History Corner:
Female Ministers of Magic
Artemisia Lufkin (1798–1811): Artemisia was the first female Minister for Magic. From the Hufflepuff house, she believed in in the ideals of friendship and cooperation (and fun). She established the Department of International Magical Co-operation and lobbied hard and successfully to have a Quidditch World Cup tournament held in Britain during her term. Upon her election, several members of the Wizengamot walked out in protest. Adamantus Whelk was quoted as saying, 'A female minister is a bunch of hogswallop. She’ll probably want to paint the walls of the courts pink. How can a courtroom be scary when it’s pink?!' Despite these unfounded objections, she
successfully held the position for 13 years.
Millicent Bagnold (1980–1990) Serving during the First Wizarding War, Millicent Bagnold led us through a dark time in history. A highly capable Minister, Millicent is most famous for her quote to the International Confederation of Wizards for the number of breaches of the International Statute of Secrecy the day after the first defeat of Lord Voldemort, 'I assert our inalienable right to party,' after she herself had been seen dancing wildly down a hall with the very confused Muggle Prime Minister’s personal secretary.
Evangeline Orpington (1849–1855) The second of a three-minister line of female Ministers, Evangeline Orphington was a dear friend of Queen Victoria’s, though Victoria never knew she was a witch! Evangeline authorized the creation of Platform 9 3/4 inside King’s Cross Station as a viable solution for loading students in secrecy. She is also believed to have intervened magically in the Crimean War. Entire battalions of Russian troops would find themselves confused as to why they were fighting their friends in the first place, and simply surrender to the British and begin fighting alongside them. Traces of
memory potions and Confusing Concoction were
often found in these battalion’s water supply, a
notably illegal violation of the Statute of
Secrecy.
Ottaline Gambol (1827–1835): Ottaline is most know as the Minister who installed the Hogwarts Express. A forward-looking Minister, Gambol helped carry out one of the largest magical acts in history—using muggle technology, a massive concealment charm, and 167 memory charms, she safely secured passage to school for all future generations of Hogwarts students. In his declaration of abolishment of the laws against enchanting muggle technology for use by magical kind, Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt referenced the work of his predecessor Ottaline Gambol as influencing his own decision.
With the upcoming elections, we here at Witch Weekly would like to remember a few of our more famous politicians. Let’s take a look back at our notable female Ministers of Magic.
18