Prudence Wickerham - Senior Undersecretary

“Experience and patience, my dear colleagues, are the twin pillars upon which the Ministry stands. Some would do well to remember that before attempting to… reorganize… systems that have served us perfectly well for decades.”

Background

Prudence Wickerham has dedicated thirty-seven years of her life to the Ministry of Magic, climbing each rung of the bureaucratic ladder with methodical precision and unwavering determination. As Senior Undersecretary, she oversees the intricate web of departmental communications, interdepartmental cooperation, and administrative protocol that keeps the Ministry functioning smoothly.

Born into a respectable but unremarkable wizarding family, Prudence learned early that hard work and attention to detail were her pathways to success in a world that often favored connections over competence. She began her Ministry career as a junior filing clerk in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, where she quickly distinguished herself by reorganizing the entire incident classification system and reducing case processing time by forty percent.

What rankles Prudence most deeply is watching younger, less experienced wizards leap past her through political maneuvering rather than proven merit. The recent rapid ascension of Augustus Thornwick from junior investigator to Deputy Minister in just eight years particularly galls her—a promotion she had every reason to expect would be hers after decades of faithful service.

Prudence takes great pride in her encyclopedic knowledge of Ministry procedures, her network of contacts throughout the wizarding government, and her ability to navigate even the most complex bureaucratic challenges. She believes firmly that gradual, careful change guided by experienced hands serves the magical community far better than the dramatic reforms favored by ambitious newcomers.

Gala Objectives

1. Secure Support for Promotion With Augustus’s investigation creating waves throughout the Ministry hierarchy, position herself as the steady, experienced hand needed to restore stability to the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. Have quiet conversations with Minister Goldenheart and other influential attendees about readiness to take on greater responsibilities.

2. Gather Intelligence on Augustus’s Investigation Understand the full scope of Augustus’s corruption investigation—not out of personal involvement, but because such dramatic accusations could destabilize the entire Ministry if mishandled. Learn what evidence Augustus might have uncovered and whether his reformist zeal might be leading him to make unsubstantiated accusations.