Intoxicating Substances Division

Mun Note: This is 150% inference and headcanon based off of what little information JK Rowling has provided. If you don’t recognize the details, then fact is I made them up.

I’ve done a lot of world building around the Ministry in general, but I will only be posting things relevant to my character and how things operate for him. This is by no means canon and as such is only really relevant on blogs I run and in threads where individuals are interacting with Severus in a verse where he is working for the Ministry.

If you want to adopt these ideas for your own interpretations feel free, but just know it came out of my hatbox and is not canon!

Department of Magical Law Enforcement

Subdivisions:

• Auror’s Office
  
• Hit Wizard Headquarters

• Investigations Department

• Magical Law Enforcement Patrol

• Department of Intoxicating Substances

  
  

• Improper Use of Magic Office

• Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office
  

• Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects
  

• Wizengamot Administration Services

• Animagus Registry

This means that Severus’ initial goals in life were a position in the Ministry’s legal division. During the First Wizarding War, he was working for DoIS, but afterward was drawn into his position at Hogwarts under Albus’ bequest. The rumor of his desire for the Dark Arts job was spread by Albus as part of Severus’ persona, which both of them worked to develop over the course of sixteen years. [ * ] 

Severus never once in the whole of his life wanted to teach. It was never a goal, never an intention. He spent nearly two decades building a career and reputation for himself that had never been in the cards. This is why AU’s will see Severus working for the MLE and why in his mainverse, Severus stopped teaching after the Second Wizarding War and his time in St. Mungos. 

Department of Intoxicating Substances

Responsibilities:

• Making and enforcing regulations on controlled potion and drug licences.
  
• Monitoring  the importing and exporting of controlled potions, drugs and alcohol. 
  
• Management of alcohol licensing, conditions, and prices.
  
  
• They are to be up to date on new psychoactive substances, be they potion, herb or spell induced. 
  
• Identifying new substances as they arrive on the market, determining their effects and dangers and presenting the findings to enforcement.
  
• Creating antidotes to unknown and newly marketed potions, spells and herbal concoctions. 

Consequent Subdivisions:

• DoIS Regulation And Control
  
• DoIS Imports And Exports
• DoIS Liquor Licensing Board
• DoIS Identification And Countermeasure: Initial Contact

• DoIS Identification And Countermeasure: Spells

• DoIS Identification And Countermeasure: Potions & Herbs

Severus works for Identification And Countermeasure specifically. This means that his job’s most direct correlation to the Muggle World would be Criminal Drug Recognition and Pharmaceuticals. 

Aurors, Enforcement Patrol and Hitwizards rely on DoIS experts to help them determine whether or not an individual has been afflicted by psychosomatic substances or if something else is at play. DoIS Identification and Countermeasure is frequently called upon to provide expert testimony at trials for this same reason.

Typically speaking all criminals suffering visible impairment are to be examined by DoIS while in containment as in the magical world symptoms can vary greatly and frankly, symptoms matching that of Muggle drunkenness or highs can be something else entirely in the wizarding world. This is more a formality than it is a necessity in many cases, and a matter of keeping all things on the “up and up” as it is possible to have a trial overturned through lack of due processing. 

The DoIS Identification And Countermeasure: Initial Contact subdivision are those experts who distinguish the difference between subjects under the influence and those with medical conditions. They also determine the category of intoxication causing the observable impairment ( Potion, Spell, Herbal Concoction ) and typically have worked in DoIS or St. Mungo’s

Magical Bugs and Diseases, Potions and Plant Poisoning or Spell Damages divisions for eight years or more before being qualified for a position with DoIS: Initial Contact.     

In the event that a spell, potion or herbal concoction is determined to be a new strain of something, or something altogether unknown, it goes to the experts and trainees in the appropriate subdivision. The substance is then identified and cataloged before presented to DoIS: Regulation and Control for review. This process may take several months to complete through revisions. Countermeasures are also listed, and it can take years for an official counter to be declared most favorable. 

This means that Severus’ job entails the following factors:

• Identifying the ingredients of unknown potions and herbal mixtures based on varying symptomatic data, and sometimes confiscated remains  
• Attempting to emulate and recreate the substance based on these factors and testing them in monitored labs to determine whether the theory is correct
• Drafting a proposal to DoIS: Regulation and Control with a name for the substance, a list of its supposed ingredients and their effects and the symptoms drawn forth as a result of their mixture 
• Creating opposing substances that mitigate the effects of the first and providing these and their potential side-effects to addendum to the proposal
• Typically it can take months to identify a single new strain, and a year or more to develop an acceptable countermeasure
• Due to the amount of things that can appear on market, Severus may be set to work on multiple strains at once and will typically have a partner or superior to work with or present findings to
• All testing is done under supervision, typically on the DoIS expert responsible for the strain. This results in high danger pay and often, early retirement. Considering Severus’ tendencies, its a job he takes little issue with for obvious reasons.      

Application Details: 

Apprenticeship requires three N.E.W.T.’s of Exceeds Expectations or higher, and successful completion of qualification exams and aptitude testing. After two years in apprenticeship one moves to entry level, during which they will always work in groups with one senior member and a monitoring supervisor. Their work is heavily critiqued and evaluated throughout this time. 

After two-three years as an entry level DoIS employee one is counted a junior member. This means they can operate on their own with a senior or supervisor observing tests and evaluating proposals. Three-five years later, one becomes a senior DoIS employee and can monitor junior members, train entry level employees and work on their own with the exception of testing (which always requires two employees at minimum) and after a year of seniority can begin applying to supervisory positions.   

Each subdivision has a deputy head and a head who were senior members of their department for at least two years. Only individuals who have headed a subdivision for a year or more can apply to be head of the division itself. The head of DoIS can apply for higher positions such as Deputy Head of MLE or Head of MLE after holding the position adequately for two or more years. 

Verse Dependent Details:

First Wizarding War

• Severus applied for apprenticeship to DoIS: Identification and Countermeasure, Potions and Herbs subdivision after graduation. 
  
• He passed his apprenticeship period at nineteen and was in his second year as an entry level employee when the war came to an end, alongside his career track. 

OOTP AU; March To Your Own

• Severus joins the DoIS team at eighteen and is a senior member by the age of twenty-five, proving himself consistently adept and capable in his work ethic and overall performance (meaning he was a senior member in the fastest time period possible.)
  
• At the age of twenty-seven, he has become a supervisor, and by the age of thirty he was considered a shoe in for head of the subdivision. In March To Your Own he declines his own vaulted career track in favor of teaching at Hogwarts in order to keep his promise to protect one Harry Potter.

Main Verse: 

• Severus worked on his application and took his aptitude tests while still recovering at St. Mungos. His qualification was flawless. 
  
• Due to his experience and prior position with the division, he was fast tracked to junior member by the time he left St. Mungos and began working at the age of forty.
• By the age of forty-five, Severus is an accomplished senior member, though certain prejudices did tend to cause troubles in advancement he bore up under them without complaint.
• He never applies for supervisor, and remains content to stay exactly where he is.