Wizarding world

The wizarding world is a society of wizardkind in the Harry Potter book series. They live separately and in secret from the Muggle world after the International Statute of Secrecy was enacted. Each country has their own government and laws that adhere to the Statute of Secrecy. They also have an intergovernmental organisation called the International Confederation of Wizards.

People who possess wizarding blood will study and learn how to control their magic through an education at a wizarding school. Witches and wizards define how they receive their magic with blood statuses including pure-blood, half-blood or Muggle-born. Magic is used for every day tasks including cooking, communication and medicine. Though they appear to be medieval and less advanced technologically, their magic has rendered the need for advanced Muggle technology useless.

Society

History

In the fifteenth century, witches and wizards were hunted by Muggles who were afraid of their powers. Genuine witches and wizards were hard to catch and those that were could easily escape death by performing a basic Flame-Freezing Charm and pretending to shriek in pain before apparating away. However, young witches and wizards were particularly vulnerable because they were unable to control their magic and others, including Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, couldn't escape because they had their wands taken away. They felt that offering to help their non-magical neighbours was suicide and decided they had to start coping without them.

By the 17th century, anyone caught fraternising with Muggles were suspect and even outcast. Witches and wizards were living double lives and using charms to conceal their magic and protect their families.

Law and government

Each country has a governing body. In Britain, the Ministry of Magic is run by the Minister for Magic and also has a Wizengamot. The Council of Magical Law determines the fate of those who have broken the law. There are many departments that control and enforce the law including the Auror Office which employs Aurors. They function like police officers in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Known wizarding prisons include Azkaban and Nurmengard.

The entirety of the international wizarding world has to enforce the International Statute of Secrecy. Keeping the wizarding world a secret is a huge, co-operative effort. They have to prevent those under the age of seventeen from using magic, and will reverse any enchantment on Muggle objects. The family of a Muggle-born or a spouse is permitted to know about wizarding world. The intergovernmental organisation of the International Confederation of Wizards are a group who work together to enforce the law.

The wizarding world will communicate with the Muggle world when necessary. The Muggle Prime Minister is informed about the wizarding world by the Minister for Magic. They are kept apprised of any important events that are happening like the Second Wizarding War, and the escape of Sirius Black which was reported on the Muggle news. A phone line was established for Muggles to report any sightings, but the news didn't tell them about Black's crimes or where he had escaped from.

Goblin have faced prejudice in the wizarding world and have held several rebellions throughout history to fight for equal rights.

Economy

Gringotts is an international wizarding bank that has extensive security and is primarily run by goblins. Currency varies depending on the country. In Britain and Ireland they have three kinds of coins and no decimal. There are 17 Sickles to a Galleon and 29 Knuts to a Sickle. Gringotts exchanges currency and it is a popular way for the parents of Muggle-borns to pay for school supplies.

A popular choice of job in the wizarding world involves working for the government. Unemployment does not appear to be too high but they have the same social construct of rich to poor. An ancient wizarding family might be very rich and they inherit their wealth while the Weasley family could not afford brand-new wands and robes.

Education

An education is provided to young witches and wizards to refine their magic and gain skills and talents. There are at least seven wizarding schools around the world. At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, they study for seven years and take examinations to achieve grades in their subjects. It helps them prepare for graduation when they try to find employment. There are many jobs in the wizarding world. They can work in Magizoology where they can care for dragons. It is popular to work in government and law, teaching, healing and for Gringotts.

Technology

The wizarding world appears to be medieval but it is very advanced technologically. They have no need for phones when they have several forms of communication from owl post to enchanted coins. They have no real need for cars when they can apparate, but some witches and wizards do enchant vehicles like Sirius Black's motorbike and Arthur Weasley's flying car.

Medicine

In the wizarding world, problems of a mundane nature are easy to cure. For example, a broken wrist takes minutes for a proficient Healer to cure. However, problems of a magical nature can be more difficult. For example, a scorpion bite is not a problem but the bite of the magical Venomous Tentacula is not easy to cure. There are spells that cause permanent damage. The Imperius Curse put on Frank and Alice Longbottom or the Memory Charm that damaged Gilderoy Lockhart cannot be reversed.

Society

When wizarding society was open, they still decided to keep particular things a secret. They kept the invention of the flying broomstick a secret. There is a law in Quidditch that a game has to be played a hundred miles away from a Muggle town or village. After facing persecution, they began to fear their Muggle neighbours. They established the International Statute of Secrecy to live in secrecy from Muggle view. They put towns within Muggle towns and subvert their perspective using enchantments. It is not considered practical that the two worlds can ever co-exist peacefully.

Studies prove that witches and wizards can only be born and not made meaning unless they have magical blood when they are born, the ability cannot be given or learned. They have many biological advantages that enable them to live longer and they have advanced medicine where they can use spells to heal the majority of ailments including broken bones in minutes. However, magical ailments can be harder to cure.

The way a witch or wizard has inherited their magic (or not) is defined in the wizarding world with a blood status: Pure-blood, half-blood, Muggle-born, squib or Muggle. Many in the wizarding world consider blood status to be very important and that those pure of blood are superior. Squibs are generally shunned in the wizarding world and Muggle-borns face prejudice because they have been considered inferior and less of a true witch or wizard, with some saying they lack real power to the point that they are undeserving of even studying magic.

There are also three types of types of magical creatures; beings, beasts and spirits. They have also experienced prejudice, been shunned or have had to fight for better rights in the wizarding world. These include:

• Werewolves: who are normal human-beings, except for the short time that they have to transform. Even though they are very capable in normal human form, they are shunned by society and finding employment when they are known to be a werewolf is near impossible.
• Goblins: humanoid beings that suffer prejudices but prove to be of value to the wizarding world, often working in an economic field. They have their fair share of grievances towards wizardkind, including that they are banned from owning wands, but they generally co-exist peacefully in the wizarding world.
• House-elves: are willing to carry out any work for wizardkind but they are often taken advantage of. If their "owner" is to ever banish them, they are devastated because they want to work and it makes them vulnerable. Later, campaigners including Hermione Granger gave them better rights and protection.

Transportation

Witches and wizards typically travel by magical means. Broomsticks are a favoured form of transport, although witches and wizards preferred to travel long distances by ship before the flight of Jocunda Sykes. Apparition is also a common choice for travel, albeit across short distances, because it will get increasingly unreliable over longer distances.

Trivia

• The wizarding world have many sayings and phrases including:
  • Mimblewimble (a name that Rubeus Hagrid called Vernon Dursley).
  • Gallopin' Gorgons
• It is important in the wizarding world to own a magical animal and each student of Hogwarts is given permission to bring one to school. The popular option is an owl, but a cat is also a good option. Toads went out of fashion a long time ago.
• The wizarding world avoids pronouncing Voldemort's name for many years and will instead say "You-Know-Who".
• Very few people in the wizarding world know that James and Lily were informed that "You-Know-Who" was looking for them and wanted to kill Harry. It also wasn't widely known that they used a Secret Keeper using Dumbledore's advice or they were betrayed by their Secret Keeper.