Fleshing out the Wizarding World

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 141655

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Miikka R." <ryokas at h...> wrote:
>
> I've done it again and had a compulsive inspiration. When I think I
> can do the concept justice (translation: Watch this space in 2012)
> I'll be writing a fanfic about a post-Voldemort movement against the
> Statute of Secrecy. Yes - the Muggle Liberation Front is here.
> 
> The potential fic will examine the dynamics of the wizarding world
> indetail. The problem is that we don't *have* much detail. I'll be 
> doing a lot of geofiction. These questions come to mind at present, 
> I'd be thankful for ideas and perspectives on any of them and some 
> might even be interesting:

> - Kizor 
> 1) How do wizards and witches stay fit? Magic appears to drastically
> reduce the amount of physical labour. At least the kids in Hogwarts
> walk and run all over the place.
> 

bboyminn:
Given that both the USA and Britian, as well as other developed
countries, have an epidemic of obesity, I don't think very many people
magic or muggle DO stay fit as adults. Keep in mind that most people,
muggle or magic, sit in an office all day an never lift anything
heavier than a file folder. 

However, magic people seem to have a certain natural resilience that
likely increases their stamina, and that substitutes for being fit.
That said, it only goes so far, and aside from this one advantage, I
see wizard fitness as a factor of age, and generlly speaking, magic
are no more fit than muggles. Dumbledore and the other teachers being
the exceptions since they must walk up and down 7 LONG flights of
stairs several times a day.

> - Kizor
> 2) If a Muggle child gets bitten by a werewolf during the second
> wizarding war, is there any feasible course of action that doesn't
> involve skilled Obliviators and a silver dagger?
> 

bboyminn:

I don't think this is a detail we were ever meant to consider. There
really is no information in books or interviews that we can use, or at
least not that I'm aware of. Given the extreme nature of the illness,
I suspect, in a manner of speaking, muggle werewolves of any age
self-destruct very quickly.

Other than that, I suspect (highly speculative) that infected victims
are brought into the wizard world and their condition is explained to
them. I futher suspect they are closely supervised until they are
adults at which time they must fend for themselves. 

This is really one of those unanswerable questions and in the end, it
will have to come from your imagination.

> - Kizor:
> 3) How much would the wizarding outlook on human rights differ?
> Muggles  are largely considered an inferior race and their deaths,
> should they encounter a Statute-protected species, are covered up.
> House-elves are sapients kept in (admittedly willing) slavery;
> Slughorn had them test for poison.
>

bboyminn:

I've always considered the wizard world somewhat of a frontier
society. To some extent, anything goes as long as the muggles don't
find out or it doesn't disturb the peace of the wizard world. So, on
human rights, I think the wizard world is pretty liberal. On creature
rigths, such as the rights of the house-elves, I think they are a
little more convervative.

As to the magic-related deaths of muggles, and the deaths of muggles
are not so much covered up in the sense that they are excused, they
are covered up in the sense that the magic related cause of that death
is covered up with a muggle-worthy excuse. But the crime itself would
certainly not go unpunished by wizard government.

As to the house-elves, I have said many times before that it is in
their true deep underlying nature to serve humans and to do so with
great loyalty and honor. Wizards on the other hand are not so
honorable and they, over the course of many centuries, have twisted
basic Elfin honor and loyalty to their advantage. 

Elves willing enter into voluntary servitude, it is wizard who have
twisted it into slavery because that gives them great control over
this valuable resource. I have speculated in a very fanfic way that if
the agreement between Elves and Wizard was looked into closely and
with a very objective eye, we would see the elves are free to come and
go as they please. That wizard really don't have that much control
over the elves in that there is no law magical, legal, or other that
holds elves in their place. It's nothing but Elvin honor, history, and
loyalty to their word that binds them. 

> - Kizor:  
> 4) Might any other paramilitary organisations form in the current
> conflict, aside from the Order of the Phoenix?
> 

bboyminn:

Remember that there are MANY millions of muggles, and only a few
(unspecified number) thousands of magical people in Britian. I suspect
like most people, most wizard are content to lay low and let the
government handle any defensive needs. 

Although, if sufficiently threatened I could see vigilante groups
forming to protect the wizard world. However, vigilante groups are
very much different from the Order of the Phoenix.

> - Kizor:
> 5) Given the wizard infiltration of Muggle governments, was there
> ever a significant risk of nuclear war?
> 

bboyminn:

I'm not so sure that wizards have infiltrated the muggle government.
If there are any magical people in muggle government I suspect it is
incidental. True Shacklebolt was assigned as the personal assistant to
the Prime Minister but that was too protect him. Shacklebolt certainly
doesn't have his finger on the 'button'.

Again, I suspect that there may be a few wizards or muggle-born who
favor the muggle life and have jobs in the muggle government and while
they could be usefull at times, I hardly think they are in a position
to cause any damage.

If you want to read a good book about what the world would be like if
Magical people ran the government, try reading 'The Bartimaeus
Trilogy' by Jonathan Stroud (Amulet of Samarkand, Golem's Eye, and
Ptolomy's Gate).

> - Kizor:
> 6) Religion is ignored by the books. Is there good evidence against
> the usual low-grade Anglican Christianity, in this case rather
> different to its attitudes to magic?
> 

bboyminn:
I think most wizards do have some general religious convictions, but
like most muggles it doesn't involve going to church all that often.
In the Harry Potter universe, I really don't see any conflicts between
the magical and muggle world as far as religion. People are free to
believe what they want and excersize that belief as they see fit and
are confortable with.

> - Kizor: 
> (This is irrelevant, but I felt quite uncomfortable when Dumbledore
> lit a burning yet unconsuming fire.)
>

bboyminn:

I'm not sure how or why this would be related to religion. First what
Dumbledore created as a gift to the Chief Giant was an EVERBURNING
unconsuming fire. That's quite different from the many casual
instances of unconsuming fire we see else where in the books. Remember
Hermione's Bluebell flames that she kept in a jar? They certainly had
no fuel and therefore were unconsuming, but I suspect they were not
indefinite in their duration. At some point they went out.

> - Kizor: 
> 7) How voluntary is the enrollment of Muggle-borns into Hogwarts?
>

bboyminn:

I think it is very volumtary. Someone comes to the muggle house
explains things in detail, and points out if nothing else, the person
in question would learn to control their magic, and would therefore be
less prone to spontaneous outburst of magic. If in the end, it's not
for them, they are simply left alone. I'm not sure whether their minds
would be erased of the fact or not. That's kind of a toss up.


> - Kizor: 
> 8) Given that magic causes interference with electricity and wizards
> very seldomly are at home with machinery, yet Shacklebolt was able
> to hold a position in high Muggle government, could the Internet 
> provide a safe way for Muggle communication about the WW?
> 

bboyminn: 
Who would be in communication with whom? Muggles already use the
Internet extensively for communicating, we even communicate about the
wizard word. If you are working in the framework of your story, then
certainly the Internet would play a part. It is a fast, easy,
intangible, and /uncensored/ method of communication.

Also, I'm not sure I follow your logic on this question. It goes from
magic interferring with electricity to Shacklebolt working for the 
Prime Minister to muggles using the internet. Not sure I see the
connection. I suspect Shacklebolt is so good at his job because he's
doing it with magic. But I don't see any connection to the internet or
 electricity.

On the subject of electricity, I suspect primitive electical devices
like a flashlight/torch would work at Hogwarts, but anything more
complicated and anything electronic would be overwhelmed by the magic
in the air and would not work. So, no computers, radios, TVs, PDAs,
cell/mobile phones or regualar phones, steroes, microwaves, or other
similar devices. I do suspect that while a cell phone would certainly
not work around Hogwarts or Hogsmeade, it would work very marginally
at Diagon Alley, but then that's just my opinion.

> - Kizor:
> X) Is it okay to steal an idea and use it as a detail? Should I
> include a note saying that it came from someone whom I can best
> thank by not mentioning his name?
> 
> - Kizor


bboyminn:

It depends on what you are stealing. I've read some fanfictions that
are so good, I consider them fact, and use those facts as underlying
truths in my own stories. If the other person's concept is just an
underlying fact in your world, that's pretty basic, but when you start
quoting other people's work, that's something all together different.
At any rate, if you are simply adapting a concept and not truely
stealing their actual work, it wouldn't hurt to give them some credit.

Side note: I'm not sure if this series of questions really qualifies
for this group since it is not about direct discussion of canon.
Perhaps it would do better in the OT forum. However, it does draw on
our understanding and interpretation of the wizard world as presented
in the books, so perhaps if the discussion doesn't become too
extended, it will be allowed.

Just a few thoughts.

bboyminn