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The Wizengamot
The Wizengamot is the high court of wizarding law in
Britain. The head
of the Wizengamot is called the
Chief Warlock.
Dumbledore held that post for
years, but was temporarily removed from the post during the summer of
1995
[Y15].
He was reinstated in June of
1996
[Y16].
Those who preside over a hearing or a trial are called the Interrogators.
A Court Scribe takes notes of the proceedings. Wizengamot members wear
plum-colored robes with an elaborate silver "W" on the left side.
Other members of the Wizengamot include a dumpy wizard with a large black
mustache and a frizzy-haired witch, both allied with Fudge against
Dumbledore and
Harry, and two elderly witches who were
apparently friendly to Dumbledore.
The full Wizengamot sat in judgement of
Harry Potter on
August 12,
1995
[Y15].
The hearing took place in Courtroom Ten, which is located on
Level 10 of the Ministry of Magic.
This courtroom is identical to (and may very well be the same one as) that
which Harry saw in the
Pensieve when he
"attended" several proceedings from
Dumbledore's memory. The walls of
Courtroom Ten are dark stone, dimly lit by torches.
In the center of the room is a chair with magical chains on it where the
accused sits. The court members, of which there are about fifty, sit above
overlooking the chair in the judge's balcony. When
Harry was being accused,
Amelia Bones herself presided. She sat
to the left of Cornelius Fudge.
Umbridge sat to
Fudge's right.
According to the Wizengamot Charter of Rights, the accused is allowed to
call witnesses in his or her defense and to be represented by another
person. Harry was represented by
Dumbledore, much to his surprise,
and Mrs. Figg was called as a witness
for the defense.
The Wizengamot gets its name from the Witan, also known as the Witenagemot,
from Anglo-Saxon England. Witan is defined as "an assembly of
higher ecclesiastics and important laymen, including king's thegns, that met
to counsel the king on matters such as judicial problems."
Thanks to Tom Stermitz for reminding me of this reference from my
History of Britain classes. - [SVA]
Known members of the Wizengamot, past and present
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