Department of Magical Transportation

Department of Magical Transportation
Organisation information
Leader(s)	Percy Weasley (as of 2014)
Headquarters	Level 6, British Ministry of Magic Headquarters, Whitehall, London, England, Great Britain
Intentions	Regulates transportation services of wizarding Britain
Affiliation	British Ministry of Magic

"Level Six, Department of Magical Transportation, incorporating the Floo Network Authority, Broom Regulatory Control, Portkey Office and Apparition Test Centre."

— Voice of lift at the British Ministry of Magic

The Department of Magical Transportation was responsible for various aspects of magical transport. Madam Edgecombe was an employee of this department. The last known department head was Percy Weasley.

The seal of this department featured a Biohazard symbol, maybe in a nod to the dangers entailing each of the four main types of magical transportation (broomstick, Floo powder, Apparition and Portkey).

Both the Hogwarts Express and the Knight Bus were the result of creative ideas from the Minister for Magic of the day. The British Ministry of Magic was most likely involved in bringing said ideas to life, meaning both of them would be likely to have their own subdivision at the Department of Magical Transportation, or at the very least subject to its authority.

Location

The Department of Magical Transportation was located on the sixth level of the British Ministry of Magic. This department contains may different divisions and offices. Some of these offices include the: Apparition Test Centre, Broom Regulatory Control, Floo Network Authority, Floo Regulation Panel, and Portkey Office.

Functions

"We have to be very careful about how we travel at the best of times."

— The importance of this department

A department of the Ministry of Magic which had responsibility for wizard transportation and travel methods. They oversaw the use of brooms, when and where Portkeys are created and how many.

They were also responsible for connecting homes and businesses to the Floo Network. The department could temporarily set up a connection between a wizarding building and a Muggle building. One such temporary connection was once put in place between 4 Privet Drive and The Burrow.

They also issued licences to Apparate, which was required to practise Apparition legally, at least in Great Britain. Licences were required since at least the 1920s. The department also issued fines if a wizard or witch were caught breaking the Department of Magical Transportation's laws and regulations. For example, the department issued fines to witches or wizards that would Apparate without a licence.

The department also handed out various leaflet such as, Common Apparition Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.

History

In 1827, Ottaline Gambol rose to the office of Minister for Magic, and she made a daring and controversial suggestion to solve the ages-old problem of how to transport hundreds of students to and from Hogwarts Castle. This solution was the Hogwarts Express. The Minister most likely worked with the Department of Magical Transportation to make this idea a reality.

The Knight Bus was commissioned in 1865. The Department of Magical Transportation most likely helped with its creation. The bus is a triple-decker, "violently purple" bus which provides emergency transportation for the stranded witch or wizard.

The Department of Magical Transportation handled the complicated problems of transporting people to the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, this included setting up a network of Portkeys all over Britain and working out where it was safe to Apparate into the area without being seen.

During the 1996–1997 school year, this department sent Willkie Twycross to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy. He instructed the sixth-year students Apparition classes in the Great Hall.

Divisions

Floo Network Authority

The Floo Network Authority was responsible for setting up and maintaining the Floo Network. They also regulated the distribution of Floo Powder.

The network was composed of the fireplaces of all the wizarding buildings, which were interconnected, and it allowed the user, or "passenger", to transport themselves to any other fireplace on the network.

The Floo Network was subject to intense scrutiny by the Ministry. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's fireplaces were at one time closely monitored for any "questionable activity".

Broom Regulatory Control

The Broom Regulatory Control had the authority to determine what factors allowed an individual to use and ride a broom. If a broom had been determined to be dangerous or tampered with to cause damage, this office would confiscate the broom.

The broomstick regulations were presumably relevant to the work of this office.

Portkey Office

The Portkey Office was a division of the Department of Magical Transportation in charge of managing the usage and maintenance of Portkeys. They organised events were a large number of Portkeys were involved.

Consequently, it seems like a reasonable deduction that the Portkey Office was responsible for authorising the creation of Portkeys (and possibly regulated their use once they had been created, as well).

Apparition Test Centre

The Apparition Test Centre granted Apparition licences to qualified witches and wizards. Training was required to prevent the likelihood of splinching. In Great Britain at least, one had to be at least seventeen years old to obtain such a licence, though other countries such as Denmark made underage Apparition legal.

One was usually taught and tested by a qualified Ministry employee, such as is the case at Hogwarts. However, in the case of Side-Along Apparition, the accomplice did not require a licence, provided they were taken by a licenced wizard.

Personnel

Job	Wizard(s)	Notes
Heads of department	Percy Weasley	Became head of the department in 2014 after the Second Wizarding War.
Employees	Basil	Worked the Portkey terminus for the 1994 Quidditch World Cup.
	Unknown	A wizard in a tweed suit and galoshes, also at the Portkey terminus with Basil.
	Madam Edgecombe	Floo Regulator
	Wilkie Twycross	Apparition Instructor

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First mentioned)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Mentioned only)
• Pottermore (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter (website) (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (Mentioned only)