Welcome to the Ministry of Magic, Level One!

Level One is the location for the offices of the Minister for Magic and other administrative staff.

Lobby and Reception

Upon exiting the lifts, you are greeted by a clean, well-lit lobby with a contemporary design. To your right are bathrooms. Straight ahead is a security desk permanently occupied by two members of Ministry security. All visitors and employees must sign in here before proceeding to the reception area; if they are not cleared by security, there is no further access to this floor.

Further into the lobby is the large marble reception desk and a waiting area with a cluster of modern and traditional furniture. Feel free to take a seat, though be sure to check-in with the receptionist first as you will be directed to where you need to go or escorted to your destination if necessary. The lobby's handsomely paneled walls feature paintings from British wizards and Muggles, including the softly snoozing portraits of retired undersecretaries. Accents of blue, gray, and mahogany round out the room, along with pops of green from the fresh potted plants on each end table. While you wait, do not hesitate to hydrate! A narrow marble sideboard with a glass water dispenser and reusable, recyclable cups is located on the right-hand wall.

Behind the reception desk are two open doorways serving as the entry points to this level. The doorway on the left opens onto a long, wide corridor that runs from the Level One Security Desk to the Minister's Office, the Senior Undersecretary's Office, the break room, and several private offices. If you go through the doorway on the right, you will bypass these restricted work areas, and instead find yourself in the open floor plan of the main work areas, the Level One archives, and the recently remodeled conference and meeting rooms.

Work Area and Cubicles

The right-hand doorway from the lobby leads directly into the open floorplan where most Level One employees spend their time. The work area and cubicles have recently had a facelift thanks to the new senior undersecretary, with faux brick walls on one side of the room, attractive blue-grey herringbone wood floors, new ceiling lamps, and best of all, the lightweight sliding/moveable cubicle dividers that look like elegant doors and windows but are charmed to resist sound. The colors of this office space are also more masculine now, with light oaky desktops and darker chairs and storage cabinets throughout the space. The back wall of the Level One work area remains a floor-to-ceiling picture window, which is quite peaceful to view as it fades from scene to scene of wizarding Britain throughout the day. An additional appreciation of the outdoors has been brought inside by the potted plants resting here and there, all of which Fletcher borrowed last year from the Pets 'n Plants Café on Level Four.

Despite the airy and open office setting, there are intentional clusters of desks and cubicles throughout the large work area. These sections are divided up into the various divisions within Level One for organisation's sake. If you have been assigned a workspace here, you are likely sharing a cluster with someone you may need to work closely with at some point. There are also a few large, unclaimed tables with wheels here and there for small morning meetings and collaborative work. Feel free to roll one over to your division for your group's use.

Around the corner from the main work area, you will find the private "offices" which some senior employees have been assigned to for their day to day business. The offices are separated from the rest of the work area by larger, more formal partitions that are not easily moved. Some office spaces are shared between two or three employees, depending on the nature of their work, but these employees are still likely to travel back and forth to the main work areas with some regularity. Some of the other spaces here are empty and may be booked by employees who may need a more private place to work on sensitive tasks. The Junior Undersecretary's "office," or rather, large desk, private filing cabinet, and guest chairs with a partition surrounding them, can also be accessed from this section as well, should you need him.

The dark lower cabinets along either side of the room contain all of the work essentials such as spare parchment and quills, magical copier equipment, paperclips, a watercooler, and owl treats for the pesky memo carriers. The all-important noticeboard is at the front of the room on the wall that runs behind the receptionist's desk. Comfortable seating areas in the open spaces of this work area are also available for informal workplace discussions, or for those members of the public who have been directed to wait here.

Level One Break Room

Need a break? A snack? A chance to stretch your legs? You can find all you need here in the level one break room. Located on the opposite side of the corridor from the private offices, the break room is an area for employees to sit, relax, and not have to think about work for once. There are plenty of comfortable chairs and tables for several employees to sit together and have a chat.

There is a full kitchen off to the side with a fridge, microwave, sink, and a long quartz countertop for food prep or resting your elbows while you watch your food cook. You can heat up food in a microwave or on the stove simply by tapping your wand on the appliance. Need energy? Grap a cup from the coffee pot or fill up the tea kettle to give yourself a boost. Just remember to start a fresh batch if you take the last cup of joe! All necessary kitchen supplies are in the cupboards and are restocked frequently, though it is considerate to do your part to keep this place clean and happy.

Take a break, take a piece of fruit from the bowls sitting around, but don't take someone else's lunch. And for the love of Merlin, remember to clean up after yourselves! This is a shared space, after all.

Conference and Meeting Rooms

Off the smaller corridor are two large gathering rooms: a conference room and a meeting room. The conference room is more of a lecture hall arrangement, perfect for presentations, press conferences, and full department meetings, as the seating here magically increases and adjusts in tiers to suit the number of room occupants. There is a lectern near the front where a speaker may stand.

The meeting room, by contrast, features a long, oval-shaped bamboo table surrounded by white seats, similar to what one might will find on other levels. This is the smaller and more frequently used meeting room; its best features include a fully stocked cart of refreshments in the corner, notepads and quills already placed at each seat, and bright, modern art on the far wall.

Both of these rooms feature magical projectors and screens, as well as discreet doors which lead to the small preparation room behind them. Entrance to the preparation room is magically barred as this room leads to the minister's office and to the senior undersecretary's office, though special presenters may be permitted access on a case-by-case basis.

If you would like to reserve one of these rooms for an event or a meeting, please contact the reception desk.

Office of the Senior Undersecretary

After January's retirement, Fletcher had her office lightly redecorated to suit his tastes. The office is still impeccably tidy, while the decor is now white, blue, and gold, with a few pops of the Minister's favorite color in the plants here and there. The bookshelves are still filled with books, but Fletcher's selections (some of which have never been cracked) relate mostly to art, business, and transfiguration. Modern art and landscapes consume the wall space above these low shelves, and a few framed tattoo designs dot the other walls of the room. The office smells clean yet masculine, with a faint woodsy scent and a cool temperature setting.

Toward the back third of the room, by the fireplace, rests a handsome dark mahogany desk; this is where the Senior Undersecretary sits in his leather chair to do his most serious work. The desk itself is devoid of any papers, and is polished so well that you can probably see your reflection in it right now. (Merlin knows that he certainly uses it as a mirror.) A golden Triwizard Tournament cup and framed photos of the undersecretary and his wife, daughter, and son rest on the mantle of the fireplace, with one large portrait from his recent wedding day prominently on display on the wall above it.

In front of his desk and closer to the door you entered by are two old-fashioned striped chairs and a mahogany coffee table. The fragrance stemming from a vase of fresh red roses entices you to take a seat here, where Fletcher prefers to meet with most people rather than from behind his massive desk. There are more potted plants, one long powder-blue chaise, and a few hidden doors scattered throughout the room, but please try to be inconspicuous as you stare around the office; you never know who is watching from the giant gilded mirror behind you.

If the door is closed, please knock and wait for an answer. Otherwise, poke your head in to say hey to Fletcher!

Office of the Minister for Magic

Welcome to the office of Charles Hollingberry, current Minister for Magic and appointed leader of the wizarding government in the United Kingdom. The office is located at the far end of Level One, and it is only accessible through the Senior Undersecretary's Office where guests are all escorted to a gaudy but comfortable waiting room. Help yourself to one, or several, of the individual packets of yogurt covered raisins tied with thin red ribbon found in the bowl on the coffee table. The Minister has been informed of your visit will be with you soon.

Boasting vibrant crimsons and warm gold tones, the office of the Minister for Magic is even more gaudy than the waiting room. The wooden walls are almost entirely covered with bookshelves, framed paintings of landscapes, and portraits of most of the previous Ministers for Magic - who the Minister may consult from time to time. Dark wooden cabinets and tables are adorned with artifacts from around the world and countless framed family photos of his children and grandchildren in various stages of their lives. Chances are you have already seen these on more than one occasion as the Minister also carries copies in his leather wallet sized photo album he keeps in his robes pocket at all times to shamelessly whip out and share should any and all opportunity arise. There is no desk to be seen but rather too luxurious red leather couches in the middle of the room.

So just where does the Minister do all his important work? Tap the right series of book spines along the shelves and you may be able to find out, though highly unlikely. This intricate beat is the sole knowledge of the Minister himself and the Senior Undersecretary. Nothing personal, the simply Minister prefers to keep all visitors away from sensitive documents and his affairs private.