Category:Department of Mysteries

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The Department of Mysteries is concerned with studying the supernatural forces of the wizarding world (OP38), including love, death, and time.

Located on level nine of the Ministry of Magic building, it is comprised of a large circular chamber which contains doors leading to twelve other rooms, each concerned with the study of a different subject. (Thus, it has at least thirteen rooms.) The doors leading from the circular chamber to the other twelve rooms are identical. To preserve secrecy, the circular room rotates whenever someone has passed through one of the doors, preventing others from knowing which door was just used (OP34).

The employees of the Department of Mysteries are called Unspeakables, as they are not permitted to discuss their work (GF7).

Battle of the Department of Mysteries

Full article: Battle of the Department of Mysteries

Harry Potter first sees the entrance to the Department of Mysteries when on his way to a disciplinary hearing in front of the Wizengamot (OP7). Later in the year, the boy starts to have dreams of the entrance's plain black door, and becomes obsessed with entering it (OP23). (These dreams are later revealed to have been those of Voldemort himself; the Dark Lord was obsessed with obtaining the Prophecy from the Department (OP37).

The nightmares progress (OP25, OP26, OP28), culminating in a dream Harry has during his History of Magic OWL, in which the boy opens the door to the Department, goes into the circular chamber, walks by the Time Room and reaches the Hall of Prophecy. In the aisle next to row ninety-seven, he sees Lord Voldemort torturing Sirius Black (OP31). Harry wakes up, panic-stricken, and departs for the Ministry on Thestrals to save Sirius, along with Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood and Ginny Weasley (OP34).

However, neither Sirius nor Voldemort is in the Department of Mysteries (they never were; the vision Harry saw was planted in his mind by Voldemort); instead, the six students meet a handful of Death Eaters in the Hall of Prophecy, all bent on retrieving the Prophecy made by Sybill Trelawney about Harry and Voldemort. Members of the Order of the Phoenix soon join the battle (summoned by Severus Snape after Harry cryptically tells him of his vision), and the two groups duel. Sirius is eventually killed by Bellatrix Lestrange. Voldemort himself comes to the Atrium of the Ministry and duels with Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore. In the end, the Dark Lord is momentarily defeated and flees.

Most of the Death Eaters who took part in the battle are arrested and sent to Azkaban (OP36).

Trivia

• Luna Lovegood believes Cornelius Fudge uses the Department of Mysteries to develop poisons he feeds to anyone who disagrees with him (OP18)