party System

Much like the muggles, American wizards have a two-party political system. The party of the current Secretary of Magic and his or her cabinet heavily affects which bills are put into motion and which decrees are turned into laws.

The Cloaking Party believes that wizards should be kept as secret as possible and that muggles should not find out about magic. They largely believe that muggles will abuse or enslave magical folk for their powers and that things would become chaotic and unmanagable, if not resulting in violence from both sides. Some extremists in the party promote separation from muggles entirely and may send their children to private magical institutions for primary school rather than muggle elementary schools.

The Revealing Party believes that wizards should be fully integrated into muggle society and promotes a peaceful existance with their non-magical counterparts. Despite international laws that prevent wizards from fully revealing themselves to muggles, the revealing party often lobbies for the ability to inform muggles of certain aspects of magical life. They believe that it's imperitive that wizards are familiar with muggle culture and are the driving force behind present day wizard culture in the United States, where magical folks are encouraged to attend muggle primary school and regularly interact with muggles in their "native" environment.

Location & Headquarters

Though the Bureau has smaller branches across the country to manage different areas of the huge nation, it's headquarters is located in the United States capital, Washington, D.C. on F Street. It is contained within two large buildings positioned to either side of a smaller five story office building that appears to be under constant construction.

Employees may access the headquarters by taking the blue or orange metro line to the special station located in the atrium area of the center building. Much like how you must get off at the right gate while traveling the floo network, the Bureau station approaches very quickly between the usual muggle stops. As wizards travel in a "caboose" car that cannot be seen by muggles, they are able to board and depart as they choose while muggles feel only a slight stall in the motion of the train. A special metro pass is required to board, preventing visitors from entering through this route.

Visitors must be screened before entering and have their own special access point two blocks away from the actual headquarters that is disguised as a hot dog vendor cart. The hot dog vendor himself serves as a sort of guard and checks the intent and integrity of each potential visitor before handing them a portkey that will transport them to the main kiosk in the atrium for further assistance.


Merlin Building

The Merlin Building is the smallest of the three that make up the Bureau headquarters, and also the oldest, named after the great wizard himself. It serves as a hub for all three buildings, the entrance for both employees and visitors, and houses some of the most important offices in the magical government.

Ground Floor

• Employee Metro Station - Down a set of stairs and through a security checkpoint, Bureau employees must swipe their metro card to board.


• Visitation Kiosk - Visitors can gain tour information, schedule or check in for a meeting, have their wand put into holding, and more.


• News Stand - Magazines, newspapers, and simple snacks are for sale.


• Food Court - In typical American fashion, wizards at the Bureau can choose to have lunch or an evening meal at McDonalds, Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips, Taco Bell, Sbarro, Super Wok, and a variety of vending machines specializing in magical treats, snacks, and beverages.

First Floor

• Conference Rooms - The conference wing is the only wing of the Merlin Building connected directly to the other two buildings, other than the ground floor.


• Records Room - Five or six Records Witches keep track of everything that goes on, all of the paperwork filed, and other extensive records.


• Mail Room - Handles office communication as well as all incoming and outgoing mail.

Second Floor

• Processing Hall - Witches, wizards, beasts, and beings who are facing arrest, immigration, registration, or other processes will be handled here.


• Holding Cells - Just like muggle police stations, misbehaving magical folk will be held here if they are awaiting process or trial.


• Courtrooms - General court proceedings and trials are held here.

Third Floor

• Grand Court - The American equivalent of the Wizengamot, this 50-wizard panel oversees the most executive decisions in the Grand Court Hall.


• Grand Court Offices - Officials who work exclusively with the Grand Court and hold no other position in the government hold an office in this wing.

Fourth Floor

• Vice Secretaries Wing - All of the vice secretaries offices are housed here, separate from their department wings, as they only take care with the most pressing issues and paperwork.


• Administration Wing - Office assistants, interns, and secretaries bustle about in this wing.

Fifth Floor

• Secretary's Suite - This expansive office complex consumes the entire top level of the Merlin Building and is similar to the composition of the White House, appearing to be much larger than it should physically be. Though the Secretary of Magic does not reside in the suite full time, there is a hospitality wing where the secretary can stay overnight in comfort if he or she chooses.

Kennedy Building

The Kennedy Building is home to the House of Right-Doings and Wrong-Doings and was named after a distant relative of the famous politicians who introduced wizarding blood into the Kennedy line by marriage. The Revealing Party was in a prominent position at the time and opted to name their newest facility after Aerwyn Blackspell Kennedy, who brought the party one step closer to full muggle integration. The building is five stories tall.

Department of Education

This department spans the first floor of the building and focuses on school standards and management across the country.

• Primary Schools Division - Handles the placement and standards of schools for children age ten and younger. Most of these schools are private, but still must be approved and regulated by the government for secrecy purposes.


• Secondary Schools Division - Handles the placement and standards of the most common wizarding schools, those for students aged 11 to 18.


• Funding Committee - Decides which schools get government funds, and how much.

Department of Magical Law

This department spans the second and third floors of the building and is home to both the enforcers of the law and those who work behind the scenes.

• Auror Headquarters - The elite of the department, trained to capture Dark Wizards.


• Magical Law Enforcement Squad - Working along side the Auror’s this department, oversees general law enforcement and capturing dangerous wizards.


• Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office - Regulates the use of magic on Muggle objects and recovers those which have been bewitched.


• Magical Equipment Control Office - Regulating the quality and use of magical equipment throughout the Ministry and the community, such as lunascopes, wands etc.

Department of Secrecy and Security

Often referred to as simply "SSH!" - this department, housed on the fourth and fifth floors of the building, handles all the more mysterious affairs of the Bureau and helps keep the magical community as a whole secret from muggles. When the Cloaking Party has primary control over the government, this department is often given more funding and paid extra attention.

• Accidental Magic Reversal Squad Department - Handles all potion and spell mishaps.


• Obliviator Headquarters - An Obliviator has the task of modifying the memory of a Muggle after witnessing incidents caused by magic. They would normally accompany the Accidental Magic squad.


• Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee - This office are generally full of creative types wizards and witches who manage to whip up covers stories to be handed over to the Muggle Government and media


• Invisibility Task Force - Casts various forms of invisibility magic to hide magical places and creatures from Muggle eyes. This includes large magical events like Quidditch tournaments, Dragons and giants.


• Ancient Magical Artifacts Office

Alden Building

The second oldest of the three buildings, the Alden Building was named after Martha Alden, founder of Salem Witches Institute, and in memorial of her husband who was persecuted during the Salem Witch Trials, a member of the early American wizarding government. The building is home to the House of Goings-On, the branch of the government that oversees most of daily wizard life. The building is six stories tall.

Department of Magical Transportation

Ground Floor, Alden Building


• Floo Regulation Panel/Floo Network Authority Office - The Floo Network Authority maintains and regulates the Floo Network. Employees of the Floo Network Authority have the ability to monitor Floo connections, and can eavesdrop on Floo conversations in a manner analogous to wiretapping a Muggle telephone. Witches and wizards working for the Floo Network Authority are referred to as Floo Network Regulators.


• Metro Regulation Division - Issues and controls use of Magical Metro Cards and regulates placement of new metro stops throughout the city. They also occasionally work with the State Affairs Department to regulate Subway and Metro stops across the country.


• Government Car Service - Muggle transportation service, used for very important wizards. These cars are not the average muggle vehicle, they have the ability to jump traffic, are extremely spacious and extra comfortable.


• Broom Regulatory Control Office - This office is concerned with regulating broom practices, and checking safety standards on all new and old models.


• Portkeys Office - Keeps track of the registry of proscribed charmable objects, as well as setting up Portkey networks for major public events.


• Apparation Test Center - Here you can take part in a 12-weeks worth of lessons in the safe practices of Apparation whilst heavily supervised in order to limit splinching. These lessons are offered to students at Hogwarts, as well as designated places up and down the country. In order to apparate legally you must obtain a licence.

Department of Industry and Money-Spending

Second Floor, Alden Building


• Ludicrous Patents Office: Have a crazy idea for a patent for singing buttons, or self tying Quidditch Boots, then this is the office you need to go to have it approved, before it can be unleashed onto the public.


• Budget Management Committee - Everything costs money, and the budget management committee is here to make sure that nobody spends too much and everybody gets too little!


• Career Placement Office - No Wizard Left Behind! The Career Placement Office makes sure that witches and wizards around the country are placed in suitable jobs, if they prove themselves capable.


• Department of Banking and Currency - As traditional wizard currency is acceptable at many places throughout the United States, the Dept. of Banking and Currency manages the American branch of Gringotts, but also handles the exchange of wizard money to the commonly used muggle dollar.

Department of Foreign Affairs

Third and Fourth Floors, Alden Building


• International Magic Trading Standards Body: Oversees, assess and regulates trading practices within the UK, as well as International community. Such items checked potions, ingredients, cauldron thicknesses, etc.


• International Magical Office of Law: This department keeps track of the laws and policies set down by the International Confederation of Wizards, and advises the Secretary of Magic and the Grand Court on matters of International law in order to prevent contradictions between American magical law and it's international counterparts.


• International Confederation of Wizards, American Office: The Wizarding version of the United Nations.

Department of National Affairs

Fourth and Fifth Floors, Alden Building


• Magical Creatures Division - Equivalent of the British Department of Regulation and Control of Magical


• Magical Games & Sports Division - Manages all wizarding sports teams and related events.


• State Affairs Wing - Individual representatives from each state meet regularly to make decisions about regional regulations and decrees.