Table of Contents ________________________________________ Letter from the Director…………………………………………………….....2 Historical Crisis……..……………………………………………………...........3 Terrorist Attacks.………………………………...……………………….....3 - 4 Ministry Response……………………….…………………………….................5 Character List / Blocs..…………………………………………………….5 - 12 Discussion Topics………..…………………………………………….…12 - 14 The Ministry of Magic Welcome to the Wizarding World, Minister of Magic Hermione Granger has just taken over from previous Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt whose tenure was heralded by many as a golden age following the death of Voldemort and the resurrection of the ministry. Despite all signs pointing to a successful new regime, the rise of a new terrorist group has pushed the Wizarding World to the brink of civil war with mounting pressure on the Ministry to find the culprits responsible. This committee features an adult Harry Potter and company with Harry Potter as the head of the Department of Magical Law enforcement, Hermione Granger as the Minister of Magic and countless others. Together they will be forced to decide who to hold responsible for this crisis, how to mitigate the rising death toll and how to prevent different radical wizarding groups from starting all out civil war. The fate of the Wizarding world and by proxy the muggle world once again is in the hands of Harry Potter. 1 Letter from the Director ________________________________________ Esteemed Delegates, Welcome to FCMUN and the Ministry of Magic. My name is Jai Pemmaraju and I am pleased to be your crisis director. I am a History and Spanish major, with a deep love for Harry Potter. As a committee you will be responsible for ensuring the future of the Wizarding world. Despite the futuristic setting delegates will be expected to have a good understanding of Harry Potter books 1-7. The Cursed Child will not be considered a valid Harry Potter book nor are delegates expected to have knowledge of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (the movie). This committee will be centered around many issues that are paralleled in the real world. We will discuss issues such as freedom of the press, the safety of muggleborns at Hogwarts and the ethics of treating centaurs like second rate citizens. You will also be forced to confront a deadly threat and pass resolutions to find and apprehend the perpetrators. The end goal of this committee should be to pass several comprehensive resolutions that effectively address all these problems in a way that benefits all parties involved. The only way to do so will be through compromise and teamwork. I cannot wait to see all of the creative ideas each of you bring to committee. I look forward to a wonderful weekend. If you have questions, comments or concerns feel free to email me at [email protected] . Warm Regards, Jai Pemmaraju 2 Historical Context ________________________________________ May of 1998 marked the end of decades of struggle against the Dark Lord Voldemort. Together, seventeen year old Harry Potter and his best friends, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley worked tirelessly to defeat the Dark Lord-sacrificing friends and family in the process. The end of the war brought about the election of Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt. Shacklebolt took over from the previous Minister, Pius Thickness. Thickness was a pawn of Voldemort whose administration targeted and committed heinous crimes against muggle born wizards, or wizards born into non-magical families. Shacklebolt’s election brought hope for the Wizarding World. His term was largely focused on removing all traces of corruption from the Ministry as well as rebuilding and mending the Wizarding World. He oversaw the capture of Death Eaters and supporters following Voldemort's death. He also led a massive reform of the Ministry, in order to rid it of corruption and pro- pureblood laws as well as purged Dementors from Azkaban (the Wizard prison) . In November 2019, Hermione Granger took over as Minister of Magic. As a former war heroine and a recipient of the Order of Merlin First Class for services during the war, as well as a long career of service towards promoting equality between magical creatures, her appointment was highly celebrated. Known for being “straight as an arrow,” Minister Granger promised to continue the reforms Shacklebolt started and continue to work towards promotion of the welfare of all magical beings: house elves, centaurs, etc. She also hopes to generate better relations between the Wizarding and muggle (non-wizarding world) in an attempt to reduce the ancient stigma surrounding those who lack magical powers through educational reform. Terrorist Attacks ________________________________________ As of March 20th 2020, three months after Minister Granger’s election, there have been four terrorist attacks, each within a week of each other. On March 20th, the first attack is carried out targeting the Tower Bridge in London completely destroying it. There were no witnesses. Thirty muggles were killed. The next attack occurred on the 26 th targeting the Wizarding town of Hogsmeade, less than half a mile 3 south of Hogwarts School. Reports indicated several-cloaked figure using various spells to destroy several shops, including the popular pub the Three Broomsticks. Twenty school children were also killed, as well as ten other shopkeepers and assistants. Following the pattern, a third attack followed on April 1st: an attack within the Ministry itself. On the night of the third, a cloaked figure was seen entering the Department of Mysteries destroying the hall of prophecies; everyone working within the vicinity was killed. The fourth attack, which occurred on April 6 th, destroyed more than half of the Forbidden Forest bordering Hogwarts. It destroyed 30% of the centaur herd living in the forest in addition to their land. The only thing linking the four attacks is the appearance of a single red rose at the site of each attack. Other than that, little is known about the culprits or their motives, but after the attack on the Department of Mysteries, the suspicion is that the culprit is someone within the Ministry. The press has been brutal. The Daily Profit, the main source of Wizarding News is blaming old pureblood families such as the Malfoys and the Notts. They have dubbed this mysterious terrorist group the Order of the Red Rose and are calling for the Ministry to immediately order the arrest of these families. There is also pressure on the Muggle end. Fearing the repetition of Voldemort era attacks on muggles, Prime Minister Theresa May has chosen to sever ties with the Ministry of Magic until they can ensure the cessation of these attacks. May has also asked that all muggle born students be sent home from Hogwarts if the Ministry cannot ensure their safety. The head of Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall has closed off the borders of Hogwarts, all future visits to Hogsmeade are forbidden and students are no longer allowed to leave the castle without a chaperone. McGonagall has assured the Ministry that the castle remains that safest stronghold for all magical children and has tripled the security surrounding it. The centaur population on the other hand is threatening to declare war on the Ministry, after decades of the Ministry reducing their land, tensions are at an all time high. The attack on the little land they have left, has pushed centaur leaders to a breaking point. Despite Minister Granger promising to allocate a bigger portion of land for the tribe, Centaur leaders such as Bane and Magorian are demanding an independent state for the tribe. 4 Ministry Response ________________________________________ In order to discuss the terrorist attacks and figure out the best way for the Ministry to go forward, Minister Granger has called together a special counsel to commence at the end of April. Participants in this counsel include Harry Potter, Minister Granger’s oldest friend and the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Luna Lovegood, Editor in Chief of the independent wizarding magazine, the Quibbler, Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts and Magorian head of the Centaur tribe residing in the Forbidden forest. The hope is that together the participants will be able to work together to figure out the best way to eliminate the looming threat. Character List / Blocs ________________________________________ Hermione Granger – (Born September 19 th, 1979) is the 40-year-old Minister of Magic. Prior to being elected Minister of Magic she had a long career with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement working in a senior position with the Department’s sub department, the Department for the Care and Regulation of Magical Creatures. However she quickly rose in the ministry ranks. Prior known for being a war heroine and recipient of the prestigious order of Merlin First Class, she is highly respected in the ministry and has a reputation of being honorable and kind. For most of her career, she has worked to promote the welfare of magical creatures such as house elves, goblins, and centaurs. One of the main pieces of legislation she was responsible for ensured that all house elves get paid a set wage and clothes/are not abused. She has also been a force against the seizure of centaur territories and has long fought for the expansion of centaur land. While she is sympathetic to the centaurs’ cause she believes that they are being divisive and the only way forward is together. She disapproves of the creation of a new sovereign state and instead wishes to pass legislation that gives back the centaurs every piece of land that was taken from them. She fears if the Ministry grants the centaur’s their autonomy she will have to own up to the unfair treatment of all the magical creatures in Great Britain and give every group their own state. She is good friends with Firenze and hopes he can get Bane and Magorian to agree to this compromise.