THE POTTER COMMISSION REPORT

A Report by the United States House of Representatives Special Committee on the Potter Conspiracy

November 14, 2026

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Between June 1996 and June 2025, an elaborate conspiracy was perpetrated against the Muggle population of Earth. This conspiracy, orchestrated initially by Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and executed by a network of wizards, heads of state, intelligence agencies, and entertainment industry professionals, resulted in the publication and distribution of seven novels and eight films purporting to be works of fiction. These works, marketed to children as fantasy literature, were in fact detailed accounts of actual events occurring within the so-called Wizarding World - a parallel society that had operated in secrecy for more than three centuries under the provisions of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, enacted in 1689.

The scale of this deception is unprecedented in human history. The books sold more than 600 million copies worldwide. The films grossed over 7.7 billion dollars. An entire generation of Muggle children was raised on stories they believed to be make-believe, while the very magic described in those pages was being practiced mere meters away from them by a hidden population that had deliberately segregated itself from mainstream society.

This report documents the origins, execution, and consequences of what we term the “Potter Conspiracy” - a coordinated effort to preserve wizard secrecy through the mechanism of normalization and fictionalization. By making magic “fiction,” the conspirators ensured that any genuine magical occurrence would be dismissed as fantasy, delusion, or elaborate hoax.

The conspiracy involved:

• Multiple heads of state across three decades, including Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden; Prime Ministers Major, Blair, Brown, Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss, and Sunak; and members of the British Royal Family

• Senior officers within MI6 and the CIA

• Publishing houses Bloomsbury and Scholastic, along with their agents and staff

• Warner Brothers studios, including executives, producers, directors, and actors

• Author J.K. Rowling, who served as the public face while working from detailed intelligence provided by wizard sources

• Members of the so-called “Order of the Phoenix,” including the teenage subjects of the books themselves

The Potter Commission was established by House Resolution 4272 on July 2, 2025, seventeen days after the fall of the Statute of Secrecy. Our mandate was to investigate the full scope of the conspiracy, identify all participants, and make recommendations to ensure such a deception could never be perpetrated again.

This report represents the findings of six months of hearings, witness testimony, and document review. We examined over 400,000 pages of correspondence, interviewed 237 witnesses under oath, and reviewed both Muggle and wizard records spanning thirty years.

What follows is the truth about how we were deceived.

CHAPTER 1: ORIGINS OF THE CONSPIRACY (1995–1996)

The Disinformation Campaign

The genesis of the Potter Conspiracy can be traced to the spring of 1995, when the wizard known as Lord Voldemort returned to physical form after thirteen years of existence in what witnesses described as a “wraith-like state.” This return precipitated a crisis within the British Ministry of Magic, as then-Minister Cornelius Fudge refused to acknowledge the threat.

According to testimony from Hermione Granger, who was Minister for Magic at the time of this investigation:

“Fudge launched a campaign to discredit Harry. He used the Daily Prophet—our newspaper—to paint him as an attention-seeking liar. The Minister controlled the narrative completely. He even had our teacher Dolores Umbridge torture Harry during detentions. She made him carve words into his own hand with a cursed quill.”

The disinformation campaign against Harry Potter, while reprehensible by wizard standards, provided Albus Dumbledore with a crucial insight: falsehood, widely distributed, could override truth. If lies could discredit a hero, perhaps truth disguised as fiction could protect a secret.

From the journal of Albus Dumbledore, dated November 3, 1995:

“Cornelius has shown me something valuable, though he would be horrified to know it. He has demonstrated that the masses will believe what they are told to believe, provided the message is consistent and the messenger appears authoritative. If we can convince Muggles that magic is fiction, we can hide in plain sight indefinitely. Their technology advances daily. Cameras grow smaller. The internet, although in its infancy, spreads information instantaneously. The Statute grows more fragile with each passing year. We need a new approach.”

The Battle of the Department of Mysteries

On June 20, 1996, a battle erupted in the Department of Mysteries, located within the Ministry of Magic headquarters in London. Members of the Order of the Phoenix, including Harry Potter (then age fifteen), fought against followers of Voldemort. The battle resulted in the death of Sirius Black and injuries to multiple underage wizards.

This battle marked a turning point. According to witness testimony from Minerva McGonagall:

“Albus came to me three days after the Department of Mysteries. He was distraught over Sirius, over the injuries to the children. But he was also energised in a way I hadn't seen in years. He told me he had a plan to protect the Statute for generations to come. He said we were going to tell the world the truth and make them think it was a lie.”

First Contact with J.K. Rowling

On May 12, 1996, six weeks before the Department of Mysteries battle but while planning was already underway, Albus Dumbledore made contact with Joanne Rowling, a struggling single mother living in Edinburgh.

From Rowling’s testimony before this Commission:

“Two people appeared in my flat. Simply appeared, out of nowhere. A tall man with long silver hair and half-moon spectacles, and a stern-looking woman in emerald robes. I thought I was having a breakdown. Then the man waved a stick and my dishes started washing themselves.”

“He told me magic was real. He told me there was a war coming. He told me that the best way to protect both our worlds was to make his world seem like fantasy. He offered me more money than I'd ever imagined. Enough to secure my daughter's future. All I had to do was write what they told me to write.”

“I took the offer. God help me, I took it.”

Rowling was brought into the Order of the Phoenix and was also given access to extensive documentation, including:

• Harry Potter’s school records from Hogwarts

• Transcripts of conversations reconstructed through the use of Pensieve memories

• Photographs from the Wizarding World, later used to inform film production

• Detailed maps of Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and other magical locations

From a letter from Dumbledore to McGonagall, dated May 30, 1996:

“The Rowling woman is perfect for our purposes. She has the writing skill we need, the financial desperation to ensure cooperation, and the Muggle perspective to make the work accessible. I have secured agreement from Cornelius's successor. Scrimgeour takes office next month and is fully briefed and will provide her with whatever resources she requires. The first book must be published before summer's end next year.”

Recruitment of Potter, Granger, and Weasley

The success of the conspiracy required the cooperation of its primary subjects. In June 1996, immediately following the end of the Hogwarts term, Dumbledore approached Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley with his proposal.

From Harry Potter’s testimony:

“Dumbledore laid it out for us. The Statute was failing. Muggle technology was advancing too quickly. Eventually, someone would capture magic on camera in a way that couldn't be dismissed. When that happened, there would be chaos. Fear. Possibly violence. He proposed an alternative: make magic familiar. Make it beloved. Make it fiction.”

“He told us our story could save lives. That by letting the world think magic was fantasy, we could prevent the panic that would come with the truth. He made it sound noble. Necessary.”

“I was fifteen. I'd just watched Sirius die. Dumbledore was the only person I trusted completely. So I said yes.”

Hermione Granger’s account corroborated this:

“I had reservations immediately. The ethical implications were staggering. We would be lying to billions of people. Violating the informed consent of every Muggle who read the books or watched the films. But Dumbledore argued that the Statute itself was already a lie—this was simply a more sophisticated version.”

“He convinced me that the alternative was worse. That exposure would lead to wizards being rounded up, studied, weaponised. He showed me projections from the Department of Mysteries suggesting that an uncontrolled revelation of magic would result in global conflict within a decade.”

“I still don't know if those projections were accurate or if he was manipulating us. But at seventeen, I believed him.”

Ron Weasley offered a more cynical perspective:

“Harry was in. Hermione was in. I wasn't about to be left out. Plus, Dumbledore mentioned there would be financial compensation once the books took off. My family had never had money. The idea of being famous and rich? Yeah, I was on board.”

Governmental Briefings

With the key participants recruited, Dumbledore moved to secure governmental approval. In June and July of 1996, a series of classified briefings were conducted with Muggle leaders.

According to declassified MI6 documents:

From: Office of the Prime Minister To: Director, MI6 Date: June 28, 1996 Subject: WIZARD PROPOSITION

“Met today with Albus Dumbledore, representing the British magical government, and his deputy McGonagall. The proposal is extraordinary but potentially sound. They wish to publish factual accounts of their world as children's fiction, arguing this will insulate the Statute through normalisation.

I am provisionally supportive. The alternative, an uncontrolled breach of secrecy, poses significant national security risks. Recommend we coordinate with CIA counterparts and brief President Clinton immediately.

Approve liaison assignment between MI6 and this ‘Order of the Phoenix’ organisation. Designate this PROJECT PATRONUS, classification TOP SECRET/WIZARD EYES ONLY.”

President Clinton was briefed on July 8, 1996. From his testimony:

“I'll admit, my first reaction was that this was the most elaborate prank in political history. Then they demonstrated magic in the Oval Office. Transmutation, levitation, things that violated every law of physics I understood. That got my attention.”

“Dumbledore made a compelling case. Magic was real, had been real for millennia, and was getting harder to hide. He proposed a controlled disclosure disguised as fiction. The intelligence community assessed the risks and concluded the plan had merit.”

“I authorized CIA cooperation and signed off on the publishing contracts through intermediaries. In hindsight, I should have insisted on broader consultation. But in 1996, with magic literally being demonstrated in front of me, I made the call I thought was right.”

Queen Elizabeth II was briefed on July 15, 1996. While Her Majesty is deceased and thus unavailable to testify before this commission, a statement from King Charles III confirmed:

“My mother was fully informed of the Potter conspiracy from its inception. She met personally with Mr Potter, Miss Granger, and Mr Weasley in August of 1996. She believed the deception was necessary to preserve social order and approved the use of Crown resources to facilitate the publishing process. She took this secret to her grave, and requested that the truth not be revealed until circumstances made it inevitable.”

CHAPTER 2: PUBLICATION AND INITIAL SUCCESS (1996–1998)

The Writing Process

Between June 1996 and March 1997, J.K. Rowling worked to complete Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. She was provided with office space in a safehouse maintained by MI6, where she was regularly visited by members of the Order of the Phoenix who supplied her with source material.

From Rowling’s diary, entered into evidence:

“June 30, 1996: McGonagall brought me seven years of lesson plans from Hogwarts today. Seven years. She's expecting me to turn this into a series, not a single book. I asked how I was supposed to write seven books before the children age out of relevance. She said, ‘One at a time, Miss Rowling. One at a time.’”

“August 14, 1996: Harry came by today. Strange experience, interviewing a sixteen-year-old boy about how he survived a killing curse as a baby. He's polite but haunted. I asked him if he was comfortable with the world knowing his story. He said Dumbledore promised it would help. I don't think he believes it.”

“November 2, 1996: Hermione brought me transcripts of her first year at Hogwarts. The girl is frighteningly organised. She's documented every major event with the thoroughness of a court reporter.”

The manuscript was completed in March 1997. However, the publishing timeline was dramatically accelerated following an event that would change the trajectory of the entire conspiracy.

The Death of Albus Dumbledore

On June 30, 1997, Albus Dumbledore died after falling from the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts, having been killed by Severus Snape, a double agent working for both Dumbledore and Voldemort.

From the testimony of Minerva McGonagall:

“Albus's death was planned. He was already dying from a curse, had perhaps another two months to live. He arranged his own murder to protect Draco Malfoy—another student—and to secure Snape's position in Voldemort's inner circle. It was characteristic of Albus. Manipulative, strategic, and utterly convinced of his own righteousness.”

“His death meant the Potter project lost its architect. Control passed to the Order of the Phoenix, which suddenly had to manage a conspiracy without its mastermind. We were rudderless.”

The timing created a bizarre historical coincidence: the first Harry Potter book was published in the UK on June 26, 1997, four days before Dumbledore's death. He lived just long enough to see his plan begin.

From a letter from Dumbledore to McGonagall, dated June 27, 1997:

“I held a copy this morning, Minerva. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, by J.K. Rowling. It felt peculiar, holding truth disguised as fiction. I wonder if this is how gods feel when they watch mortals tell stories about them.

The reviews are positive. While the initial print run was only 500 copies, projections expect this to increase rapidly. If we can maintain momentum through the American release, the plan may yet work. Of course, I shall not live to see its full fruition. That burden falls to you now.

Take care of them, Minerva. Harry, Hermione, Ronald. They are children playing at espionage. They will need guidance in the years ahead.”

The Order Assumes Control

Following Dumbledore’s death, operational control of the Potter conspiracy transferred to the Order of the Phoenix, now led by Minerva McGonagall. This transition created immediate challenges, as the Order was primarily a paramilitary organisation, not an intelligence operation.

From declassified MI6 communications:

From: MI6 Liaison to Order of the Phoenix To: Director, MI6 Date: July 15, 1997 Subject: PROJECT PATRONUS – LEADERSHIP TRANSITION

“Dumbledore's death has created significant operational difficulties. McGonagall is competent but lacks Dumbledore's strategic vision. The Order is focused on the war with Voldemort and views the Potter conspiracy as secondary priority.

Recommend MI6 take more active role in managing Rowling and coordinating with publishers. The Order can continue to provide source material but should not be primary operational authority.

Also recommend we accelerate American publication timeline. Current plan has US release in September 1998, more than a year after UK release. This creates unnecessary risk of leaks.”

The recommendation was accepted. MI6, in coordination with the CIA, assumed operational oversight of the Potter conspiracy while maintaining the fiction that the Order remained in control.

American Publication

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (retitled for the American market) was published in the United States on September 1, 1998. The success was immediate and unprecedented.

From testimony by Arthur Levine, editor at Scholastic:

“I was approached in November 1997 by someone from the CIA. They offered me first look at a British children's book that was gaining traction in the UK. I read it overnight and knew immediately it was special.”

“The terms were extraordinary. We paid a $105,000 advance, massive for a children's book debut. We were ‘encouraged’ to make it a lead title, to put significant marketing behind it.”

“By the time I began to regret the operation in the early 2000s, I was too deeply implicated to come forward. I convinced myself it didn't matter. That even if the books were based on something real, they were still literature. Still valuable.”

“I was wrong. I participated in a lie that deceived millions of children. I take full responsibility.”

The book’s success in America transformed the Potter conspiracy from a British intelligence operation into a transatlantic phenomenon. By December 1998, both the first and second books had been published in the US, and sales were accelerating exponentially.

From a CIA memo dated January 12, 1999:

CLASSIFIED: TOP SECRET/WIZARD EYES ONLY Subject: PROJECT PATRONUS – STATUS ASSESSMENT

“The Potter books have exceeded all projections. Book one has sold over 250,000 copies in the US alone. Book two is tracking even higher. The franchise is becoming a cultural phenomenon.

This success creates both opportunities and risks:

OPPORTUNITIES:

• Normalization of magical concepts is proceeding ahead of schedule

• Revenue stream allows for self-funding of future operations

• Cultural penetration creates cover for genuine magical incidents

RISKS:

• Success draws scrutiny to Rowling and publishing process

• Wizard participants (particularly Potter, Granger, Weasley) struggling with seeing their lives commercialized

• Remnants of Voldemort's forces may attempt to disrupt conspiracy to undermine Statute

RECOMMENDATION: Maintain current trajectory.”

The War Years

The period from August 1997 to May 1998 represented the most challenging phase of the conspiracy’s early years. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger were not at Hogwarts for their final year of schooling; instead, they were in hiding, hunting objects called Horcruxes—fragments of Voldemort's soul that needed to be destroyed to make him mortal.

This created significant operational difficulties, as the primary sources for Rowling’s work were unreachable for months at a time.

From Rowling’s diary:

“January 3, 1998: No contact with Harry, Ron, or Hermione for five months. McGonagall says they're alive but can't say more. I'm supposed to write book two on their second year at Hogwarts, but I keep thinking about what they're doing right now. Seventeen years old and hunting pieces of a dark wizard's soul whilst I write about them as children.”

“March 18, 1998: I've been invited to do a reading tour. The publisher wants me to dress in robes. I told them absolutely not—I'm supposed to be writing fiction, not cosplaying the real thing. They think I'm being difficult. I'm trying not to break the Statute.”

The war reached its conclusion on May 2, 1998, at the Battle of Hogwarts. Voldemort was killed, his forces defeated, and the surviving participants, including Potter, Granger, and Weasley, returned to a world where they were already fictional celebrities.

From Harry Potter’s testimony:

“I killed Voldemort at dawn. By mid-morning, I was being briefed by McGonagall about book sales figures. She told me book one had sold eight million copies worldwide. That there were plans for books two, three, four, all the way through seventh year. That they were in talks for a film studio to adapt it.”

“I'd just watched friends die. Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks. Fifty people total. And McGonagall was talking about merchandising rights.”

“I asked if we could stop. Just... stop. Tell the world it was over, we'd won, they could stop pretending it was fiction.”

“She said no. That the conspiracy was bigger than Voldemort now. That stopping would mean admitting we'd been lying for two years. That the Muggle governments would never allow it.”

“That's when I realised we weren't in control anymore. If we ever had been.”

CHAPTER 3: EXPANSION AND ENTRENCHMENT (1998–2001)

The Film Negotiations

In October 1998, Warner Brothers acquired the film rights to the Harry Potter series for a reported $2 million. This transaction, facilitated by MI6 and CIA intermediaries, marked a crucial escalation in the conspiracy’s scope.

From testimony by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, former President of Worldwide Production at Warner Brothers:

“The pitch was irresistible. A beloved book series with built-in audience, rich visual world, seven-film arc already planned. We saw it as the franchise to define a generation. The fact that it came from the CIA was sadly ignored in favor of more profits.”

The casting process began in 1999 and involved unprecedented levels of coordination between the studio, British intelligence, and wizard authorities. The actors selected to portray Harry, Ron, and Hermione would need to physically resemble their real-life counterparts while initially being entirely unaware of the truth.

From declassified MI6 documents:

Date: March 15, 2000 Subject: PROJECT PATRONUS – FILM CASTING

“Casting is proceeding with complications. Director Chris Columbus has identified Daniel Radcliffe for Potter role. Physical resemblance is remarkable but not perfect. Wizard consultants have requested permission to use minor cosmetic charms to enhance similarity. Request DENIED—risk of exposure too high.

Rupert Grint selected for Weasley role. Emma Watson in final consideration for Granger. Both acceptable to wizard sources.

Greater concern is adult casting. Several actors (particularly for Dumbledore role) are conducting research that brings them too close to truth. Have assigned MI6 officers to ‘assist’ with research, ensuring they find only approved materials.

Production scheduled to begin September 2000. Recommend enhanced security protocols on set. Wizard consultants will need regular access, creating exposure risk.”

The involvement of wizard consultants on set created one of the conspiracy’s most audacious elements: actual magic was used in the production of films about magic, with the mundane special effects serving as cover for genuine magical phenomena.

Book Sales and Cultural Penetration

The period from 1998 to 2001 saw the Potter books transform from successful children’s literature into a global cultural phenomenon. Books three (Prisoner of Azkaban) and four (Goblet of Fire) were published in 1999 and 2000 respectively, each breaking sales records.

By the end of 2000:

• Over 60 million Potter books had been sold worldwide

• The series had been translated into 34 languages

• Potter-themed merchandise generated over $350 million annually

• Fan websites numbered in the hundreds

• Academic papers were being written analyzing the books’ themes

From a CIA analysis dated December 2000:

“The Potter phenomenon has exceeded all projections. Magical concepts are now normalized across an entire generation. Children worldwide accept the existence of wizards, spells, magical creatures as ‘fictional’ truths.

This cultural penetration creates optimal conditions for Statute preservation. Any genuine magical incident can now be dismissed as ‘Potter copycat’ or ‘viral marketing.’ The books have become a defensive mechanism.

Recommend continued support through film production phase. Visual medium will cement normalization across demographics currently unreached by books.”

However, the success was creating strain amongst the wizard participants. From testimony by Hermione Granger:

“By 2000, I was watching children dress up as me for Halloween. Reading fan fiction about my romantic life. Seeing my face on merchandise I'd never approved. And I couldn't say anything because I was supposed to be fictional.”

“The worst part was the analysis. Critics writing about what ‘Hermione Granger’ represented. Feminist icon, they said. Problematic bookish stereotype, others argued. They were debating the meaning of my actual life choices and I couldn't tell them they were wrong.”

“I began to feel like I didn't own my own story anymore. Like I'd sold not just my privacy but my identity.”

CHAPTER 4: THE FILM ERA (2001–2011)

The First Film

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone premiered in London on November 4, 2001, and was released worldwide two weeks later. The film grossed over $974 million, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of all time.

The premiere was attended by the actors playing the characters, the real-life subjects those actors portrayed, and various heads of state aware of the conspiracy. The surreal nature of this event cannot be overstated: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley stood meters away from Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, watching themselves be portrayed on screen while maintaining the fiction that they did not exist.

From Harry Potter’s testimony:

“I stood in Leicester Square watching an actor pretend to be me. Watching my parents' murder recreated by special effects. Watching the worst moments of my childhood turned into entertainment.”

“Radcliffe was eleven, same age I'd been. He looked terrified by the crowd, the cameras, the attention. I wanted to tell him it gets easier. That you learn to live with fame. But I couldn't, because he didn't know I was real.”

“After the premiere, we were taken to a secure location where Prime Minister Blair thanked us for our service. Service. Like we were soldiers. We were twenty-one years old and we'd just watched our trauma become a blockbuster.”

The film’s success turbocharged the conspiracy. The books had normalized magical concepts; the films made them visible, tangible, undeniable. An entire generation now had a shared visual reference for what magic “looked” like—and that reference was, unbeknownst to them, largely accurate.

Subsequent Films and Books

Between 2002 and 2011, Warner Brothers released seven more films (splitting the final book into two parts). J.K. Rowling published books five (Order of the Phoenix), six (Half-Blood Prince), and seven (Deathly Hallows), completing the series in 2007.

The production process for each film followed the same pattern: wizard consultants embedded in the crew, intelligence oversight, and careful management of information to prevent accidental exposure. The conspiracy involved hundreds of people across multiple continents, all compartmentalized to prevent any single individual from seeing the full picture.

From testimony by David Heyman, producer of all eight films:

“The production employed thousands of people over a decade. Actors, crew, effects artists, musicians. Most had no idea they were participating in anything beyond a film series.”

The Later Books and Rising Darkness

Books five (Order of the Phoenix), six (Half-Blood Prince), and seven (Deathly Hallows) chronicled progressively darker material: government corruption, torture, war, and death. This created tension between Rowling and her wizard sources.

From Rowling’s diary:

“July 2004: Argument with Harry today about how to portray Sirius's death. He wants it softened. Less violent. I reminded him that children are already reading about Cedric's murder—we can't pull punches now. He said that was different, Cedric was someone else's son. Sirius was his godfather. His family.”

“I told him I was sorry. That I'd make it as respectful as I could. But the story demands truth. We can't tell half of it and hide the rest.”

“He left without speaking to me. Hermione stayed behind and said I was right, that the story needs to be complete. But she looked devastated. Like she was sacrificing him all over again.”

The books’ increasing maturity created another problem: the child audience was aging, but new children were still entering the series. This meant the conspiracy was reaching across multiple generations, creating a shared cultural touchstone that would make any future revelation even more devastating.

From a British intelligence assessment dated 2006:

“The Potter series has achieved multi-generational penetration. Children who read book one in 1997 are now adults introducing their own children to the series. This creates a cultural loop where magical normalisation is self-reinforcing.

However, this success makes eventual revelation increasingly dangerous. The longer the conspiracy continues, the greater the betrayal of trust when it ends. We estimate current revelation would affect approximately 40% of population under age 30 in UK and US. Another decade could push that to 60%.

Recommend we begin developing contingency plans for controlled disclosure. Current trajectory is unsustainable past 2020.”

The recommendation was noted but not acted upon. According to testimony from multiple officials, each administration decided to defer the problem to its successors.

The Conclusion of the Series

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published on July 21, 2007. The book sold 11 million copies in its first 24 hours, the fastest-selling book in history.

The book’s ending—with Voldemort defeated and Harry, Ron, and Hermione surviving to adulthood—diverged from reality in one crucial aspect: it included an epilogue set nineteen years later, showing the characters as adults with children of their own.

This epilogue was entirely fictional, written to provide narrative closure while obscuring the subjects’ actual lives. The real Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley were, in 2007, twenty-seven years old and very much still living their lives.

From Hermione Granger’s testimony:

“The epilogue was a violation. Rowling wrote about my future without asking. Married me off, gave me fictional children, created an entire life I hadn't consented to. And millions of people now think that's my destiny.”

“I confronted her about it. She said it was necessary to give the story closure, to prevent people from speculating about our real lives. I told her she didn't have the right to decide my future, even fictionally.”

“She said I'd already given her that right when I agreed to the conspiracy. That once you let someone tell your story, you don't get to control where it goes.”

“She was right. And I've hated her for it ever since.”

The final films were released in 2010 and 2011, bringing the franchise to its cinematic conclusion. By this point, the eight films had grossed over $7.7 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film franchise in history.

CHAPTER 5: THE SOCIAL MEDIA ERA (2011–2020)

The Pottermore Era and Expanded Control

Following the conclusion of the main series, J.K. Rowling launched Pottermore in 2011, a website providing additional information about the wizarding world. This marked a shift in the conspiracy’s strategy: rather than conclude the fiction, they would expand it, using digital platforms to maintain cultural relevance and control the narrative.

From Rowling’s testimony:

“The Ministry approached me about Pottermore. They wanted a platform where they could release ‘additional material’ that would serve two purposes: maintain public interest in the Potter brand and provide a controlled outlet for information that might otherwise leak.”

The strategy of controlled expansion required even closer coordination with wizard authorities worldwide. The conspiracy, originally a British-American operation, now involved magical governments from multiple nations.

From testimony by former MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America) President Samuel Quahog:

“We were furious when the Potter books first came out. The British had made a unilateral decision that affected global wizard secrecy without consulting the International Confederation of Wizards. It was colonialism dressed up as security policy.”

“But by 2011, we were trapped. The books existed. The films existed. Millions of Muggles had internalized these stories. Opposing the conspiracy would mean exposure, so we became complicit in it.”

“When Rowling started writing about American magic, we insisted on control. Every detail about Ilvermorny, every piece of American magical history, went through our approval. We weren't protecting the Statute—we were protecting our own secrets from being exposed through British carelessness.”

Twitter and the Rowling Problem

J.K. Rowling joined Twitter in 2009 and quickly amassed millions of followers. Her tweets about the Potter universe—revealing character details, confirming fan theories, expanding on backstories—became major news events.

This created a novel problem: Rowling was now providing information about real people and real events without formal oversight. The casual nature of Twitter made it difficult to maintain the careful control that had characterized the books and films.

From a 2013 MI6 memo:

Subject: ROWLING TWITTER ACTIVITY – OPERATIONAL SECURITY CONCERN

“Rowling's Twitter activity is creating security risks. Recent tweets have included:

• Confirmation that Dumbledore was gay (TRUE – relationship with Grindelwald is documented)

• Claim that wizards used to defecate on floors and vanish the evidence (FALSE – no evidence this was ever common practice)

• Details about wand woods and their properties (PARTIALLY TRUE – some accuracy, some invention)

Problem is that followers cannot distinguish true information from Rowling's inventions. This creates noise that actually helps protect Statute—people assume everything is fiction—but risks accidental revelation of accurate information.

Recommend we assign handler to review tweets before posting. Rowling likely to resist as infringement on her ‘creative freedom.’”

The recommendation was implemented, but according to testimony, Rowling frequently ignored it, leading to ongoing tension between the author and her intelligence handlers.

The Fantastic Beasts Expansion

In 2016, Warner Brothers released Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a prequel film set in 1920s New York. The film was based on a 2001 supplementary book but expanded into a full narrative featuring wizard Newt Scamander.

Unlike the Potter films, which were adaptations of events that had already occurred, the Fantastic Beasts franchise was largely invented. This represented a shift: the conspiracy was no longer documenting reality disguised as fiction, but creating fiction that borrowed real elements.

From testimony by David Yates, director of the Fantastic Beasts films:

“I was told the Fantastic Beasts films would have more ‘creative freedom’ than the Potter adaptations. That Rowling was inventing this story rather than adapting it. That felt liberating. I could actually direct fantasy without worrying about fidelity to source material.”

“What I didn't know was that while the plot was invented, many of the details were real. The magical creatures, the spells, the depiction of 1920s wizard society—all based on actual historical records. I was directing a historical fantasy without knowing the history was real.”

The Fantastic Beasts franchise would release three films between 2016 and 2022, with mixed commercial success. More importantly, it demonstrated that the conspiracy had evolved beyond simply documenting Potter’s life into creating an entire fictional universe that incorporated genuine magical elements.

Rowling’s Transgender Controversy

Beginning in 2019, J.K. Rowling became embroiled in public controversy over statements regarding transgender rights. Her tweets and essays on the topic sparked widespread backlash, with many fans and Potter actors publicly disagreeing with her views.

This controversy created an unexpected benefit for the conspiracy: it drove a wedge between Rowling and her audience, making her seem less authoritative, less trustworthy, less reliable. People who had once accepted every word she said about the Potter universe now questioned her judgment.

From a 2020 CIA analysis:

“The Rowling transgender controversy, while unfortunate for other reasons, has created operational advantage: public trust in Rowling as authority on Potter universe has degraded significantly. Many fans now separate ‘book canon’ from ‘Rowling's opinions.’

This separation is beneficial to Statute preservation. If Rowling were to attempt revelation, accidentally or intentionally, her credibility has been sufficiently damaged that disclosure would be dismissed as attention-seeking or breakdown.

Recommend we do not intervene in controversy either way. Natural erosion of Rowling's authority serves security interests.”

From Rowling’s testimony:

“I won't discuss the substance of the transgender debate here. But I will say this: I noticed that my intelligence handlers seemed pleased when my reputation took a hit. One of them actually told me, off the record, that it was ‘helpful’ that people were questioning my credibility.”

“That's when I understood that I'd never been anything but a tool. They didn't care about me or my welfare. They cared about whether I was useful. And apparently, I was more useful disgraced than beloved.”

CHAPTER 6: THE FINAL YEARS (2020–2025)

The 2020 and 2024 US Elections

The election of Joe Biden in 2020 and the re-election of Donald Trump in 2024 both involved classified briefings on the Potter conspiracy. These transitions of power represented moments of maximum vulnerability, as new Presidents had to be brought into a decades-old secret.

From President Biden’s testimony:

“Barack briefed me in 2008 when I became Vice President. Even so, the full briefing as President-elect in 2020 was overwhelming. They showed me everything: the original Dumbledore letters, the MI6 files, testimony from Potter himself.”

“I asked the same question every President asks: why can't we just tell the truth now? And I got the same answer: too much time has passed, too many people have been deceived, revelation would cause catastrophic loss of institutional trust.”

“I accepted that answer in 2020. After the events of 2025, I don't know if it was right.”

President Trump’s re-election in 2024 created particular concern, given his previous statements about the Potter conspiracy during his first term. From MI6 communications:

Date: November 10, 2024 Subject: TRUMP RE-ELECTION – OPERATIONAL IMPLICATIONS

“President Trump has been re-elected. During his previous term (2017–2021), he repeatedly expressed frustration with the Potter conspiracy and suggested revealing it to the public. He was dissuaded by advisers who convinced him the political fallout would be catastrophic.

Now entering his second term with fewer constraints, Trump may be less amenable to maintaining secrecy. Recommend enhanced liaison to ensure he understands stakes of premature disclosure.

British PM Starmer has been briefed and will coordinate messaging with Number 10.”

According to testimony from multiple sources, Trump did not attempt disclosure during the transition period but expressed his continued belief that “the whole thing was a disaster waiting to happen.”

Rising Tension in the Wizarding World

By 2024, significant factions within the international magical community were advocating for voluntary disclosure. The argument: end the Statute on their terms rather than wait for inevitable exposure.

From testimony by Minerva McGonagall:

“I'd been uneasy about the Statute by the early 2020s. Not because of the conspiracy specifically, but because of what the Statute represented: apartheid. We'd segregated ourselves from the majority of humanity and justified it as protection. But who were we protecting? Ourselves, not them.”

“The Potter conspiracy was the logical endpoint of that segregation. We'd decided that Muggles couldn't be trusted with truth, so we'd give them fiction instead. It was patronising. Arrogant. Wrong.”

“In 2023, I began advocating for controlled disclosure. End the Statute, reveal the conspiracy, accept the consequences. I was in the minority. Most of the international magical community wanted to maintain secrecy indefinitely.”

The debate created fractures in the wizard community. Some viewed the Statute as essential protection; others saw it as an unjust system that had outlived any legitimate purpose. The Potter conspiracy became a flashpoint in this debate, with some wizards arguing it had successfully preserved secrecy and others arguing it proved the moral bankruptcy of the entire system.

The California Incident

On June 16, 2025, a wizard named Thomas Pemberton Apparated (teleported) in a parking lot in Oakland, California. He was observed and filmed by a Muggle named Jennifer Zhao, who immediately posted the video to TikTok.

Within hours, the video had 40 million views. Within a day, it had been analyzed by thousands of people and declared authentic by multiple special effects experts. Within a week, the Statute of Secrecy had effectively ended.

From testimony by Jennifer Zhao:

“I was getting into my car. There was a sound like a small thunderclap, and a man appeared out of nowhere. Not walked up—appeared. One second empty air, next second a whole person.”

“I filmed it because I film everything. Posted it because I post everything. I didn't think it was real magic. I thought it was some kind of street performance or viral marketing for a movie.”

“Then the comments started explaining that this was how wizards moved around in Harry Potter. That if it was real, it meant Harry Potter was real. I thought people were joking.”

“They weren't joking.”

The response from magical governments was immediate but ineffective. Memory charms were cast on Zhao, but the video had already spread beyond the possibility of suppression. Attempts to claim the video was a hoax failed when multiple verification experts confirmed its authenticity.

On June 23, 2025, the International Confederation of Wizards issued a public statement confirming the existence of magic and the wizarding world. The Statute of Secrecy was formally ended.

From the ICW statement:

“For more than three centuries, the magical community has existed in secrecy alongside the non-magical world. This separation was established for mutual protection and has been maintained through the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, enacted in 1689.

Recent events have made it clear that this separation can no longer be sustained. Advances in Muggle technology, particularly in recording and communication, have made magical secrecy effectively impossible.

We therefore acknowledge what many have already concluded: magic is real. The wizarding world exists. And we are ready to begin a dialogue with our non-magical neighbours about what comes next.”

The statement made no mention of the Potter conspiracy.

CHAPTER 7: THE CONSPIRATORS SPEAK

The following are extended excerpts from testimony before this Commission. They are presented with minimal editorial comment, as the words of the conspirators speak for themselves.

J.K. Rowling

“I've spent thirty years justifying this to myself. Telling myself I was protecting the Statute, preventing chaos, doing what was necessary. The truth is simpler and uglier: I wanted the money and the fame, and I convinced myself the cost was worth it.”

“I wrote about children being manipulated by powerful adults. About institutions that prioritised their own survival over truth. About the corrupting influence of secrecy. And whilst I was writing those themes, I was living them. I was the manipulator. The corrupt institution. The keeper of dangerous secrets.”

“People ask if I regret it. Yes. Unequivocally. I helped perpetrate the greatest deception in modern history. I built my career on it. I became one of the wealthiest people in Britain by monetising someone else's trauma.”

“But regret doesn't undo it. Harry Potter will still exist in thirty years. Children will still read those books. And they'll be reading a lie I helped create.”

“If I could go back to 1996 and tell that struggling single mother to reject Dumbledore's offer, would I? Honestly, I don't know. My daughter has had opportunities I could never have given her without the Potter money. My charitable foundation has helped thousands of people. The books themselves, whatever their origin, have brought genuine joy to millions.”

“Does good done with blood money stop being blood money? I don't know. I don't think I get to decide.”

Harry Potter

“Dumbledore asked me if I was willing to sacrifice my privacy to save lives. I was sixteen. I'd just watched my godfather die because I'd been manipulated into a trap. I would have agreed to anything Dumbledore asked.”

“He knew that. He used that. That's who Dumbledore was—someone who moved people around like chess pieces and called it strategy.”

“The worst part isn't the fame or the loss of privacy or even watching my parents' murder recreated for entertainment. The worst part is that I don't know if it worked. Did the Potter conspiracy preserve the Statute? Yes, for thirty years. Would the Statute have fallen earlier without it? Maybe. Maybe not.”

“Was it worth it? I can't answer that. How do you weigh hypothetical chaos against actual deception? How do you measure thirty years of lies against the possibility of violence that never happened?”

“What I know is this: I was a child when I agreed to this. I'm forty-six now. I've spent more of my life as a fictional character than I spent as a private person. That's what I gave up. Whether it was worth it isn't for me to say.”

Hermione Granger

“I became Minister for Magic in 2009. I'd spent my entire adult life in public service, working within the system to make things better. And I did make things better, in small ways. Better treatment for house-elves. Reforms to Muggleborn rights. Incremental progress.”

“But I never challenged the fundamental injustice: that we'd separated ourselves from the majority of humanity and called it necessary. That we'd denied Muggles the right to know magic existed. That we'd built a society on segregation and secrecy.”

“The Potter conspiracy was the logical conclusion of that system. If you accept that Muggles can't know about magic, then deceiving them about magic is just another form of protection. It's all the same lie.”

“I enforced that lie for six years as Minister. I could have ended the Statute voluntarily. I could have revealed the conspiracy and faced the consequences. I didn't. I chose institutional stability over honesty.”

“People have compared the Statute to apartheid. They're right. And I was the Minister who enforced it. That's my legacy. Not the house-elf reforms or the Muggleborn rights. Those are footnotes. The main text is: she had the power to end an unjust system and chose not to.”

Ron Weasley

“I'm the simplest case. I did it for money and fame. No grand justifications, no noble intentions. Just a poor kid who saw a chance to be rich and famous and took it.”

“Does that make me more or less culpable than the others? I don't know. At least I'm honest about my motivations. Hermione can talk about institutional necessity and Harry can talk about Dumbledore's manipulation, but at the end of the day, we all made the same choice. We all said yes.”

“I've spent thirty years as Deputy Head Auror, playing the loyal sidekick whilst pretending I didn't exist. It's been a good life, materially. I live well. I'm respected within the magical community. And every bit of it is built on a lie.”

“Would I do it again? Yeah, probably. Which tells you everything you need to know about my character.”

Minerva McGonagall

“I was seventy-one when Albus brought me this proposal. Old enough to know better. Old enough to recognise manipulation when I saw it. I went along anyway because I trusted Albus, and because the alternative frightened me.”

“Albus was brilliant and terrible in equal measure. He could make anything sound reasonable. Necessary. Noble. He convinced three traumatised children to give up their privacy to serve his vision of the greater good, and he convinced me to help him do it.”

“After his death, I could have ended it. I was running the Order of the Phoenix. I could have gone to the Muggle authorities and revealed everything. Instead, I let it continue. Let it expand. Oversaw the film productions and the books and the merchandise.”

“Why? Because I was afraid. Afraid of chaos. Afraid of change. Afraid that without the Statute, wizards would be rounded up and used as weapons. So I chose the comfortable lie over the difficult truth.”

“I'm ninety now. I won't live to see whatever comes next. But I'll die knowing I helped perpetrate a great wrong. There's no redemption in that. Just the bare acknowledgment of failure.”

President William Clinton

“I authorized American participation in the Potter conspiracy in July 1996. I did so after classified briefings from the CIA and MI6, and after Dumbledore demonstrated magic in the Oval Office.”

“The assessment was clear: magical revelation could trigger global instability. The conspiracy offered a way to preserve stability while managing the risk of uncontrolled exposure. From a national security perspective, it was the rational choice.”

“But rational doesn't mean right. We deceived the American people for thirty years. We allowed a foreign intelligence operation to manipulate American culture and publishing. We violated the public trust in ways that will take generations to repair.”

“Every President since has maintained the conspiracy. We all made the same calculation: better to preserve the lie than face the consequences of truth. We were wrong. The consequences came anyway, we just delayed them.”

Prime Minister Tony Blair

“The Potter conspiracy was fully operational when I took office in 1997. I inherited it from John Major, who was first briefed on the conspiracy in 1996.”

“I could have ended it in 1997. The first book had been out for only a few months. The damage would have been minimal. Instead, I supported the film productions, the expanded publishing deals, the whole apparatus.”

“Why? Same reason as everyone else. I was told revelation would be catastrophic. That wizard society would collapse, that panic would spread, that the consequences were unthinkable. And I was shown projections and assessments that made it all seem true.”

“Looking back, I wonder if those projections were accurate or if we were all being managed. If the intelligence services and the wizards had created a self-fulfilling prophecy: the conspiracy must continue because ending it would reveal the conspiracy, and revealing the conspiracy would be catastrophic because the conspiracy had continued for so long.”

“Either way, I own my part in it. I could have been the Prime Minister who told the truth. I chose to be the Prime Minister who maintained the lie.”

President Donald Trump

“I thought the whole thing was stupid from day one. Total disaster. They brief you on this, and believe me, it's quite a briefing, they bring in actual wizards, they do magic right there in the Oval Office, and they tell you that you have to keep lying to the American people because telling the truth would be too scary.”

“I said, ‘The American people can handle it. They're strong. They're tough. Just tell them the truth.’ And everyone in the room looked at me like I was crazy. The intelligence people, the British people, the wizard people. They all said, ‘No, Mr. President, you can't reveal this, it would be catastrophic.’”

“So I went along with it. Biggest mistake of my first term, frankly. Should have just gone on TV and said, ‘Folks, magic is real, here's a wizard, deal with it.’ Would have been chaos for a week, then everyone would have moved on. Instead, we kept lying, and now it's an even bigger disaster.”

“Second term, I was ready to end it. Then the Statute fell on its own and I didn't have to make the call. Probably for the best. Would have gotten blamed for it either way.”

CHAPTER 8: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The Potter Commission finds that the conspiracy to publish and distribute the Harry Potter books and films was:

• Unauthorized: The British magical government, acting through Albus Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix, undertook a covert influence operation affecting multiple sovereign nations without proper international authorization.

• Deceptive: The conspiracy deliberately deceived billions of people across three decades, violating principles of informed consent and institutional trust.

• Exploitative: The conspiracy exploited the trauma and privacy of three underage individuals (Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley) who were not in a position to give meaningful informed consent.

• Historically unprecedented: No prior covert operation has achieved this level of cultural penetration, commercial success, or temporal duration.

• Partially successful: The conspiracy did preserve the Statute of Secrecy for approximately thirty years beyond the point at which it might have otherwise fallen.

• Ultimately futile: The Statute fell anyway, meaning the deception’s primary objective was not achieved in any permanent sense.

• Morally indefensible: Regardless of intentions, the conspiracy violated fundamental principles of honesty, consent, and democratic accountability.

On the Question of Criminal Prosecution

This Commission makes no formal recommendations regarding criminal prosecution of American participants in the conspiracy. However, we note that multiple federal statutes may have been violated, including:

• Conspiracy to defraud the United States

• Violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act

• Possible RICO violations related to the commercial enterprises built on the conspiracy

The Department of Justice has indicated it will not seek prosecution of former Presidents or senior officials who participated in the conspiracy, citing national security concerns and the passage of time. We disagree with this assessment but acknowledge it is not within our mandate to override prosecutorial discretion.

For non-governmental participants, including executives at Bloomsbury, Scholastic, and Warner Brothers, we recommend the Justice Department conduct a thorough review to determine whether criminal charges are appropriate.

On the British Conspirators

The primary architects and executors of the Potter conspiracy were British subjects acting under the authority of the British magical government. While this Commission has no jurisdiction over British nationals, we call on the United Kingdom to conduct its own investigation and hold accountable those responsible.

We note that Hermione Granger resigned as Minister for Magic on June 24, 2025, eight days after the fall of the Statute. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley remain in their positions as Head Auror and Deputy Head Auror respectively, though both have indicated they will resign pending the outcome of British investigations.

J.K. Rowling remains a British resident and has not been charged with any crime. We recommend that British authorities investigate whether her participation in the conspiracy violated British law.

On Institutional Reforms

To prevent future conspiracies of this nature, we recommend:

• Enhanced Congressional oversight of intelligence operations involving cultural or media manipulation.

• Mandatory disclosure requirements for any covert operation lasting more than five years, with exemptions only for the most critical national security matters.

• Prohibition on intelligence operations targeting children, regardless of whether those children “consent” to participation.

• Regular review of all ongoing covert operations to assess whether their original justifications remain valid.

• Truth and reconciliation processes to address the harm caused by the Potter conspiracy to the millions who were deceived.

On the Statute of Secrecy

This Commission takes no formal position on whether the Statute of Secrecy was justified when enacted in 1689, or whether its preservation through 2025 served legitimate interests.

However, we note that the Statute created the conditions that made the Potter conspiracy seem necessary. A system built on secrecy will inevitably resort to deception to maintain itself. The conspiracy was not an aberration but a logical outgrowth of an inherently problematic system.

Now that the Statute has fallen, the international community must grapple with integrating magical and non-magical societies. This will require unprecedented cooperation, difficult conversations, and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths about both communities.

The Potter conspiracy has made this process more difficult by creating thirty years of additional mistrust. The wizarding community deceived us; our governments enabled that deception; our cultural institutions profited from it. Rebuilding trust from that foundation will take generations.

Final Observations

The Potter conspiracy succeeded because it gave people what they wanted: a world where magic was real but safely contained in fiction. It failed because reality cannot be contained indefinitely.

The conspirators believed they were protecting both worlds. Perhaps they were. Perhaps without the conspiracy, the Statute would have fallen in 1998 or 2003 or 2010, and the chaos they feared would have materialized. We will never know.

What we do know is that they made a choice: comfortable lies over difficult truths. Institutional preservation over individual rights. Secrecy over democracy.

They made that choice for us, without our knowledge or consent.

That is the deepest betrayal: not that they lied, but that they decided we couldn't be trusted with the truth.

Whether they were right is, in the end, irrelevant. They didn't have the right to make that choice.

No one did.