Highlights
- Arthur Weasley's job at the Ministry of Magic was in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, where he dealt with magical objects that could harm Muggles.
- Arthur's fascination with Muggles likely stemmed from his father's blood-traitor status and his compassionate nature, which led him to appreciate and befriend Muggles.
- While Arthur Weasley and a few other oddball characters show interest in Muggles, most wizards have no interest in the Muggle world, and dark wizards often view Muggles with disdain and seek to dominate them.
There are plenty of strange characters in the Harry Potter series, but few are as strange, as wholesome, and as fascinated by Muggles as Arthur Weasley. The world of Muggles is an interesting topic in Harry Potter as it can be taboo depending on who is in the conversation. Many of the pure-blood wizarding families look down on Muggles, and although Arthur did initially hail from one of those families in part, he turned down a much brighter path.
While the daily lives of ordinary people may not be much to think about for the average person, it helps to think of the tie between Muggles and wizards as a closed-off person experiencing a new culture for the first time. There’s so much to be fascinated by and so many customs to learn about. Considering Arthur Weasley isn’t one of the more heavily focused on characters in the series, some may be wondering why he’s fascinated by Muggles, but the answer isn’t too big of a mystery.
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What Is Arthur Weasley's Job?
Those who know and love the fun-loving Arthur Weasley from the Harry Potter series may know that he had a job at the Ministry of Magic, but they may not know exactly what his job was. For quite a while, Arthur worked in the amusingly named Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. While that may not sound like the most glamorous job around, it does make Arthur Weasley an important keeper of the peace in the wizarding world as his work directly impacted magical law enforcement.
Arthur’s Auror-like job would put him in conflict with dark wizards who were seeking to enchant and misuse Muggle objects for a variety of nefarious purposes. Believe it or not, Arthur would come into contact with some incredibly dangerous magical materials, as things magic tea sets and magic books were capable of leaving people horrifically injured if not killed outright. One particularly funny but dangerous problem Arthur dealt with was regurgitating toilets – enchanted porcelain thrones that did exactly what the name would suggest instead of their usual function. Despite how exciting Arthur’s job may sound to some, it was regarded as a relatively boring line of work for the wizarding world.
Why Is Arthur Weasley Fascinated By Muggles?
Hailing from the Black family on his mother’s side and taking the Weasley name from his father Septimus, Arthur Weasley had a magical upbringing in his youth. That may lead some to believe he was kept from the Muggle world for the most part, and that may actually be true, it’s likely that Arthur at the very least earned some level of respect for and interest in Muggles from his father. Septimus was what is known as a blood traitor by the pure-blood wizarding families, something that means he either actively had relationships with Muggles or sympathized with their struggles. This means his father was almost certainly the start of his interest in Muggles.
Following his time at Hogwarts, Arthur found himself mourning the loss of his two brothers at the hands of Voldemort’s Death Eaters. In particular, Arthur would find himself forever at odds with the vile Lucius Malfoy after not believing the excuse that the followers were under the Imperius Curse, leading the two men to be polar opposites of one another. Where the Malfoy would hate all those who weren’t pure blood, Arthur would be happy to call anyone and everyone a friend, even if the person in question was a simple Muggle.
Arthur’s compassionate side would eventually lead him to work in the Ministry of Magic, something that likely only furthered his interest in Muggles. Coming into contact with various Muggle objects, getting and enchanting a Muggle car, and likely meeting many more Muggles are all likely culprits that culminated with Arthur’s iconic wondering about the purpose of a rubber duck. The world of Muggles may seem like the most mundane thing in the world, but with how different pastimes and luxuries are, it’s not hard to see how a wizard could find themself interested in how Muggles lead their lives.
Are Other Wizards Fascinated By Muggles?
While it may seem obvious to most people, a majority of the wizarding world really has no interest in the world of Muggles. While it’s possible that witches or wizards who marry a Muggle become interested in their partner’s way of life, the Harry Potter series leaves major interest in Muggles to the oddball characters like Arthur Weasley. It is known that Hermione’s Muggle family was at the very least supportive of her new way of life, though the extent of their interest in it seems to be limited. Sadly, much of the interest wizards have in Muggles comes down to a much darker purpose.
The last thing many darker witches and wizards want is to understand Muggles purely because they look down on the non-magical folk. Fascinated may not be the right word to describe a dark wizard’s interest in Muggles, as amusement might be the better term. Two notable dark wizards tried to take control of the wizarding world, something that would eventually lead them to domination of the wider Muggle world as well. Both the Dark Lord Voldemort and the prior darkest wizard of all time, Gellert Grindelwald, had a disdain for Muggles that led to a twisted fascination with them – the subjugation and destruction of them.
The Harry Potter series is available to stream now on MAX.