The Future of Her Majesty's Magical Regulator

In the early half of 2015, the very continued existence of HMMR seemed uncertain. With Wytches fast gaining rights and the prospect of equality on the horizon, many were those who asserted that organisation was no longer necessary, and should be abolished. On the other hand, its supporters countered, there were still many out there who continued to abuse the powers of magic for their own purposes, and there was only so much that the Police and Army could do to stop them. An official body, backed up knowledge and experience of Wytchcraft, would almost certainly be necessary to combat such a threat, and since that body already existed in HMMR, what was the point in replacing it?

With the admittance of Wytches into HMMR, thanks mainly to the enterprising work of Jacob Wintersmith, this argument soon resolved itself - it was clear that the Regulator was changing for the better, with Wytches able to bring across their skills, knowledge and expertise to better help serve both sides' common purpose of maintaining peace and order in the magical community.

So, with the continued endurance of 'The Hammer' secured, what happened to its original Norm members and structure?

Sarah Fielding, once the head of the Department of Inquisitors, was very well thought of in the role of Grand Inquisitor that she inherited from Joseph Morton, and her leadership has been widely credited with bringing about unity with the Wytches at a volatile and dangerous time. Fielding remained Grand Inquisitor for the best part of two decades before retiring, in the process netting an MBE for her services to the good of all.

With Fielding's promotion, Maxine Marshall, a previously relatively unknown but highly diligent member of the department, took her place. She stayed somewhat out of the public eye for a while, as the department was swamped by increasing workload and decreasing staff. With the alliance with Wytches secured, however, the situation is now very much improved, with both manpower and confidence levels bolstered by the new perspective those well-versed in magic can provide to investigating its misuse.

Those close to him say that Captain Daniel Guest came to mellow out somewhat since Morton's departure from the organisation, having seen the error of his ways in previously supporting the tyrant. The Hunters he leads continue their role of engaging and capturing rogue Wytches, but now, of course, have the assistance of other Wytches to help them. They have also taken over more permanent duties guarding the secure null-magic prison facility at Dartmoor, given the number of high-profile figures now detained there.

Dr Mary Walters remains head of the Librarians, yet another department to have benefited from the acceptance of Wytch employees. Many among their number have put their academic skills to good use in trawling through the department's great archives of magical material both collected and confiscated, expanding what is known about the mechanics of magical energies, and Dr Walters has been incredibly excited by the chance to work properly with Wytches for the first time. Many in the department say she now acts as though some great weight has been lifted from her shoulders.

In the wake of the deaths of several Agents, poisoned it seemed by dodgy medicines supplied by Lambda Pharmaceuticals, a thorough internal investigation was carried out into the operation practices of the Department of Procurement, ultimately resulting in the sacking of its chief, Mr Tarquin Quoxley-Smythe. His replacement, Vincent Barnes, is a man equally jolly as his predecessor, but certainly far more organised. The department continues as it ever did: the underappreciated but crucially important arm that keeps everyone else supplied.

A master of the art of persuasion, Gregory Newell was easily able to distance himself and the Hammer from their past remarks under Morton, and craft a new public image for the organisation, as it worked together with Wytches to police magic for the good of all.

Since his brutal murder at the hands of Kaidan Rockwell-Hawthorne and Ray Michaels, a fund was set up in the name of Agent Black to aid those Norm HMMR employees who were wounded in the line of duty. It is unfortunate, but predictable, most suppose, that whenever various anti-Wytch extremist groups start to spring up, the fate of Agent Black is often one of the first symbols of Norm-Wytch conflict that they jump on.

The whereabouts and fate of Joseph Morton remain unknown even to HMMR ever since he left the NDL. Some conspiracy theories say he's plotting revenge; other say he fled abroad. The most interesting ones entail that he was secretly a Wytch this whole time, conspiring to wipe out the others so that he'd be the only one left with all the power to himself. Whatever the truth may be, Morton can't be found to verify it.

Much to the surprise of more or less everyone in the Department of Inquisitors, the 'dynamic dunces' have still failed to get themselves fired. No-one is quite sure how. The word 'nepotism' gets bandied about a lot.