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The fictional universe of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of fantasy novels comprises two separate and distinct societies: the wizarding world and the Muggle world. The Muggle world is the series' name for the world inhabited by the non-magical majority, with the wizarding world existing coextensively with it but hidden from the awareness of the non-magical "Muggles". The plot of the series is set in contemporary Great Britain, but in a veiled and separate shadow society in which magic is real, and those who can use it live in self-enforced seclusion, hiding their talents from the real world.
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The fictional universe of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of fantasy novels comprises two separate and distinct societies: the wizarding world and the Muggle world. The Muggle world is the series' name for the world inhabited by the non-magical majority, with the wizarding world existing coextensively with it but hidden from the awareness of the non-magical "Muggles". The plot of the series is set in contemporary Great Britain, but in a veiled and separate shadow society in which magic is real, and those who can use it live in self-enforced seclusion, hiding their talents from the real world. The term "wizarding world" refers to the global wizard community that lives hidden in parallel with the Muggle world; the different terms refer to different communities within the same area rather than separate planets or worlds.
Fundamentals
The society of the wizarding world is centred on two facts. The first and most obvious one is the presence and use of 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, as both a near-universal tool and imbued in objects, such as wands, vital amplifying/focusing devices for spells. As such, wands are used as both tools and weapons. Because of this, wizards feel naked and defenceless without a wand, although very skilled wizards and witches do not need wands to cast certain spells. Spells can have almost any effect, from finding lost objects to turning on lights, from healing to murder.
Secondly, it is not considered possible for the Muggle world to coexist peacefully with the wizarding one. As such, a great deal of effort is expended in keeping the Muggles unaware of, and ignorant about, magic. Magical Laws have been enacted over the centuries, designed to keep the existence of the Magical World hidden from Muggles. Enchantment of Muggle artefacts is forbidden; underage students are restricted from using magic outside school; and any deliberate revelation of magical ability to the Muggle community is punishable, although allowances are made for the use of magic in the presence of a Muggle: if the wizard or witch is acting in self-defence or in defence of another. 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.
Some aspects of the wizarding world are depicted as being less-than-modern in comparison to the non-wizarding world, sometimes even very old-fashioned or quaint. The technological development of the wizarding world is substantially behind that of its Muggle counterpart—owls, for example, are a more cumbersome and slower way to send messages than simple phone calls. If one has instant access to magical power, the development of modern technology and science in the wizarding world becomes unnecessary. However, a large number of technologically complex devices do exist, and most of these devices exist in the Muggle world. From a certain perspective, it can be seen that Magic and electricity are the equivalents of each other in their respective worlds, but electronic equipment sometimes 'goes haywire' around Hogwarts, and Muggle devices used by wizards (such as cameras and radios) can be made to function using magic instead of electricity. Such examples are rare, however; wizards rarely make use of Muggle technology, nor do they have much interest in doing so, even when such technology might make their lives much easier. Pure-blood Wizards are baffled by how Muggle technology works and most have no interest in understanding it (with occasional exceptions, such as Muggle aficionado Arthur Weasley, whose dearest dream is "to find out how an aeroplane stays up"). "Muggle Studies" classes are offered at Hogwarts for those students with an interest. On several occasions, Harry Potter is depicted as having to explain the workings of commonplace Muggle technology, such as introducing the telephone to Mr. Weasley in Chamber of Secrets; at the beginning of Prisoner of Azkaban, Ron Weasley is depicted making his first telephone call. The wizarding world has also not embraced modern Muggle modes of information transfer: instead of pens, paper, pencils, and computers, Hogwarts students are depicted in the novels and films using ink-dipped quills and parchment to take notes and do their homework.
By the time the books take place (1991-1998), some aspects of Muggle pop culture have become mirrored by the wizarding world. Rock music, posters, and tabloids are commonplace. Rebellious young wizards have learned to embrace Muggle culture whole-heartedly; young Sirius Black's room was filled with pictures of Muggle pinup girls, motorcycles and rock bands. Wizards and witches who are Muggle-born, or are Half-bloods (of mixed Muggle and Magical parentage respectively) find it easier to integrate into Muggle society and take on Muggle trends as they are predisposed to Muggle ways growing up. Half-blood Gryffindor student Dean Thomas has frequent references to the adorning of his part of the dormitory with posters of football (or soccer) club West Ham. Albus Dumbledore has expressed interest in Muggle knitting patterns, as well as their sport of ten pin bowling.
Geography
There is no separate "magical land" in the Harry Potter universe. The wizarding world not only coexists alongside the world of Muggles, but also is embedded within it. There is only one village in Britain, the small town of Hogsmeade, that is home to an entirely magical population. The vast majority of Witches and Wizards' locations are integrated within the wider non-magical area. Wizards will often live in small communities of several families within Muggle villages such as Godric's Hollow in the West Country (home of the Dumbledores and the Potters) or Tinworth in Cornwall. The all-Wizard Weasley family, as well as the Diggory, Lovegood, and Fawcett families, live in the Muggle village of Ottery St Catchpole, presumably near the real town of Ottery St Mary, in Devon. Many wizarding houses in the Harry Potter books are depicted as being on the outskirts of towns, usually somewhat isolated from the majority of the town.
Likewise, the Wizard emporium Diagon Alley lies in central London, just off Charing Cross Road. The train to Hogwarts departs from the very real King's Cross Station, albeit from Platform 9¾. These locations are hidden by a combination of Muggle-repelling charms, illusions, other magical protections (many magical locations, such as the island of Drear off the coast of Scotland, and the wizarding prison, Azkaban, are rendered Unplottable, or impossible to locate on a map) and depend on the natural tendency of everyday, non-magical people to ignore anything they cannot explain or understand. Although wizarding society lives for the most part directly alongside Muggles, interaction between the two communities is virtually non-existent. Few wizards are aware of basic Muggle culture (for example, as a rule, wizards do not understand Muggle clothing customs). On the odd occasions when it may be necessary for a wizard or witch to dress in Muggle clothing, the result is usually comical. Many are also proud of their ignorance. While the series is set in Great Britain, the wizarding world has locations throughout the globe.
Animals and plants
The wizard world is home to a number of magical creatures and plants, many of which are familiar from folklore and myth. Giants, dragons, unicorns and gnomes all have roles in the series, while many plants long believed to have magical properties, such as mandrake root, aconite and asphodel, also make appearances. Within the stories, the conceit is that these creatures and their magical powers are in fact real, but have been hidden for centuries from the non-magical world by the efforts of wizards, to the point where they have faded into folklore.
In Hogwarts, four types of pets are allowed: cats, owls, rats and toads. J.K. Rowling wrote a spin-off book about magical creatures to complement the main Harry Potter novels, titled Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Blood purity
The longstanding separation between the wizarding and Muggle worlds in the Harry Potter universe has led to a number of wizards advocating that the two should be kept apart. This view has in turn led to a minority of wizards seeing Muggles (and wizards of pure Muggle parentage) as untrustworthy, foolish, or, in extreme cases, racially inferior. The common practice of wizards marrying Muggles (at least half of all wizards have one Muggle parent) is viewed by such extremists as miscegenation, and they instead advocate maintaining a so-called "purity of blood."
Pure-blood
Pure-blood is the term applied to wizards who claim to have no "Muggle blood" at all in their genealogical pedigree. To be a pure-blood, all of a wizard's grandparents (sometimes even further generations) must have been wizards. To maintain their blood purity, supremacist families have been known to inbreed into their own families by marrying their cousins; this results in mental instability and violent natures. Over the course of the books, some of the remaining families die out while others hang on the brink of extinction with only one male heir (after the books, the Weasley family is the only known family to have five male heirs).
Pure-blood supremacists believe blood purity a measure of a wizard's magical ability - notwithstanding examples of highly skilled muggle-born wizards like Hermione Granger - and Muggles to be "low-lives", having no magic in them, though they consider Muggle-borns wizards even lower than Muggles. Dolores Umbridge follows this thought when she accuses a Muggle-born witch of having "stolen" both her wand and her magical powers from an unsuspecting witch or wizard. Supremacists apply the term Blood Traitor to Pure-bloods who harbour no prejudice against non-Pure-bloods (enjoying their presence and relations with them). The antagonistic wizards in the Harry Potter books are all supremacists (Lord Voldemort and Gellert Grindelwald), while Harry and his friends disagree with this ideology. Rowling draws several parallels between the Pure-blood supremacists and Nazi ideology in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (the belief that Pure-blood Wizards have the right to subjugate the Muggle world and view themselves as being a "master race", laws requiring Muggle-Borns to register with the Ministry of Magic, the establishment of Blood Purity Laws which restrict which people witches or wizards can marry, rounding up Undesirables, etc.). Voldemort is a Pure-blood advocate; however, though his maternal genealogy is Pure-blood, his father was a Muggle.
At the same time, some Pure-blood wizards are not themselves advocates of Blood Purity: both the Weasleys and Longbottoms are old Pure-blood families (all the known members of these two families reject notions of Blood Purity). The Black family, who are traditionally Pure-blood supremacists, also seem to have produced one or two such "black sheep" in every generation.
In The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Dumbledore asserts that the much-vaunted blood purity does not really exist, and is only a fiction maintained by the deceptions of racist wizards.
The Black family
Most of the members of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black were advocates of blood purity, and many were involved with the Dark Arts. The Black family home at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London, contains many artefacts of dubious origin and/or dangerous ability. The family motto is Toujours Pur, which is French for "Always/Still Pure," because the Black family is one of the few remaining completely pure blood lineages. The Blacks intermarried with several other pure-blood families as shown in the family tree. This was done to ensure that pure-bloods would last in the years to come. That is why most of the pure-blood families are interrelated. The last several generations of Blacks all trace their ancestry back to Phineas Nigellus Black and Ursula Flint. The Blacks believed in Voldemort's idea of "purifying the Wizarding race", but many, such as Sirius's parents, refrained from outwardly supporting him once they saw what he was willing to do for power. Although there are several living Black family members throughout the series, all are either female, female-line distaff Black descendants, or descendants of disowned family members, and none of them has the name of Black. The last known surviving bearer of the family name, Sirius, is murdered by his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
The family tree is described in the fifth book, but it came more directly to public attention in January 2006 when the author donated a version she had hand-drawn to a Book Aid International charity auction. The tree caused a considerable stir amongst fans as it provided new information about elements of the plot of the series in between publication of volumes six and seven. It was eventually purchased for £30,000 on behalf of British actor Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter in the film series.
The following is not a complete family tree. The tree described in the books extends back some seven hundred years, but the version drawn by Rowling only covers approximately one hundred fifty years. It shows the oldest generations on the left and the younger ones on the right.
The names in bold are members of the family have been stricken from the family tree tapestry chronicling their common blood for various reasons:
- Isla Black of the first generation shown was disowned for marrying Bob Hitchens, a Muggle.
- Phineas Black of the second generation shown was disowned for supporting Muggle rights.
- Marius Black, third generation son of Cygnus and Violetta Black, was disowned as he was a Squib.
- Cedrella Black, also third generation and cousin of Marius, was disowned for marrying a blood traitor, Septimus Weasley.
- Alphard Black of the fourth generation shown was posthumously disowned for leaving gold in his will to his "runaway nephew", Sirius Black.
- Sirius Black of the fifth generation shown, ran away from home and was subsequently removed.
- Andromeda Black, cousin of Sirius, was disowned for marrying "Muggle-Born Ted Tonks".
Half-blood
Half-blood is the term applied to wizards who come from "Muggle & magical", "Muggle-Born & Half- or Pure-blood", or "Half & Half-blood" parents (all including part-Muggle ancestry). Half-bloods are the most common kind of wizard blood, far outnumbering both Pure-bloods and Muggle-Borns. Rowling has stated that of the Hogwarts annual intake, 50% are Half-bloods. Pure-blood supremacists view Half-bloods as inferior to them, although superior to Muggles and Muggle-Borns.
Harry Potter is a Half-Blood as his father James, is Pure-blood and his mother, Lily is a Muggle-Born. Voldemort is also, ironically, a Half-blood, as his father, Tom Riddle Sr was a Muggle.
Muggle-born
Muggle-born is the term applied to wizards who come from Muggle parents. In the Harry Potter books, it has never been explained how Muggles are rarely able to produce magical children. However, Rowling revealed that Muggle-borns would have a magical ancestor in the genealogy, possibly numerous generations back. Pure-blood supremacists refer to Muggle-borns with the offensive derogatory term Mudblood, a term analogous to racial and ethnic slurs found in the non-magical world. . Supremacists as well believe Muggle-borns to be magically deficient, despite obvious proof to the contrary such as Hermione Granger and Lily Evans, who have proved to be exceptionally skilled in their abilities. According to J.K. Rowling, the average Hogwarts annual intake for Muggle-borns is 25%. Hermione, at one point, decided to claim and wear the term "Mudblood" with pride instead of shame, thus defusing its value as a slur.
During Voldemort's rule, Muggle-borns are legally required to register with the Muggle-born Registration Commission. Supposedly, the Department of Mysteries discovered that Muggle-borns acquired their magic by "stealing" magic and wands from real wizards. Thinking wizards and witches reject this ridiculous notion, as Ron asks, "How is it possible to steal magic?" After the regime is eradicated, the head of the Commission (Dolores Umbridge) and the supporters of this ideology are imprisoned for crimes against Muggle-borns.
Squibs
Squib is the term applied to a child born of magical parents but possessing no magical ability; they are considered to be the opposite of Muggle-borns. Squib births are rare anomalies, and the Ministry of Magic does not require them to be registered as part of the Magical Community. Squibs share some things in common with wizards and they are aware of and comprehend the wizarding world. However, according to Ron's Aunt Muriel, the custom with Squibs has been to send them to Muggle schools and encourage them to integrate into the Muggle world, which is "much kinder" than keeping them in the magical world, where they will always be "second-class."
The "Kwikspell" correspondence course seems to be something of a con-job that plays on Squib insecurities by suggesting that it can help Squibs acquire some measure of magical ability, though it never works for Argus Filch.
Mixed species
Some wizards are the products of unions between humans and magical creatures of human intelligence. In wizard parlance, any creature with human intelligence, including humans, is called a "being". Known beings capable of breeding with humans include goblins, giants, and Veela. Prejudiced wizards (such as Umbridge) often use the insulting term half-breed to refer to mixed-species wizard. This term is also used on werewolves, and to creatures like merpeople and centaurs (who are pure bred within their sole species) because of their part-human/beast appearances.
Government and politics
Relations
To the Muggle world
The Muggles remain—for the most part—oblivious to the wizarding world, a situation considered eminently preferable to the alternative by wizards. Most things of magical nature are hidden or otherwise obscured from Muggles; others (such as Dementors or ghosts) simply cannot be seen by them, although Muggles do experience the same depression and sense of manifest darkness and gloom that wizards experience while in the presence of a Dementor. It is commented that Muggles generally have the ability to dismiss anything they cannot explain (sometimes referred to, though not in the books, as Sunnydale Syndrome).
To most magical people, the Muggle world is also unknown. Even if they know it is there somewhere, the regular wizard and witch are 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 mispronunciation of common Muggle terms like "telephone," "escalator," "plumber," "firearms" or "policeman," as "fellytone," "escapator," "pumble," "firelegs," and "please-men," respectively.
Muggle Studies is an option of study at Hogwarts. However, while some professions require its study, to others it is often considered a "soft option."
The only official relations described with the Muggle world are between the Minister for Magic and the Muggle Prime Minister of Britain. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince it is revealed that the Minister for Magic privately introduces himself to each new Prime Minister. There is a magical painting in the Prime Minister's office that notifies him of such visits, and a fire that is connected to the Floo Network. Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge advised the Prime Minister of the escape of Sirius in order to obtain assistance from the Muggle authorities in apprehending him. Fudge also informed the Prime Minister that several problems he was facing were, in fact, rooted in the war against Voldemort, and that his new secretary Kingsley Shacklebolt was actually an Auror. It can be presumed that Internationally the Prime Minister's counterparts also meet with the leaders of their magical communities. Operatives of Fudge once cast a memory charm on another country's president so that Fudge and the Prime Minister could talk uninterrupted.
The exact extent to which the secrecy and isolation of the wizarding world is maintained varies. Many references are made to the Ministry of Magic performing memory charms to preserve secrecy, however, some Muggles are shown to be aware of the wizarding world. Hermione’s parents are both Muggles, but have been seen in Diagon Alley. They are fully aware that magic exists, but they forbade Hermione to use magic to fix her teeth (as dentists themselves, they felt that this was cheating). The Dursleys are also aware of the wizarding world; Petunia Dursley indicates that she learned of it when her sister, Lily, was accepted to Hogwarts. She apparently shared this information with her husband, who is shown to be contemptuous of the wizarding world even before Harry shows up at their doorstep. There is no indication that Dudley was aware of any of this until Harry himself is told about Hogwarts.
In addition to the families of Muggle-born wizards, there are mixed marriages. Seamus Finnigan reports that his mother was a witch who did not inform his Muggle father until after they were married.
There is also some unspecified financial relationship between the two worlds, as it is possible to exchange Muggle Money into Wizard Money, as Hermione's parents are shown doing in the second book. It is unknown if Wizard gold can be changed back to Muggle money, but Harry Potter believes that it cannot be done.
Internally
Since a person's most important capability—magical aptitude—does not depend on sex, gender equality is highly advanced in the Wizarding world, and the "battle of the sexes" never became much of an issue. Similarly, racial equality seems highly advanced in the Wizarding world, with Hogwarts students featuring a wide range of racial and ethnic backgrounds and the black Kingsley Shacklebolt appointed Minister for Magic without any comment. However, in other respects, prejudice and discrimination seem not only endemic to the Wizard world but in some cases ingrained to the level of apartheid. The most obvious example of wizard prejudice is a longstanding disdain (in some cases, genocidal hatred) for Muggles and wizards and witches of Muggle parentage (Muggle-borns, half-bloods). This has led to a eugenic philosophy among some of the older Wizarding families, leading to a practice of "pure-blood" intermarriage that has exposed many of them (such as the Gaunt family) to the risks of mental instability.
Another fairly obvious prejudice, which echoes the condescending attitude taken by various peoples in our world toward natives in conquered lands, is the suspicion or disregard for other species of human intelligence ("beings" in Wizard parlance). Voldemort and his allies frequently exploit these divisions to bring non-human magical creatures, particularly werewolves and giants, over to their cause.
Internationally
The magical governments of the world are to some degree united in the International Confederation of Wizards. This organization has many responsibilities, mostly to enforce the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy.
The full power and role of the ICW has never been explored in much detail, though it is possible that it is a form of magical United Nations meant to unite all the Ministries of Magic in the world. It is known to have met in 1692, at which time numerous important measures were passed, such as the establishment of the right for wizards to carry wands at all times. Pierre Bonaccord, who also became the first Supreme Mugwump, formed the International Confederation of Wizards. Many of the countries in what is now the European Union attended. Liechtenstein (which, historically, was not created until 1719), however, refused. It is unknown what year its formation occurred, though it must have been before or during 1692.
In Order of the Phoenix, it is revealed that Dumbledore was thrown out as Supreme Mugwump because of his insistence that Voldemort had returned. At the end of the novel, he is reinstated. Dumbledore's death means the post of Supreme Mugwump is once again open; the identity of the current Mugwump is unknown.
Education
Before Hogwarts
There appears to be no official precursory education; apparently, wizard parents home-school their children in basic non-magical topics, such as literacy and arithmetic. Muggle-born wizards (or Muggle raised wizards), however, clearly experience an ordinary Muggle primary education before enrolling at Hogwarts, something that could be viewed as a cognitive edge. There are also no compulsory educational laws which exist in the British Wizarding World. Parents may continue to home-school their children, send them to Hogwarts, or send them abroad to other wizarding schools.
After Hogwarts
Following completion of a Hogwarts education, there is no standard tertiary education, and there are no wizard universities. Successful Hogwarts students are considered ready to function as adults, though some wizarding professions do require special, years-long training programs subsequent to finishing Hogwarts. These include the professions of the Auror and the Healer (the wizard physician). Sometimes, the young wizards travel the world to "observe foreign witches and wizards" after graduation to complete their education. In the Deathly Hallows, Elphias Doge describes how his plans to travel the world with his friend Dumbledore were disrupted by the passing of the latter's mother. Similarly, it is learned that Professor Quirrell took some time off to get some first hand experience after a celebrated academic career.
Wizarding Examinations Authority
The Wizarding Examinations Authority is an organization responsible for examining 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 Dumbledore in his N.E.W.T.s.
Known foreign schools
- Beauxbatons Academy of Magic
- Durmstrang Institute
- Bill Weasley had a pen pal at an unnamed school in Brazil, who took offence when Bill could not afford a student exchange programme and sent him a cursed hat that made his ears shrivel up.
- Salem Witches Institute is mentioned in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire whilst Harry is at the World Cup.
Other schools
- Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts (W.A.D.A.)
Economy
A fictional system of currency is used by the wizards of the United Kingdom. The currency uses only coins as the units of account. It is based on three types of coin; in order of decreasing value, the gold Galleon, the silver Sickle, and the bronze Knut. Wizarding banks provide money-changing services for those with Muggle currency. The only reference to a bank in Harry Potter is Gringotts, which is located on Diagon Alley in London and has hundreds of vaults. In these vaults, a person can keep whatever he wants (like a security vault). Hagrid indicates that wizards have "just the one" bank.
Coins
The Galleon is the largest and most valuable coin in the British wizard currency. It is gold coloured, round and larger than the other coins are.
Around the rim of the Galleon is inscribed at least one serial number, which identifies the goblin who was responsible for minting the coin. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Hermione enchants fake Galleons to show the time and date of the next Dumbledore's Army meeting instead of the serial number.
Exchange rate
| One Knut is | One Sickle is | One Galleon is | |
|---|
| 1 | 29 | 493 | Knut(s). | | 0.03448 | 1 | 17 | Sickle(s). | | 0.002028 | 0.05882 | 1 | Galleon(s). |
J. K. Rowling sets the approximate value of a galleon at five pounds (i.e. approximately US$ 10 or € 7.5), although "the exchange rate varies".
In the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, two pieces of information are given which hint at how much wizards' currency is worth in comparison to real-world money. First, it is said that £174 million raised for charity is equivalent to 34,000,872 Galleons, 14 Sickles, and 7 Knuts (the figure is truncated to 34,000,000 galleons in Quidditch Through the Ages). It is also stated that the book costs £2.50 ($3.99 US), or 14 Sickles and 3 Knuts.
The first piece of information suggests that 1 galleon = £5.12, but according to the second figure 1 galleon = £3.01 approximately.
See also: , ,
Games and Sports
Sports, specifically Quidditch, play an important role in the Wizarding world, and in the Harry Potter series. Quidditch is a team sport played up in the air on brooms; Quidditch is similar in style to polo and association football. Wizards all around the globe fanatically follow it in a similar manner to soccer, and the Quidditch World Cup is a major event in the wizard calendar.
Harry is a great player at Hogwarts and several Harry Potter books detail his activity on the Quidditch pitch. Harry has helped lead Gryffindor to a number of wins. Harry is the Seeker for his team whose role is to try to find and catch the Golden Snitch. The Quidditch matches at Hogwarts were commentated by Lee Jordan until he graduated from school. Unlike in all previous books, Quidditch does not appear in the final book.
Other wizard games and sports include Gobstones (a version of marbles in which the stones squirt foul-smelling liquid into the other player's face when they lose a point), Exploding Snap (a card game in which the cards explode), and Wizard Chess (in which the pieces are alive and under the command of the player). The wizard world is also home to a number of other wizard spectator sports, such as Quodpot (an American variant on Quidditch), Creothceann (a now-banned broom game from Scotland in which players try to catch rocks with cauldrons strapped to their heads), and broom racing.
Transportation
The Wizarding world is fragmented and disassociated in structure. It can be represented by a single small terraced house in an entirely Muggle town, or a single street in the back alleys of London. The population is small and sparsely scattered. Wizard modes of transport, therefore, embody the necessity of covering large distances very quickly.
Objects
- See: Transportation in Magical objects in Harry Potter
The characters in series for transportation use many objects. Some of them include the Hogwarts Express, the Knight Bus, broomsticks, Floo powder, portkeys, flying carpets, and vanishing cabinets.
Flying creatures
A range of flying creatures is available for transport, although this appears not to be a common mode of travel among the wizarding community.
It is possible to travel using Hippogriffs. In the third book, Harry, Hermione and Sirius travelled using the Hippogriff Buckbeak. Harry used Thestrals to travel in the fifth book. The book also mentions that Dumbledore sometimes uses a Thestral when he wishes to travel in secrecy. Thestrals also pull the Hogwarts carriages that transport students from Hogsmeade station to Hogwarts castle. Thestrals are used again in evacuating Harry from Little Whinging at the beginning of Book 7. Only those who have witnessed and fully comprehended the meaning of death can see Thestrals. Olympe Maxime travels in a carriage drawn by several winged horses called Abraxans. In the second book, Harry and others are carried by Fawkes the Phoenix. The travellers hold on to his tail feathers. Dumbledore in Book 5 uses a different technique, where he grabs Fawkes's tail feathers and both vanish in a flash of fire.
Other methods
- Apparition and Disapparition, a magical ability that allows characters to disappear and appear at another place almost instantly.
- Students from the wizarding school Durmstrang travelled to Hogwarts on a ship. Apparently, even though it suddenly appeared from a whirlpool in the Hogwarts Lake, there is still rowing involved. This could perhaps be to promote discipline.
- Students from Beauxbatons travelled to Hogwarts in a massive horse-powered carriage. Its size is explained as soon as the half-giantess headmistress (Madame Maxime) steps out of the latter.
- Wizards sometimes travel in enchanted Muggle transports. In the first book, Hagrid took Harry to his aunt by travelling on a flying motorbike formerly owned by Sirius. In the second book, it is mentioned that Mr Weasley had enchanted a Ford Anglia, which could fly or become invisible when a button is pressed.
- In the seventh book, it is revealed that Voldemort has discovered a magical means of flying under his own power, unaided by broom, carpet, or other conveyance. This demonstrates his advanced magical capability, as no other wizard in history has been mentioned who could fly without some kind of bewitched vehicle. Towards the end of the story, Severus Snape demonstrates the same ability, most likely taught to him by Voldemort, but it is unclear whether this discovery will outlive its inventor's death.
Communication
A variety of magical communication methods is available to the wizarding world.
Owls
By far the most popular method of communication is via owls. Owls are used for conveying packages, with multiple owls acting in concert for heavier ones; sending mail; delivering newspapers; and in general acting as a replacement for the Postal Service of the Muggle world. In the event of an owl delivering something such as a newspaper, the recipient places the money for the paper in a small pouch attached to the owl's leg. Not only owls may be used; Sirius makes use of a tropical bird, likely a macaw, on one occasion. The Ministry of Magic regulates Owl Mail.
How the owls find the recipients of the letters they carry is not specifically stated. In some circumstance, letters have extremely explicit addresses to them (specifying particular rooms or locations inside of a building). Other times, there is no mention of an address, and the owl is simply told to whom to deliver. The Ministry of Magic used owls in the past to deliver inter-office mail within the ministry building, but according to Mr Weasley, the mess was incredible, so enchanted memos which fly throughout the building replaced them.
In addition, though owls are portrayed as flying directly to the recipient of their package, it is implied that owl traffic can be monitored and even interrupted. There are several references to "the owls being watched" and Harry uses different owls to communicate with Sirius since his snowy owl, Hedwig, would supposedly attract too much attention. On one occasion Hedwig is injured after being intercepted and searched (Supposedly by Umbridge).
Floo Network
The Floo Network consists of a network of fireplaces magically connected to one another and is frequently used by wizards and witches to travel from place to place. The wizard grabs a handful of Floo Powder out of a container near the fireplace, throws the Floo powder down onto the floor of the fireplace, then steps into the fireplace and states where he wants to go. The wizard is then engulfed in green flames and is magically transported to his destination. Wizards must clearly state their intended destination when using Floo Powder or there is no telling where they will end up. This method of travelling is also used quite frequently to communicate; sticking your head, as opposed to your entire body, into the fireplace, typically does this. However, this particular method is quite uncomfortable. This seems to be the wizarding equivalent of the telephone.
Newspapers and magazines
The Daily Prophet
The Daily Prophet is the most widely-read daily newspaper in Britain's wizard community. The articles include moving pictures. The Sunday edition is called The Sunday Prophet. Unfortunately, its journalistic integrity is somewhat lacking; it has been known to be more concerned about sales than about factual accuracy and is often a mouthpiece for the Ministry of Magic, as described by Rita Skeeter "The Prophet exists to sell itself!".
The Prophet remains respectable for the first three books, but by Goblet of Fire, it has hired Rita Skeeter, an unscrupulous journalist who supplies several thrilling and blatantly false articles. These include an article that, while correctly asserting that Hagrid is part giant, also makes numerous scurrilous accusations about his personal character, and declares Harry "disturbed and dangerous" on the basis of remarks by Draco Malfoy. When Minister Fudge takes the stance of firmly denying Voldemort's return, the Prophet initiates a smear campaign against Dumbledore and Harry, the most influential proponents of the opposing view. After Fudge is forced to admit that Voldemort has returned, the Prophet changes its stance overnight, calling Harry "a lone voice of truth". The newspaper even buys Harry's interview on Voldemort's return from The Quibbler.
The editor of The Daily Prophet is Barnabas Cuffe, a former pupil of the Potions master Horace Slughorn. It is unclear how long he has been editor of The Daily Prophet. Ginny Weasley becomes Senior Quidditch correspondent at The Daily Prophet, after her retirement from the Holyhead Harpies. The Daily Prophet has a late edition named The Evening Prophet, and a weekend edition named The Sunday Prophet.
The Warner Bros. Harry Potter website's news and events page has been named after the paper.
The Quibbler
The Quibbler is a magazine first mentioned in Order of the Phoenix.
The magazine's editor is Xenophilius Lovegood. The Quibbler mainstays are conspiracy theories and cryptozoology. Articles in The Quibbler have claimed that Fudge has had goblins cooked in pies, and uses the Department of Mysteries to develop terrible poisons, which he supposedly feeds to people who disagree with him, and that he has a secret army of fire-demons called "heliopaths". Numerous (presumably imaginary) beasts are mentioned in The Quibbler, such as Crumple-Horned Snorkacks (which supposedly live in Sweden and cannot fly), the Blibbering Humdinger, and Nargles (which are supposed to infest mistletoe).
In Order of the Phoenix, Hermione blackmails Rita into writing an article about Harry's encounter with Voldemort. The interview is published by Xenophilius, and he later sells it to the Daily Prophet for a very good price (enough to finance an expedition to Sweden to hunt for the Crumple-Horned Snorkack). In Deathly Hallows, it is revealed that Xenophilius continued to support Harry in his magazine until Luna Lovegood is kidnapped. Harry, Ron, and Hermione visit Xenophilius for information but discover that the latest issue features an anti-Harry story on the cover. Following Voldemort's ultimate defeat, the Quibbler goes back to its condition of advanced lunacy and becomes quite popular, still being appreciated for its unintentional humour.
Other Magazines
- Which Broomstick?: a magazine about flying broomsticks. Harry frequently browses through the magazine when searching for a replacement broomstick in his third year, and it is implied that Sirius uses it to buy Harry's Christmas present, a Firebolt. Ron mentions the magazine when showing off his new Cleansweep, as does Lee Jordan in Prisoner of Azkaban.
- Witch Weekly: a magazine for witches, in the style of the Woman's Weekly. Rita has mentioned Witch Weekly as publishing interviews. Witch Weekly is first mentioned in the second book of the Harry Potter series, Chamber of Secrets, as Gilderoy Lockhart had won its "Most Charming Smile" award five times in a row.
- Transfiguration Today
- Challenges in Charming
- The Practical Potioneer
Food and beverages
The following are food and beverages unique to the wizarding world:
Magical sweets
Multitudes of sweets are produced in the stories; many have a violent or bizarre side effect, especially those created by Fred and George Weasley. Most sweets can be found in the sweetshop Honeydukes. Dumbledore seems to be partial to these as he often uses their names as passwords, allowing Harry Potter to guess one of them.
Chocolate Frogs are frogs made of chocolate and enchanted with a temporary spell that according to Ron in Philosopher's Stone, gives them one good jump (once the package is opened). They are each packaged with a collectible card displaying a magical picture and brief biography of a famous witch or wizard. The cards named by the Harry Potter books include: Merlin, Dumbledore, Nicolas Flamel, Agrippa, Ptolemy, Morgana, Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, Druidess Cliodna, Crospin Conk, Bertie Bott, Felix Summerbee, Cassandra Vablatsky, Ignatia Wildsmith, and the four Hogwarts founders. According to a webchat with the author, Harry and his friends are eventually featured on a series of Chocolate Frog cards; Ron calling it "his finest hour".
Some of the most notable magical sweets such as Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and Cockroach Clusters have been produced in real version, mainly by the Jelly Belly candy company. They have produced real versions of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans' odd flavours in and out of the market since 2001. Apart from some "regular" flavours, the company also produces several "unusual" flavours mentioned in the books. Other flavours include bacon, dirt, earthworm, rotten egg, sausage, pickle, toast and soup.
Cockroach clusters are mentioned in the 1969 Monty Python sketch "Trade Description Act", which also introduced us to Crunchy Frog – a chocolate made with real frogs – and a sweet that includes lark's vomit as an ingredient.
Butterbeer
Butterbeer is the drink of choice for younger wizards. Harry is first presented with the beverage in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Though House-elves can become intoxicated on butterbeer, there is a very small amount of alcohol in it, and humans are usually unaffected by it save for a feeling of "warmth". In the sixth book, Harry wonders what Ron and Hermione might do at Professor Slughorn's Christmas party "under the influence of Butterbeer", indicating that it can lower inhibitions, though presumably in very large amounts. 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. Roald Dahl used a similar word play in his book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in chapter 23 when he mentioned the Oompa-Loompas getting drunk on butterscotch and buttergin.
Firewhisky
Firewhisky is a type of alcohol that wizards under the age of seventeen are not allowed to drink; however, this rule is not always followed. In the sixth book, Harry (still underage) is given a box of Chocolate Cauldrons with Firewhisky(laced with love potion) in them by an underage female student. Ron wonders, in the fifth book, if he can get one (illegally) in the Hog's Head, but Hermione will not let him because "You-are-a-prefect...". He finally gets one in the seventh book. In addition, the Weasley family, Harry, Hermione, and some members of the Order of the Phoenix drink Firewhisky in the seventh book in honour of Mad-Eye Moody.
See also
External links
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