Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures

From UnknowableWiki

The Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures is the division of the British Ministry of Magic responsible for the execution of troublesome magical creatures (PA11). It is presumably subordinate to the Beast Division of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures (FBAZ).

After an incident involving a dangerous creature occurs, the Committee sets a date for a hearing in its London offices, during which it decides about the creature's life. If the creature is sentenced to death, there will be an appeal before the verdict is executed (PA11, PA15). A creature that loses both the hearing and the appeal will be killed by an executioner employed by the Committee under the eyes of a witness (PA16).

Most Committee members are apparently very old and easily swayed or frightened by influential wizards such as Lucius Malfoy. According to Rubeus Hagrid, they are prejudiced against what he considers "interesting creatures" (PA15). The Death Eater Walden Macnair works as an executioner for the Committee between the end of the First War and his imprisonment after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in 1996 (PA21, GF33, OP35).

Buckbeak's case

In a Care of Magical Creatures lesson in September 1993, the Hippogriff Buckbeak injures Draco Malfoy's arm slightly after being insulted by the boy (PA7). The Hogwarts board of governors, of which Draco's father Lucius is a member, brings the incident to the Committee's attention and Buckbeak and Hagrid are summoned to a hearing on April 20, 1994 (PA11).

Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger spend many hours in the Hogwarts library researching to help Hagrid make a good case for Buckbeak (PA11), but this is useless. Lucius Malfoy gets personally involved in the case and frightens or bribes the Committee members into convicting Buckbeak; at the hearing, Lucius gives his testimony and the Committee immediately takes his side (PA11).

After the hearing, the Committee sets a date for Buckbeak's execution, even though legally there is still the possibility of another appeal (PA15). Albus Dumbledore attempts to intervene in Buckbeak's favour, to no avail. On the appointed day, June 6, 1994, Cornelius Fudge goes to Hogwarts to act as a witness in Buckbeak's execution along with an elderly Committee member and Walden Macnair, the executioner. Buckbeak predictably loses the appeal and is sentenced to beheading (PA16). When Macnair attempts to carry out the sentence, however, Buckbeak has already been freed by Harry and Hermione, with the use of a Time-Turner (PA21).