Thefictional universe of theHarry Potter series of novels contains two distinct societies: the "wizarding world" and the "Muggle world".[1] The term "Muggle world" refers to a society inhabited by non-magical people ("Muggles"), while the term "wizarding world" refers to a society ofwizards that live parallel to Muggles.[2] The wizarding world is described as a veiled society whereinmagic is commonly used and practised; the wizards live in self-enforced seclusion and hide their abilities from Muggles. The novels are set in 1990s Britain, which contains both Muggle and wizard communities.[3] Any new works taking place in this universe are released under theWizarding World brand.
The plot of theHarry Potter series occurs between 1991 and 1998. The exceptions are the opening chapter of the first novel, which takes place in 1981, and the epilogue of the seventh novel, which takes place in 2017. At various points throughout theHarry Potter timeline, flashbacks and flash-forwards depict time periods ranging from the 1920s to the 2020s. The depiction of the wizarding world is centred onmagic, which not only imbues objects such aswands, but is also portrayed as an inborn ability of individuals. This organic ability can be honed and mastered through study and practice.
Wizards expend a great deal of effort keeping muggles unaware of magic and the wizarding world. The novels explain that in the past, the two worlds co-existed. Over the centuries, persecution of wizards by muggles resulted in the creation of laws designed to keep the wizarding world hidden, such as the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy of 1692. Enchantment of muggle artefacts is forbidden, underage wizards are restricted from using magic outside of school, and any deliberate revelation of magical ability to the muggle community is punishable. These laws are enforced by the BritishMinistry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards. There are some exceptions: muggle relatives of British wizards are allowed to know about the wizarding world, as is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
The filmFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) depicts wizarding laws in the United States during the 1920s. These laws differ in some ways from those in 1990s Britain. For example, the film reveals that American wizards are forbidden from having any social relationships with no-majs / muggles, a condemnatory comparison to the 20th-century AmericanJim Crow laws and theapartheid system of South Africa.
In theHarry Potter series, some aspects of the wizarding world are depicted as being less-than-modern compared to the muggle world, largely due to the complete incompatibility of magic with electricity. Candles are used for illumination instead of electrical or gas lamps, and owls are used to send messages instead of phone calls or emails. Instead of using pens or computers to take notes and write essays, Hogwarts students use ink-dipped quills and parchment. Wizards do not use paper currency, but instead rely on three types of coins: the goldgalleon, equal to 17 silversickles, which in turn are each equal to 29 bronzeknuts — parodying theold pre-decimal British L/S/D coinage system.[4] The wizarding world does have at least one dedicated magical train service, theHogwarts Express, which is pulled by a steam locomotive. Otherwise, magical carriages are typically camouflaged as goods wagons, cargo vans, and baggage cars on muggle train services, as shown inThe Secrets of Dumbledore.[5] The novels depict wizards using a magic-powered equivalent to radio, but there is not an equivalent to television.
The wizarding world of theHarry Potter universe is embedded within the Muggle world. Wizards often live in magical enclaves within muggle villages, such asGodric's Hollow in the West Country. Many wizarding homes inHarry Potter are depicted as being on the outskirts of a muggle town. Only one settlement in Britain, the village ofHogsmeade, is home to an entirely magical population.
The wizardinghigh street of central London,Diagon Alley, lies just offCharing Cross Road. The Hogwarts Express train departs fromKing's Cross station using the fictionalPlatform 9¾. Magical locations are hidden by a combination of muggle-repelling charms, illusions, and other protections. Some magical locations, such as the prisonAzkaban and the stadium used for theQuidditch World Cup, are rendered "unplottable", meaning they are impossible to locate on a map. The castle ofHogwarts appears as abandoned ruins to any muggle close enough to see.
Some extremist wizards oppose wizard-muggle marriages, arguing that it dilutes the "purity" of wizard blood. These extremists use the termpure-blood to refer to a wizard who claims to have very little or no muggle blood in their ancestry. Pure-blood supremacists view half-bloods as inferior to them, but superior to muggle-born wizard-folk with muggles at the bottom. These supremacists believe that blood purity is a measure of a wizard's magical ability, althoughRon Weasley refutes this idea by pointing to the existence of so-called pure-blood wizards with low magical skills and claims that "most wizards these days are half-blood". Some families inbreed to maintain blood purity, which can result in offspring with mental instability and violent natures.[6][7]
Half-blood is the term applied to wizards who have both magical and muggle ancestry. Half-blood is the most common blood status, outnumbering pure-bloods and muggle-borns. Rowling has stated that no bloodline is truly "pure" — fifty per cent of first-year Hogwarts students each year are half-bloods — but those who wish to claim purity deny the existence of muggles and squibs (see below) in their ancestry.[8]
Muggle-born is the term applied to wizard-folk whose parents are muggles whereas pure-blood supremacists often use the derogatory term "mudblood". Those muggle-born were required by law to register with the Ministry of Magic, when Voldemort returned to power and under his leadership, the Department of Mysteries claimed that the muggle-borne acquire their magical ability by stealing magic from "real" wizards.
Squib is the term applied to a person who is born to magical parents, but has no magical abilities. The only squibs mentioned in the novels areArgus Filch,Arabella Figg, and a cousin ofMolly Weasley. Unlike muggles, squibs are aware of the wizarding world and can see magical creatures and places — such as dementors and Hogwarts.
Some wizards are the offspring of unions between humans and magical creatures. Examples include sistersFleur andGabrielle Delacour, who are granddaughters of aveela;Rubeus Hagrid, who is half-giant; andFilius Flitwick, who hasgoblin ancestry.[9] Bigoted wizard-folk sometimes use the derogatory termhalf-breed to refer to these mixed-species individuals.
TheHarry Potter universe is home to many magical creatures. Some are derived from real-world folklore and mythology, while others were created by Rowling. Some are modified versions of creatures from real-world lore. Below are a few of the more notable creatures described in the series.
The Ministry of Magic is the government of the British wizarding community. The Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, first appears inChamber of Secrets.
Young wizards in Britain usually attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Following completion of a Hogwarts education, there is no standard tertiary education, and there are no known wizard universities. Successful Hogwarts students are considered ready to function as adults, though some wizarding professions require special training programmes after Hogwarts. These include the professions of theAuror and the Healer. In addition to Hogwarts, the novels mention the French wizarding schoolBeauxbatons and the Northern European schoolDurmstrang. In 2016, Rowling created four additional schools and described them on theWizarding World website. These four schools areIlvermorny (United States),Castelobruxo (Brazil),Mahoutokoro (Japan) andUagadou (Africa).[17]
Wizards use owls to deliver mail, newspapers, and parcels. The novels do not explain how an owl locates a recipient.
A Patronus is conjured with the Patronus Charm and is primarily used to repelDementors. The charm is vocalised as "Expecto Patronum". It can also be used for communication by a talented wizard.Albus Dumbledore devised a method of using Patronuses to deliver vocal messages, which he used in the service ofOrder of the Phoenix. Minerva McGonagall is the only character in the series who demonstrates the ability to project multiple message-carrying Patronuses.[18]
While the Floo Network is intended for use as a method of transport, it also occasionally serves as a method of communication. A wizard can throw a pinch of Floo Powder into a lit fireplace connected to the Network and put their head into the flames, causing it to appear in the fireplace of the wizard with whom they intend to speak. This use of the Network is first seen inGoblet of Fire when Harry observes the head of Amos Diggory in the Weasleys' fireplace. Harry uses this method to communicate with Sirius Black on several occasions during the series.
Voldemort uses a method of communication called the Dark Mark, which is like abrand on the inner forearms of the Death Eaters. When the mark is pressed, contact is made with other Death Eaters and Voldemort himself. Pressing one's Dark Mark causes every other Death Eater's mark to burn, signalling them to Disapparate from wherever they were and immediately Apparate to Voldemort's side.
Hermione uses the principle of the Dark Mark inHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Instead of burning/engraving the message into the members of Dumbledore's Army's skin, she uses fake Galleons which all mimic each other and have messages on the rim. Later Malfoy and Madam Rosmerta, who was under the Imperius Curse, used Galleons to contact each other.
Characters painted into magical portraits can carry messages between locations where their portraits hang. For example, the former Hogwarts headmaster Phineas Nigellus travels between Dumbledore's office and his other portrait in Grimmauld Place.
Another form of closed communication used in the books and films is a set of mirrors that belonged to Sirius Black. Sirius gives Harry one mirror inHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, with a note explaining to Harry that Sirius and James Potter used to use the mirrors to talk to each other when they were put in separate detentions. InHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry uses a shard of his broken mirror to call for help from the Malfoys' cellar, and later finds out that Aberforth Dumbledore had been watching over Harry using Sirius' mirror, which he obtained from Mundungus Fletcher.
Apparating is disappearing from a place and appearing almost instantly in another. Wizards and witches oftenApparate to their destinations, which is quite similar to teleportation. It is quite difficult to Apparate; therefore underage wizards and witches are forbidden to do it. There are many examples of failed Apparition attempts made by people who have not passed their "Apparition test", which is like a Muggle driving test. If not Apparating correctly, a person may lose a body part in the process, referred to as "splinching". InDeathly Hallows, Ron gets splinched after being grabbed by Yaxley, aDeath Eater.
If a wizard is unable to Apparate or is travelling with an underage companion, a Portkey can be used. A Portkey is usually an ordinary object that has been enchanted. The user touches the Portkey and uses the charm "Portus" to travel to the desired destination. A Portkey is often a mundane object such as an old boot or tin can, which allows the device to avoid scrutiny from Muggles.
Characters in the series make use of several magical devices and artefacts to transport themselves within the Wizarding World and to the Muggle world. Among the most common of these objects arebroomsticks, theFloo Network (a network of fireplaces magically connected to one another), theKnight Bus, and theHogwarts Express. Some characters have been known to enchant Muggle vehicles to have magical features, such asArthur Weasley's Ford Anglia orSirius Black's Flying Motorbike. InHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, a discussion is held around the politics of importingflying carpets.
The Daily Prophet is the most widely read daily newspaper in Britain's wizard community.[19] Its journalistic integrity is 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 byRita Skeeter, "The Prophet exists to sell itself!"[20]
TheProphet remains respectable for the first three books, but byGoblet of Fire, it has hired Rita Skeeter, an unscrupulous journalist who supplies several thrilling and blatantly false articles.[21] When Minister Fudge takes the stance of firmly denying Voldemort's return, theProphet 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, theProphet changes its stance overnight, calling Harry "a lone voice of truth".
According to Rowling,Ginny Weasley becomes Senior Quidditch correspondent at theProphet after the events of the novels.[22][23]
The Quibbler is a magazine first mentioned inOrder of the Phoenix. It is edited byXenophilius Lovegood and often prints articles aboutconspiracy theories andcryptozoology. InOrder of the Phoenix, Hermione blackmailsRita Skeeter into writing an article about Harry's encounter with Voldemort. The interview is published by Xenophilius, and he later sells it to theDaily Prophet.
The most popular wizard radio station is theWizarding Wireless Network. Harry learns about the wizarding band The Weird Sisters from his peers who listen to the WWN. InDeathly Hallows, Ron introduces Harry and Hermione toPotterwatch, an underground anti-Voldemort radio program.
Butterbeer is a drink popular with young wizards. It can be served cold or hot, but either way it has a warming effect. Rowling said she imagines it tastes like "less-sickly"butterscotch.[24]The Wizarding World of Harry Potter themed area at theUniversal Orlando resort sells a line of food and beverages inspired by Butterbeer, and theJelly Belly candy company has produced Butterbeer-inspired sweets.[a] The celebrity chefHeston Blumenthal created a version of the drink for his show "Heston's Tudor Feast".[28]
Many types of magical sweets are mentioned in the series. Some have bizarre side effects, particularly those created byFred and George Weasley. Chocolate Frogs are packaged with collectible cards depicting famous wizards. According to Rowling, Harry and his friends are featured on Chocolate Frog cards after the events of the novels.[29] Both Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans have been manufactured in the real world.[30] The Bertie Bott's Beans produced by Jelly Belly include flavours such as black pepper, dirt, earwax, grass, sausage, soap, and vomit.[31][32] TheHershey company has also produced various candy items based onHarry Potter.[33]
The most prominent sport in theHarry Potter universe is Quidditch, which is a team sport played up in the air onbroomsticks. Every House atHogwarts has a Quidditch team and competes in the Quidditch Cup. Outside of Hogwarts, the Quidditch World Cup is a major international event that draws teams and spectators from countries around the world.
Wizard's Chess is a version ofchess played with pieces that are magically animated. InPhilosopher's Stone, Harry, Ron and Hermione become human chess pieces in a life-sized game of Wizard's Chess, which Harry wins thanks to Ron's skill at the game.
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