The Magical Creatures Used in Malicious Acts Clause
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Overview
Passed into law in 1919, the Magical Creatures Used in Malicious Acts Clause came about in a strange and unexpected way. With this law, the Ministry has been able to successfully lessen any similar, or copycat, crimes from occurring. Currently, the law is mostly looked at by witches and wizards who are furthering their education at a few of the various law schools within the magical world.
History
Having been committed in 1915, the circumstances that led to the passing of the Magical Creatures Used in Malicious Acts Clause shook the wizarding world due to the strangeness of the situation. The man who committed the crime, Julius Tarrow, was said to deal with acute symptoms of paranoia and hallucinations. The night before the crime, Julius had claimed to hear the Imps living around his residence in Shade Alley talking to him. In this supposed conversation, they urged him to break into Grimlotts.
Gathering a group of five Imps the next day, Julius bribed them with a few shiny coins, and then made his way to the bank. The actual crime—which would’ve been breaking-and-entering with the intent of theft—was a messy affair. Many residents of Diagonal Lane watched the odd group sneak around the building. After the first window was smashed with a rock, the Auralocks were called to the scene. Julius Tarrow would be quickly identified and arrested, while the imps were simply relocated.
After the Auralocks’ questioning concluded, the media got hold of the story. The court case became a highly publicised event. Media vans and reporters lined the steps of the Ministry, hoping to get an interview with Julius. They, as well as the rest of the magical world, were astonished that Julius had been able to convince a group of magical creatures to assist him with the crime. By the end of the trial, Julius would be sentenced to five years in a high-security care facility, and the Magical Creatures Used in Malicious Acts Clause would be passed into law a few years later by Michael Poh.
Details
Due to the carelessness taken when writing the law, there have been many loopholes that both lawyers and criminals have found. This loophole, which is set to be fixed by Ministry lawmakers in the near future, is largely due to the clause mentioning that “the magical creature must be a cohort of a witch or wizard and act in unison to commit a malicious crime.” By avoiding directly acting with the creatures, many criminals have been able to escape the law.However, for those who commit crimes that fall within the specifics of the law’s boundaries, they are met with a variety of punishments based on the severity of the crime and the dangerousness of the magical creature to society. More juvenile crimes with generally docile creatures, such as Julius’ case, are given a lighter punishment with no more than ten years in prison and a high fine. However, violent acts committed with dangerous creatures can be sentenced to life in the Dark Prison and a forfeit of all assets.
Impact on Gameplay
The locations mentioned on the page, such as the Diagonal Lane and Shade Alley, can be visited in-game within magical London to get a glimpse of the Imps which caused the creation of this law. Players can also visit the Ministry of Magicians for a view of where the law was passed.
Trivia
- To learn more about Magical Politics, be sure to join Wizarding Law classes hosted by the Academics team.
- The Ministry of Magicians can either be accessed by the Gentleman’s Toilet near King’s Cross station or by the red phone booths in London. Entering the Ministry of Magicians will also trigger a location discovery and unlock a Fire Dust Network option.
- To locate the different magical creatures on the map, do /map and look for the green paw prints.
- Grimlotts Bank is located at the end of Diagonal Lane.
