Wizarding world

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The wizarding world is the setting of the Harry Potter fiction series. Though the plot is nominally set in Great Britain in contemporary times, there is at least one crucial difference: magic is real, and those who can use it live in generally voluntary, but Ministry of Magic-enforced, seclusion, hiding their talents from the mundane world. The term is used to refer to the society where wizards and witches live, and by extension all magical things, in sharp contrast to the society and the things of the non-magical, Muggle, people. Although the terms "wizarding world" and "Muggle world" are used, they refer to different perspectives rather than separate planets or universes.

Society

Fundamentals

The society of the wizarding world is centred around two facts. The first and most obvious one is that its members can use magic. Presented as an inborn capability to do otherwise impossible things, magic is honed through study and training into a skill. It permeates every facet of the wizarding world, both as a near-universal tool and imbued in objects, such as wands, vital amplifying/focusing devices for spells, and creatures, including dragons and Phoenixes. Spells can have almost any effect, from finding lost objects and turning on lights, to healing and murder. About the only feats disallowed by magic are the conjuration (creation from nothing) of permanent objects and the resurrection of the dead. Although on the surface magic appears morally neutral, the good or evil of a spell's intention is tied to its essence. For instance, the torture curse Cruciatus cannot be effectively performed by someone who gets no pleasure from others' pain.

Secondly, it is not considered possible for the Muggle world to peacefully coexist with the wizarding one. As such, a great deal of effort is expended in keeping up the Muggles' ignorance about magic. Enchantment of Muggle artifacts is forbidden, underage students are restricted from using magic outside school, and any deliberate revelation of magical ability is, naturally, punishable. These laws are enforced by the Ministry of Magic, while a special arm of it, the Obliviators, has the job of making certain that Muggles who have seen magic in action will be left with no incriminating memories.

Exceptions to the secrecy include wizards' Muggle relatives and the highest political leaders, such as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (first mentioned in Prisoner of Azkaban when the then-Minister of Magic Fudge notifies the Muggle Prime Minister of Sirius Black's escape and first seen in Chapter 1 of Half-Blood Prince).

General

The terms wizard and witch are used in magical society more or less the same way the terms man and woman are used in the Muggle world. Mage and similar words are rare and usually only seen in titles or such. Since a person's most important capability – magical aptitude – does not depend on sex, gender equality is advanced and apparently never became much of an issue.

The technological development of the wizarding world is far behind that of the Muggle one. This is partly due to the fact that magic greatly lessens the need for such, and partly due to magic's tendency to cause interference with electrical equipment. While the designs of some Muggle inventions (such as trains and the radio) have been copied to wizardric equivalents which run on magic rather than electricity, arcane magic remains strongly dominant and there is little pressure to change the state of affairs. Long-range communication is typically done by letter-carrying owls, such as Hedwig, or with the help of the Floo Network.

Population

There is no completely definitive knowledge about the demography of the Wizarding world. We do know that on the year Harry Potter entered Hogwarts, 1991, there were about 40 students that started school with him. This seems to indicate a very low birth rate, or a very low number of witches and wizards in Great Britain and Ireland.

Additionally, J.K. Rowling has stated that she imagines the Wizarding population of the UK to be around 3,000. This estimate does, however, seem extraordinarily low considering a few different facts:

• There are nearly limitless governmental departments (even the lowest of which, Arthur Weasley's Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office, is staffed by at least two people), and Harry observes "hundreds" of witches and wizards in the Ministry's Atrium alone. If the population of Britain were 3,000, almost every adult would have to be working for the Ministry, leaving no one to govern.
• The Quidditch World Cup stadium held 100,000 and was built by a "Ministry task force of five hundred." It seems unlikely that a sixth of the entire country worked for a full year on one project. Also, based on Muggle statistics, British citizens make up a little less than 1% of the world, indicating that the overall Wizarding population should be about a hundred times the number of British witches and warlocks. Again (given Rowling's estimate of 3,000) it seems unlikely that a third of the planet could possibly turn out for one sporting event, especially when it seemed that not every British sports fan could manage to attend: "The Lovegoods have been there for a week and the Fawcetts couldn't get tickets".

One must also take into consideration wizards who reject their powers, as Merope Gaunt. The exact number of wizards and witches thus remains unclear, but considering their level of organization, it must be more significant than it seems at first glance.

Government and politics

The Ministry of Magic is the British wizarding world's central authority, bureaucracy and law enforcement, led by the Minister for Magic. The Ministry does not answer to any part of the Muggle government, but its head is obliged to inform the Prime Minister of events that could cause Muggle notice, such as escaped criminals or the importation of highly dangerous magical creatures. Otherwise it is live and let live. The Ministry's stated job is to uphold secrecy and order in wizarding Britain, and it maintains countless departments, offices and so forth.

Politically, the British wizarding world is at the medieval level at best. There is no separation between executive, legislative and judicial branches of power, there are probably no elections (Dumbledore refuses to "apply," not to "run," for Minister for Magic), yet it is unknown how the minister is actually selected, and courts send wizards and witches to prison after a short hearing without a lawyer and without any possibility to appeal. However, when Harry faced the court in Book 5, Dumbledore stepped up to defend him in a way similar as a lawyer, calling witnesses and so on.

Transportation

Wizards can travel using many different methods:

Floo Powder

Floo Powder is a green-colored powder that is thrown into a lit fireplace. Its immediate effect is to turn the flames green. A witch or wizard then steps into the fireplace and says aloud the name of the place they wish to go. This is followed by a spinning sensation. This method of traveling is also used quite frequently to communicate; this is typically done by sticking your head, as opposed to your entire body, into the fireplace. Floo Powder is a very popular method of transportation and communication, there is even a Floo Network. A fireplace must be on the Floo Network for one to travel to it. How exactly the Floo Network is operated is unclear, but we do know that it is able to be watched by Ministry officials.

Apparation

Apparation and disapparation is another form of transport for witches and wizards. This is when they are able to disappear and appear at another place almost instantly. This particular mode of transportation is difficult to master and it becomes increasingly unreliable over long distances. ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} It requires an ability to concentrate on the destination, focus that determination on the desired destination, and a sense of deliberation to reach your goal. Normally, only Apparation-licensed wizards, over the age of seventeen, may apparate at will. There is also "Side-Along Apparation", where an underaged wizard takes hold of an arm of a qualified wizard and the qualified wizard apparates, thus taking the underaged wizard with them. This is used in book six when Harry and Dumbledore go to Professor Slughorn's residence.

Poor focus results in splinching, a term for the (apparently non-bloody) separation of body parts. Even experienced wizards hesitate when using this method to travel great distances —it is usually safer to use a broomstick.

Broomsticks

The brooms wizards use have enchantments on them that enable them to fly. They are used to travel long distances, or for sport, particularly in the game Quidditch. Modern brooms have a Cushioning Charm (invented by Elliot Smethywick) to prevent great discomfort. For a greater knowledge of the evolution of broomsticks and of the various sports involving them, consult Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp.

Some names of modern broomsticks include Nimbus 2000, Nimbus 2001, and Firebolt

The Knight Bus

The Knight Bus is a magical triple-decker bus. It is described as "violently purple", with "gold lettering over the windshield". To flag it down, all a witch or wizard must do is stick out their wand while standing on the sidewalk. The driver is Ernie Prang and the conductor was Stan Shunpike, who was imprisoned in Azkaban in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. For a more detailed description of the Knight Bus, and the magical abilities it possesses, consult Chapter Three of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Flying creatures

It is possible to travel using Hippogriffs or Winged Horses. Harry and Sirius traveled using the Hippogriff Buckbeak, and Harry Potter used thestrals to travel in Book 5. However, neither of these methods are popular, as far as we know, although the Headmistress of Beauxbatons travels in a carriage drawn by several winged horses.

Portkeys

Portkeys are objects that have been transformed into transportation devices. Portkeys can be dangerous, as they can send you anywhere, and are illegal to operate without authorization. Portkeys can either activate at a prearranged time or once someone touches them. Portkeys are usually disguised as trash so that Muggles don't stop and pick them up.

Other methods

• Hogwarts students are transported to and from Hogwarts on the Hogwarts Express.
• Students from the wizarding school Durmstrang traveled to Hogwarts on a ship. Apparently, even though it suddenly appeared from a whirlpool in the Hogwarts lake, there is still rowing involved.
• Flying Carpets are a primary form of wizarding transport in Asia. Flying carpets are their equivalent to the broomstick. Flying Carpets are designated as contraband in Britain.
• Also, The Knight Bus lets you travel to Hogsmeade if you are away during a holiday.

• In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Draco Malfoy finds a way to travel from the shop Borgin and Burkes to Hogwarts through the use of a vanishing cabinet.

Food and beverages

The following are food and beverages unique to the wizarding world:

Magical candies

See Magical objects in Harry Potter#Magical Candies

Butterbeer

Butterbeer is the soft drink of choice for younger wizards. Harry is first presented with the beverage in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Though it has no noticeable effect on a thirteen-year-old human, butterbeer is strong enough to cause drunkenness in a house-elf, if consumed on a regular basis. J. K. Rowling said in her interview to Bon Appetit magazine that she imagines it "to taste a little bit like less-sickly butterscotch." Butterbeer can be served cold or hot but either way it has a warming effect.

The mascot of the Quidditch team the Ballycastle Bats, Barny the Fruitbat, is used in butterbeer advertisements. In these advertisements, Barny says: "I'm just batty about Butterbeer!"

Relations

To the Muggle world

The Muggles remain oblivious to the wizarding world, which suits the latter just fine.

To most magical people, the Muggle world is also basically unknown. Even if they know it is there somewhere, the regular wizard and witch is oblivious of the functionality and differences of the Muggle world. Their attempts to disguise themselves as Muggles, as when they have to venture out into "normal" streets, often have humorous results. A common running gag is the misspelling of common Muggle terms like "telephone", "firearms" or "policeman" (they spell it phonetically).

Muggle Studies is an option of study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, while some professions require its study, to others it is often considered a "soft option."

Internationally

The magical governments of the world are to some degree united in the International Confederation of Wizards. This organization, the details of which have not been revealed in the books, plays an important role in maintaining the secrecy of the Wizarding World.

Far less globalisation, all known communities underground

Internally

''Interspecies tensions, Blood purity tensions, the Death Eaters.

Education

An untrained magical child will perform spontaneous magic intuitively when severely stressed or in danger, but acquiring the control and knowledge required to hone this into usability takes years. A rare exception appears to be Voldemort, who had actually begun training himself before he was accepted into Hogwarts and personally invited there by Albus Dumbledore, and the education he received there simply made him that much more powerful of a wizard when he eventually graduated.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is located in Scotland, and services the wizarding population of Great Britain and Ireland. Students join at the age of 11, and undertake seven years of training in a variety of subjects from the use of raw magical power to the history of the wizarding world. The schooling is tough, but effective.

There is no subsequent education; those finishing Hogwarts are considered ready to function as adults, although some professions (such as Aurors) require an additional training program. There is no official precursory education, either, and apparently parents home-school their children in basic non-magical topics, such as literacy. Muggle-borns go through an ordinary Muggle education until switching to Hogwarts, which could be viewed as a cognitive edge, but also deepens the culture shock.

Magic is automatic grounds for admittance. Somewhere there exists a magical quill that writes down the name of those that are born with magical capabilities. Eleven years after a child's name is entered into the book, a letter is sent to the pure and halfblood children to explain that they have been admitted at Hogwarts and should attend on the following September 1^st. The homes of Muggle-borns receive an envoy instead to explain the situation.

One of the Hogwarts policies is sorting the students into four Houses. This is done during the first year, on the first day at school. Students are divided by traits of personality, using the Sorting Hat.

Wizarding Examinations Authority

The Wizarding Examinations Authority are a fictional group in the Harry Potter series that examine Hogwarts students in their fifth and seventh years taking their O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. exams. The head, Griselda Marchbanks, is an elderly witch who examined a school-aged Albus Dumbledore in his N.E.W.T.s.

Known foreign schools

• Headmistress: Olympe Maxime
• Location: Southern France
• Language: French
• Uniforms: Fine silk robes of pale blue
• Coat of Arms: Two golden wands, both shooting out three stars, crossed on a light-blue background.

[Spoiler warningSpoiler warning]: Plot and/or ending details follow.

• Headmaster: Igor Karkaroff (until the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire).
• Location: Secret, apparently somewhere up north as the students' uniforms include fur cloaks and winter days are said to be shorter than in Scotland. However its catchment area appears to include Bulgaria, as the 1994 Bulgarian Quidditch Seeker Viktor Krum was the Durmstrang champion for the 1994 Triwizard Tournament.
• The students first language is suspected to be German.
• Uniforms: Blood red robes and heavy furs.

Spoilers end here.

Salem Witches' Institute

• Headmaster: Unknown
• Location: United States, presumably in Salem, Massachusetts. *Note: This may not be a school at all; the claim that it is a prominent example of Harry Potter fanon. There is a reference to several middle-aged American witches sitting under a banner reading "Salem Witches' Institute" outside the Quidditch World Cup in Goblet of Fire, chapter 7. It could be that it is a parody of the Women's Institute.

Other schools

• Bill Weasley had a pen pal at an unknown school in Brazil, who took offence when Bill couldn't afford a student exchange program and sent him a cursed hat that made his ears shrivel up.

Economy

Wizards have their own currency, based on coins in a strange non-decimal system. The three types of coins are Galleons, Sickles and Knuts. Conversion rates are 17 Sickles to a Galleon, 29 Knuts to a Sickle and 493 Knuts to a Galleon. The main economic entity in Britain is Gringotts, a wizard bank run by goblins with a high and rather lethal security system (including a vast subterranian maze and dragons). There are hundreds of vaults, each one with a unique key, whose possessor alone can open it. In these vaults a person can keep whatever he wants (like a security vault). Diagon Alley, where the bank is located, is crammed with shops and forms a commercial hub.

Medicine

Wizard medicine is quantum leaps ahead of its Muggle counterpart. While Muggle medicine largely attempts to stimulate the body's own healing and defence systems, magic can simply impose well-being. Healing is not as simple as ordinary spells, but should be able to cure minor injuries in a negligible amount of time and just about every other somatic problem (even missing or boneless limbs) given somewhat longer. Conventional ailments, save from large-scale neurological damage, appear to be very easy to fix. Of course, a number of problems in a setting like this don't qualify under conventional ailments. It is known that wizards may eat chocolate after confrontations with dementors (in Professor Lupin gives Harry chocolate many times, and when Lupin and Harry are in the hospital wing Madam Pomfrey asks "Have they had chocolate yet?").

Wizards have had a cure for the common cold for years: it is known as Pepper-up Potion and is characterized by the patient emitting steam from their ears.

Wizard doctors and surgeons are known as Healers. While Madame Pomfrey runs a mean hospital wing at Hogwarts, the central establishment for this purpose is the St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

Various magical diseases, such as "dragonpox" and "vanishing disease," are mentioned in the books, but little is known about them.

Though never explicitly mentioned in the books, Rowling has admitted that the average lifespan of a witch or wizard is longer than that of a Muggle. Albus Dumbledore, old by any standards, is approximately 150 years of age, and still going strong by the time of his demise in HBP. In addition, the character Griselda Marchbanks appears in the fifth novel, stating that she once examined Dumbledore during his O.W.L.s. She would have to be at least a decade (or perhaps more) older than Dumbledore if this statement held true. Rowling has never given a specific average lifespan for a magical person, but it is at least understandable that magic has a profound effect on prolonging a witch or wizard's life.

Creatures

There are a lot of magical creatures in the wizarding world. These are described in Newt Scamander's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. There is a general classification of creatures into three main fields: beings, beasts, and spirits

Beings

• Humans
• Banshees
• Goblins
• House-elves
• Hags
• Ogres
• Vampires
• Giants
• Veela
• Wood Nymphs
• Dwarves
• Werewolves (Considered Beasts while in wolf form, and Beings while in human form)

Not officially Beings, but would meet the classification if they so desired:

• Centaurs
• Merpeople
• Leprechauns

Centaurs and Merpeople were originally classified as Beings, but requested reclassification as Beasts due to their wish to remain as separate as possible from humans (and such creatures as Vampires and Hags). Leprechauns have never bothered to apply for reclassification from Beasts to Beings.

Status unclear or unknown:

• Dementors
• Hinkypunk
• Boggart
• Poltergeists

Hinkypunks and Boggarts are not mentioned in "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them", yet do not seem to possess the requesite intelligence to be Beings. Certainly no regard is given to their legal rights, as demonstrated by their casual use in Professor Lupin's classes (which was fatal to at least one of the Boggarts, who was extinguished by laughter). It is possible that they are considered Spirits. Poltergeists like Peeves have been referred to by Rowling as "spirits". Similarly, dementors do not seem to be entirely physical. However, only ghosts have so far been clearly stated to belong to the Spirit Division.

Beasts

• Acromantula (sentient but extremely aggressive)
• Ashwinder
• Augurey
• Basilisk
• Billywig
• Bowtruckle
• Bundimun
• Chimaera
• Chizpurfle
• Clabbert
• Crup
• Demiguise
• Diricawl
• Doxy
• Dragon (There are many varieties of the Dragon: Antipodean Opaleye, Chinese Fireball, Common Welsh Green, Hebridean Black, Hungarian Horntail, Norwegian Ridgeback, Peruvian Vipertooth, Romanian Longhorn, Swedish Short-Snout and the Ukrainian Ironbelly)
• Dugbog
• Erkling
• Erumpent
• Fairy
• Fire Crab
• Flobberworm
• Fwooper
• Ghoul
• Glumbumble
• Gnome
• Graphorn
• Griffin
• Grindylow
• Hippocampus
• Hippogriff
• Horklump
• Imp
• Jarvey
• Jobberknoll
• Kappa
• Kelpie
• Knarl
• Kneazle
• Lethifold
• Lobalug
• Mackled Malaclaw
• Manticore (sentient but extremely aggressive)
• Minotaur
• Moke
• Mooncalf
• Murtlap
• Niffler
• Nogtail
• Nundu
• Occamy
• Phoenix
• Pixie
• '''Pygmypuff
• Plimpy
• Pogrebin
• Porlock
• Puffskein
• Quintaped
• Ramora
• Red Cap
• Re'em
• Runespoor
• Salamander
• Sea Serpent
• Shrake
• Snidget
• Sphinx (sentient but becomes incensed when the wrong answer is given to a riddle)
• Streeler
• Tebo
• Troll
• Unicorn
• Werewolves (Considered Beasts while in wolf form, and Beings while in human form)
• Winged Horse (includes Abraxans, Aethonans, Granians, and Thestrals)
• Yeti

Plants

Mimbulus mimbletonia

Mimbulus mimbletonia is a plant from the Harry Potter series.

This plant is a magical cactus given to Neville Longbottom as his birthday present before his fifth year at Hogwarts by his Uncle Algie. Neville appreciated this gift because Herbology is his favourite subject at school.

Mimbulus mimbletonia is described as "appear[ing] to be a small gray cactus in a pot, except that it was covered with what looked like boils rather than spines" (OotP 186). The genus name mimbulus may be related to the real genus mimulus, especially since those plants are used as folk remedies for "shyness, anxiety, and forgetfulness" and those are traits of Neville Longbottom [link]. It is extremely rare and possibly of Assyrian origin, because that is where Uncle Algie acquired it. It is notable for its unique defensive mechanism: spraying Stinksap from its boils when poked.

Stinksap is a non-poisonous but foul-smelling liquid produced by Mimbulus mimbletonia. It is described as dark green and smelling like "rancid manure" (OotP 187). Neville Longbottom demonstrates its defensive mechanism for Harry Potter on the Hogwarts Express, covering the compartment in Stinksap and embarrassing Harry when the girl he fancies, Cho Chang, walks in.

However, arriving at Hogwarts in the fifth year, Neville found yet another (but more pleasant) surprise concerning the cactus: the password for the Gryffindor's Common Room in that year was also Mimbulus mimbletonia.

Later in the plant's development, it makes "odd crooning noises when touched."

There is a joke involving one of these plants, a Healer, and a hag, although it is not told in any of the books, rather mentioned.

External links

• [Harry Potter Lexicon's listing of magical plants]
• [Definitions of Harry Potter Terms]

Spirits

The Spirit division of the Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures was created to deal with ghosts, who found the classification of "Being" to be cruel, as they are so clearly have-beens.

Religion

Christian holidays constitute the only explicit mention of religion in the series, other than the dedication of London's Wizarding hospital to Saint Mungo. Christmas and Easter are celebrated amongst wizards (but the celebrations only cover the non-religious portions of the holidays, such as: Santa Claus, Christmas trees, gift giving, and Easter eggs). It's likely that the subject is only avoided, rather than nonexistent. It is known that witches and wizards bury their dead, and that Harry Potter was christened. The existence of souls is taken as a given. (An extensive discussion of souls, and the risks involved in splitting them, takes place in HP6.) The assumption seems to be that wizards can be members of any "Muggle" faith, and no specifically magical religions are mentioned.

Holidays

Wizarding holidays include Christmas and Easter, but the celebrations only cover the non-religious portions of the holidays, such as Christmas trees, gift giving, and Easter eggs; the Christian portion is not mentioned in the books. Halloween seems to be held in higher esteem by wizards than Muggles, as it is the only holiday, apart from Christmas, to have a banquet to its honor. School holidays include a Summer Vacation, and a two week holiday at Christmas and Easter like the English schools.

Other facts

Most things of magical nature are hidden or otherwise obscured from Muggles, others (such as Dementors) simply cannot be seen by them.

See also

• Spells in Harry Potter
• Magic in Harry Potter
• Magical beasts (Harry Potter)
• Magical objects in Harry Potter

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series
Philosopher's Stone	book	film	game
Chamber of Secrets	book	film	game
Prisoner of Azkaban	book	film	game
Goblet of Fire	book	film	game
Order of the Phoenix	book	film)
Half-Blood Prince	book	film)
Unnamed seventh book	book)
Other books		Other games
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Quidditch Through the Ages
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