The Unspeakables work in the Department of Mysteries. There is some debate across the fan community exactly how much oversight the Minister of Magic exercises over the Department of Mysteries and thus over the Unspeakables. There are a couple of popular options (which are not mutually exclusive):
- The Unspeakables are a pure research organisation subject to the Ministry of Magic
- The Unspeakables are a rough equivalent of the British Special Intelligence Service
- The Unspeakables are a branch of the International Confederation of Wizards, not the Ministry of Magic