Magic Space/Muggle Space???

[Steve <bboy_mn@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 50555

In the 'Owl to Arabella' and the 'Where Malfoys Live' threads, I
speculated on the size and nature of the Magic City. However, this
does raise some new quesions.

I assume that Diagon Alley is in what I call Magic Space; a physically
world that is separate from the normal world which I will call Muggle
Space. But I have to wonder, how big is this Magic Space and where and
how does it end?

We know that the Magic City extends beyond Diagon Alley since there
are other magic places we have heard about; Knockturn Alley, the
Ministry office, St. Mungos Hospital, etc.... Having said that, I have
to wonder how big it is and what do you see when you reach the edge of
it's boundaries?

When you stand at the edge of that magic space is there a big cosmic
wall of shimmering ether that can not be penitrated? Does it just
gradually fade into Muggle Space? Are there assorted entrance/exit
point that server to define it's boundaries? Is the border just a row
of shops and/or houses between which and beyond which there are no
more streets, this row of building acting as a wall around the
perimeter of that Magic Space?

A lot of questions, but very few answers. I guess it depends on
whether you consider the area behind the Leaky Cauldron to be a
physical space that in muggle London is just a gap between the Leaky
Cauldron and the building behind it which is bigger on the inside/the
magic side than it is on the outside/the muggle side, or if you are
stepping through a gateway into another world. 

If it is a magical box (small outside/big inside) then it would seem
to be bounded. When you reach the edge, whatever that edge may be, you
can't go any farther. The alternate, where the Leaky Cauldron is a
gateway into a new world or new dimension, would mean that it would be
relatively boundless. Within normal cosmic limits it would go on
forever. Or... something in between?

How big do you picture the Magic City? Do you measure it in a certain
number of city blocks or are we dealing with a certain number of
square miles? Bounded by 10 or 20 blocks on each side, or bounded by
10 or 20 miles on each side? My vision is that it is substantial in
size. It is a city or more like a town, not just a few blocks creating
a small business neighborhood.

Let's look at another example; Hogwarts and the Forbidden Forest. We
all know that Hogwarts is an enchanted space that to some extent is
bounded or surrounded by the real physical world. But what about the
forest? Is that an enchanted forest that is massive in size, and
exists in magic space? It would seem to have to be very big to hold
all the amazing creatures that is does hold. So how do you hide a
forest of that massive size from the muggles? If it is in Magic Space,
then it would be inaccessable and beyond the preception of muggles.
Think of all the beasts, unicorn, hypogriffs, Fluffy, a huge giant
spide colony, centaurs, and probably a dragon or two. If this is in
physical reality, how do you keep creatures from straying beyond it's
boundaries? 

I've always had this vision that this was an enchanted forest. You
could hop on your broom and fly your little heart out over the forest
and not have to worry about muggle detection because muggles can't see
the forest. It doesn't exist in their preceived reality.

Obviously, in the end, the answer is that it's fiction, but I'm
interested in whether anyone else has thought about this. Even if you
 don't want to tackle the magic space/muggle space issue, how big do
you see the magic city being?

Just curious.

bboy_mn