Overview

Reginald "Reg" Cattermole is a wizard who works in the Magical Maintenance Department at the Ministry of Magic. Though a minor character, he became unwittingly central to one of the most daring operations of the Second Wizarding War when Ron Weasley impersonated him during the Ministry infiltration. His personal life was caught in the horror of Voldemort's regime when his Muggle-born wife Mary was put on trial by the corrupt Muggle-born Registration Commission.

Role at the Ministry

Reg works in the Magical Maintenance Department, which is responsible for:

• Facility upkeep: Maintaining the Ministry building's magical systems
• Magical repairs: Fixing enchanted fixtures and equipment
• Infrastructure: Ensuring fireplaces, lifts, and other magical transport work properly
• Janitorial magic: Keeping the building clean and functional
• Low-level maintenance: Supporting other departments' needs

This is not a prestigious position—Magical Maintenance is considered one of the less important departments, staffed by working-class wizards who keep the Ministry running behind the scenes.

Physical Appearance

Reg Cattermole is described as:

• Build: Slight, small-framed man
• Appearance: Unremarkable and ordinary
• Demeanor: Nervous, especially during the crisis with his wife
• Age: Adult, presumably in his thirties or forties

Marriage to Mary Cattermole

Reg is married to Mary Cattermole, a Muggle-born witch who also works at the Ministry. Their relationship reveals several important details:

• Loving marriage: Clearly devoted to each other
• Three children: They have three children together
• Working-class family: Both employed in lower-level Ministry positions
• Mixed blood status: He's presumably pure-blood or half-blood; she's Muggle-born
• Target of regime: Their family became victims of anti-Muggle-born policies

Under the Death Eater Regime

When Voldemort's forces took control of the Ministry in 1997, the Cattermole family faced disaster:

Mary's Trial

Mary Cattermole was put on trial by the Muggle-born Registration Commission:

• False charge: Accused of "stealing" magic from real wizards
• Forced to prove heritage: Required to produce documentation of magical ancestry
• Impossible task: She couldn't prove something that wasn't true
• Predetermined outcome: Trials were show trials; verdicts were foregone conclusions
• Real purpose: Remove Muggle-borns from society or send them to Azkaban

Reg's Helplessness

Reg's situation demonstrates the terror of living under tyranny:

• Could not protect his wife from false charges
• Had to continue working at the Ministry that was persecuting her
• Risked his own job and safety if he protested too strongly
• Worried about what would happen to their three children
• Experienced the powerlessness of watching injustice without recourse

The Ministry Infiltration (1997)

On the day Harry, Ron, and Hermione infiltrated the Ministry, Reg became an unwitting participant:

Capture and Impersonation

• Morning commute: Reg was ambushed while traveling to work
• Stunned: Hit with a Stunning Spell before he knew what was happening
• Hair taken: Ron needed his hair for Polyjuice Potion
• Memory modified: Had his memory altered to prevent him from reporting the incident
• Left safely: Was hidden in a secure location during the infiltration

Ron as Reg

Ron Weasley's impersonation of Reg created both opportunities and complications:

• Advantages: Reg worked in maintenance, giving access to different floors
• Challenges: Ron knew nothing about magical maintenance work
• Emotional factor: Other employees kept mentioning Mary's trial
• Near exposure: Yaxley ordered "Reg" to fix his office's raining problem
• Difficult position: Ron had to pretend not to care about his "wife's" trial

The Raining Office

One of the more humorous moments involved Yaxley ordering "Reg" to stop the rain in his office:

• Yaxley's office was raining indoors—likely magical vandalism/resistance
• Expected Reg to immediately fix it as a maintenance worker
• Ron had no idea how to fix magical maintenance problems
• Used general magic to try to appear competent
• Situation added stress to an already dangerous mission

Rescue of Mary

During the infiltration, Harry Potter (disguised as Runcorn) witnessed Mary's trial and couldn't stand by:

• Intervention: Harry stunned Umbridge and freed Mary and other Muggle-borns
• Escape: Mary escaped with Harry, Ron, and Hermione
• Complications: Ron was still disguised as Reg during the escape
• Confusion: Mary saw "her husband" helping her escape, not knowing it was Ron
• Separation: They had to leave Mary behind when fleeing to safety

After the Infiltration

The consequences for the real Reg were likely complicated:

• Woke with modified memory: Would have gaps in his recollection
• Wife missing: Mary had escaped but was now a fugitive
• Under suspicion: His "involvement" in her escape would have been questioned
• Possible arrest: Might have been detained as accomplice
• Children at risk: Three children left vulnerable if both parents were gone

Likely Outcomes

Several scenarios are possible for Reg after Mary's escape:

Scenario 1: Imprisonment

• Arrested as suspected accomplice to Mary's escape
• Despite modified memories, might have been imprisoned anyway
• Children sent to relatives or orphanages
• Released after Voldemort's defeat

Scenario 2: Went into Hiding

• Realized he was in danger after Mary's escape
• Took children and fled
• Tried to find Mary
• Lived as fugitive until war's end

Scenario 3: Continued Under Threat

• Forced to continue working to prove innocence
• Lived under constant surveillance
• Used as bait hoping Mary would try to contact him
• Endured until regime fell

Personality

Though we see little of the real Reg, several traits are evident:

• Loving husband: Clearly devoted to Mary
• Caring father: Concerned about his three children
• Working class: Humble maintenance worker
• Worried: Living under immense stress about his family
• Powerless: Unable to protect his family from the regime

Thematic Significance

Reg Cattermole represents several important themes:

• Ordinary victims: Regular people caught in political persecution
• Family under threat: The terror of seeing loved ones endangered
• Powerlessness: The working class unable to fight back against authority
• Collateral damage: Even non-Muggle-borns suffered under the regime
• Love across boundaries: His marriage to a Muggle-born was itself an act of defiance against prejudice

Class Commentary

The Cattermoles represent the wizarding world's working class:

• Both worked in low-level Ministry positions
• Had three children (suggesting they struggled financially)
• Lacked connections or influence to protect themselves
• Were invisible to the powerful until they became targets
• Represented thousands of similar families affected by the war

After the War

Assuming the Cattermoles survived and were reunited:

• Mary would have been cleared of all false charges
• Reg would have returned to his job (or found new work)
• Their children would have been safe again
• The family would have to recover from trauma
• They might have sought compensation for their suffering

Narrative Function

Reg serves several purposes in the story:

• Identity for infiltration: Ron needed to impersonate someone
• Personal stakes: His wife's trial created emotional urgency
• Humanizing the regime's victims: Shows real families suffering
• Comic relief: The raining office incident provides brief humor
• Moral catalyst: Mary's trial prompted Harry to intervene

Comparison to Other Minor Characters

Reg differs from other briefly-seen characters:

• Mafalda Hopkirk: Continued working seemingly unbothered; Reg was in crisis
• Albert Runcorn: Appeared cruel; Reg appeared decent
• Ted Tonks: Chose to run; Reg stayed (possibly trapped)

Trivia

• His full name "Reginald" is shortened to "Reg," suggesting working-class British background
• He's one of few male characters whose primary character trait is loving his wife
• Ron had to pretend to be unconcerned about his "wife's" trial—emotionally difficult
• The raining office represents subtle magical resistance/sabotage happening throughout the Ministry
• His situation showed that even pure-blood or half-blood wizards weren't safe if they loved "the wrong people"