A.N. — This man has a lot of different facets I could touch upon. He was truly, in my mind, made upon the conclusion of the Battle of Hogwarts. However, he does get one of the most quote-able lines in the movies. Tomorrow, I will be posting early to break the streak of "has to be 24 hours between chapters," so the update will not show on the site, FYI.
58. Kingsley Shacklebolt
There was a gaping power void at the top of British magical society; Kingsley just happened to be left standing to step into it.
In short succession, powerful witches and wizards wound up dead. Albus Dumbledore, AK'ed by Severus Snape (also dead). Amelia Bones, personally killed by Voldemort (hopefully, finally, dead).
The bodies were still cooling after the Battle of Hogwarts, and few were left who could immediately take control without backlash. Kingsley was relatively young and had a wealth of wartime leadership experience. He might not have sought the Minster job, but it was a post he undertook anyway.