Overview

The ceiling of the Atrium is a peacock-blue shade with golden symbols moving over it. The floor is dark, polished wood. The Fountain of Magical Brethren is about halfway into the Atrium. The fountain features statues of a witch, a wizard, a goblin, a Centaur, and a house elf. All of these statues spout water into pools below. To enter the lifts leading to other floors of the Ministry of Magic, visitors pass through a pair of golden gates with a security station beside them. When Harry Potter visited for the first time, the watch-wizard there was Eric Munch.

History

The Ministry of Magic Atrium is a large area that serves as the primary hub for traffic and as the entrance and exit for the Ministry of Magic Headquarters in London. It also serves as a reception area for the Ministry's visitors.

Global Wizarding War

An owl flew down the Atrium in 1927 from the very top of the HM Treasury building on Whitehall. In 1932, fellow wizards of the Ministry of Magic watched the International Confederation of Wizards’ Supreme Mugwump election with a great view.

Second Wizarding War

The Atrium’s layout did not change until Cornelius Fudge’s last year in office as the Minister of Magic, when he was using all of the power he had to disgrace Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore. To reinforce his position, Fudge had a gigantic magical portrait banner of himself hung in the Atrium. This was supposed to be an extension of his power and a subtle message to viewers that Voldemort had not returned to power, despite Harry and Dumbledore saying otherwise. During Voldemort’s reign, the layout of the Atrium was pretty much the same, except for it being much more dimly lit than before, and the Fountain of Magical Brethren was replaced by a statue of a wizard and witch on thrones, made from the contorted bodies of Muggles, all with stupid-looking faces. There was an inscription on this statue reading "Magic is Might,” symbolizing the belief that wizards were much more dominant over non-magical people.

Credits/References

Written by Simone Winter
Base code by Andrew Sutherland, edited by Iselin Merilä and Desmond Gray.