Fictional universe of Harry Potter
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
The
Fundamentals
The entire Harry Potter series is set from 1991 to 1998 aside from the opening chapter of the first book, which takes place on 1 November 1981, and the epilogue of the seventh book, which takes place on 1 September 2017. At various points throughout the Harry Potter timeline, flashbacks and flash-forwards depict various time periods ranging from the 1920s to the 2020s. The depiction of the wizarding world is centred on
A great deal of effort is expended in keeping Muggles unaware of magic. Originally the two worlds co-existed. Growing persecution of those with magic over the centuries necessitated laws designed to keep the existence of the wizarding world hidden from Muggles, such as the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy of 1692. Enchantment of Muggle artefacts is forbidden, underage wizards are restricted from using magic outside the school, and any deliberate revelation of magical ability to the Muggle community is punishable. That said, allowances are made for the use of magic in the presence of a Muggle in case of a life-threatening situation (for the wizard or the Muggle). These laws are enforced by the
As seen in the first chapter of Philosopher's Stone, jubilation and euphoria at Voldemort's first downfall in 1981 led to these rules being momentarily ignored and wizards exposing themselves gratuitously to Muggles, who were greatly puzzled.
Some aspects of the wizarding world are depicted as being less-than-modern compared to the Muggle world, sometimes even old-fashioned or quaint. The technological development of the wizarding world is substantially behind that of its Muggle counterpart – for instance, candles are used for illumination instead of electrical or gas bulbs/tubes – and owls are used to send messages instead of phone calls or emails. Despite owls' slowness compared to more modern methods, they can be sent to deliver a message without the sender needing to know the recipient's exact location or phone number.
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. Electronic equipment tends not to work around magic-filled areas, such as
The wizarding world has also not embraced modern Muggle modes of information collection and transfer. For instance, instead of pens/pencils, paper, and electronic equipment like computers, Hogwarts students use ink-dipped quills and parchment to take notes, do their homework, and write messages. Wizarding money is also old-fashioned; whilst Muggle Britain was decimalised in 1971, British wizards and witches continued with their system of 17 silver Sickles to a gold Galleon, and 29 bronze Knuts to a Sickle (and use only coins, as opposed to paper notes).
The wizarding world does have at least one train – the Hogwarts Express – pulled by a steam locomotive. There is radio but no television is shown. Magical brooms are mass-produced, with new models coming out regularly, similar to Muggle cars. On the other hand, magical wands are hand-made by skilled artisans, each individual wand taking long and painstaking labour. Printing is carried out by mechanical printing presses, rather than by magic (at least, the Quibbler is so produced).
Many aspects of the British wizarding world have Muggle equivalents. For example, after reaching age seventeen wizards can be licensed to apparate, while Muggles can learn and be licensed to drive cars. In the fifth and seventh years of Hogwarts, or what would be Muggle secondary school, external examinations take place. Some aspects of Muggle pop culture are also mirrored in the wizarding world, such as rock music, posters, and tabloids. A few young wizards embrace Muggle culture whole-heartedly: as a teenager, Sirius Black filled his room with pictures of Muggle pin-up girls, motorcycles and rock bands in rebellion against his prejudiced, Muggle-hating parents. Muggle music is heard in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – music by The Ordinary Boys is heard playing in the background of the Gryffindor common room.
Wizards and witches who are Muggle-born or half-blood (of mixed magical and Muggle parentage) find it easier, or even commonplace, to integrate into Muggle society and take on Muggle trends, as they are predisposed to Muggle ways growing up.
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. Only one settlement in Britain, the village of
Similarly, the wizarding high street
It is also suggested in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban that wizards played a part in ancient Egyptian history, and possibly are behind many historical wonders in the modern world such as the Egyptian pyramids and tombs.
Animals and plants
The Wizarding World is home to many magical creatures and plants, some of which are familiar from
Laws concerning magical creatures
In both the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and the film of the same name, laws governing magical creatures are often referenced. Like any laws, these are changed over time and vary from country to country.
There are three distinct definitions for all magical creatures given in the Fantastic Beasts book, which are "Beasts", "Beings" and "Spirits" (spirits being for ghosts) which were defined in 1811 by the British Minister for Magic. "Beings" are defined as "any creature that has sufficient intelligence to understand the laws of the magical community and to bear part of the responsibility in shaping those laws".[4]
Laws have been created surrounding the management of magical creatures, largely for the purposes of their protection, but also to protect wizards from dangerous creatures, govern ownership of certain creatures, and also to hide them from the Muggle world. In the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film, the political climate of the wizarding community at the time saw a blanket ban on possessing all magical creatures.
Blood purity
The longstanding separation between the wizarding and Muggle worlds in the Harry Potter universe has led many wizards to advocate keeping the two apart. Wizards of pure Muggle parentage are viewed as untrustworthy, foolish, or, in extreme cases, racially inferior. The common practice of wizards marrying Muggles is viewed by such extremists as miscegenation, and they instead advocate maintaining a so-called "purity of blood". This was part of Lord Voldemort's ideology, and the Black family disowned anyone who married a Muggle or half-blood. However, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Hagrid and Ron both maintain that there is probably no such factor as "blood purity", with all wizards (given sufficient research) likely to find in their family history some marriages to Muggles.[5]
Pure-blood
"Pure-blood" is the term applied to wizards and witches who have no Muggle blood, Muggle-borns, or half-bloods at all in their family trees. They are the rarest of the three blood statuses, with J.K. Rowling stating that ten per cent of the wizarding community is made up of pure-bloods. Although technically pure-bloods have no Muggle ancestors, the small wizarding population means that "true" pure-bloods are rare, with some just ignoring or disowning the few Muggles in their family.[6] Identified pure-blood families include the Blacks, Crouches, Fudges, Gaunts (though this line died out before the beginning of Philosopher's Stone), Lestranges, Longbottoms, Malfoys and Weasleys (but the most recent generation has had half-blood members). To maintain their blood purity, some supremacist families have been known to inbreed into their own families by marrying their cousins, resulting sometimes in mental instability and violent natures. The Gaunt family displayed both tendencies by the time of the sixth book.[7][8]
Pure-blood supremacists believe blood purity is a measure of a wizard's magical ability and Muggles to be low-life, being magically deficient, despite examples to the contrary, such as Hermione and Lily.[9] Supremacists apply the term "blood traitor" to pure-bloods who marry with non-pure-bloods.
The pure-blood wizards and witches featured in the Harry Potter books are almost all supremacists, while there are some of them who do not advocate ancestral superiority; the Potters, Weasleys, and Longbottoms are old pure-blood families, but no known members of these families are sympathetic to supremacist aims.
Several wizards question the notion of blood purity altogether. In his copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard (later bequeathed to Hermione Granger), Dumbledore made annotations that he thinks blood purity does not exist.
Half-blood
"Half-blood" is the term applied to wizards and witches who have both magical and Muggle ancestors in their family trees. They are the most common blood status, far outnumbering pure-bloods and Muggle-borns. Rowling has stated that, of the Hogwarts annual intake, fifty per cent are half-bloods. Pure-blood supremacists view half-bloods as inferior to them, although superior to Muggles and Muggle-borns. The
Muggle-born
"Muggle-born" is the term applied to wizards and witches whose parents are
During Voldemort's rule, Muggle-borns were legally required to register with the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, headed by Dolores Umbridge. During this time, the Department of Mysteries claimed that Muggle-borns acquired their magical ability by stealing magic and wands from "real" wizards. Other wizards and witches rejected this notion, such as Ron Weasley, questioning how one could steal magic and if one could steal magic then squibs would not exist. After the fall of Voldemort, Dolores Umbridge is imprisoned in Azkaban while the remaining members of the commission are either imprisoned or become fugitives.
Squibs
"Squib" is the term applied to a child who is born to magical parents, but develops no magical abilities. They are considered to be the opposite of Muggle-born wizards and witches.
Mixed species
Some wizards are the products of unions between humans and magical creatures of more-or-less human intelligence, such as Fleur Delacour and her sister Gabrielle (both quarter
(who are separate species). The centaurs within the series prefer to exist amongst themselves, with little interaction with humans.Government and politics
The Ministry of Magic is the government for the magical community of Britain. The government is first mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, is the first minister to make an appearance in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The Ministry itself is not shown until Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As the books progress, the Ministry becomes more corrupt and blind to happenings in the Wizard world, reaching a nadir of corruption during Voldemort's uprising.
Known Ministers for Magic include
Relations
To the Muggle world
The Muggles remain, for the most part, oblivious to the wizarding world. This situation is considered preferable to the alternative by wizards; official coexistence, conflict, or wizard supremacy (advocated by some pure-blood supremacists). Most things of magical nature are hidden or otherwise obscured from Muggles; others, such as
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". Hermione surprised Harry by taking the course, as her parents are Muggles. She explained that she thought it would be "fascinating" to study Muggles from the wizarding point of view.
The only official relations described with the Muggle world are between the Minister for Magic and the
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 have necessary interactions with the wizarding world. Hermione's parents are Muggles, but have been seen in
Along with the families of Muggle-born wizards, there are mixed marriages.
There is also some unspecified financial relationship between the two worlds, as it is possible to exchange Muggle money into
Policies on wizard-muggle relationships
In
This is further explored in other novels and is notably covered in some depth in The Tales of Beedle the Bard, where Albus Dumbledore writes notes after each story that often concern Wizard-Muggle relationships. Part of these 'observations' note how The Tales were modified in the face of anti-Muggle sentiments, in order to remove any pro-Muggle messages for wizards who did not want their children exposed to those messages. This included Lucius Malfoy, who demanded that the Tales be removed from the Hogwarts syllabus.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them shows that different wizarding governments around the world may have different levels of relationships with Muggles depending on their social and political climate and that these relationships may even change over time like other political policies. In the film, Newt Scamander describes American wizarding law in regard to Muggles as "rather backward", and further explains that American wizards are forbidden from having any contact or relationships with Muggles.
Internally
Since a person's most important capability – magical aptitude – does not depend on sex,
The most obvious example of wizard prejudice is a longstanding disdain, even a genocidal hatred, toward Muggles and wizards and witches of Muggle parentage (
Other internal tensions include the slavery of
Internationally
The magical governments of the world are to some degree united in the International Confederation of Wizards. This organisation has many responsibilities, mostly to enforce the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy.
There is a reference to the Ministry of Magic's
As noted in the depiction of the Quidditch World Championship in Goblet of Fire, Irish and Bulgarian wizards (and presumably, also those from other countries) can feel a strong national pride and be intensely eager for their country to win – even though Irish and Bulgarian Muggles, who form most of the population in the two countries, are not aware that the Championship is taking place.
The books do not refer to the degree to which wars and tensions between Muggle governments (e.g., the World Wars or the Cold War) influence the relations between the respective wizarding governments. However, Rowling has strongly implied that the rise of the dark wizard
Education
Before Hogwarts
There appears to be no official precursor to a magical 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 either a cognitive edge or a disadvantage. There are also no compulsory educational laws that 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. However, during the time Voldemort had overthrown the Ministry of Magic, attendance at Hogwarts was compulsory, so that his followers could have complete control over the wizarding youth.
After Hogwarts
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 do require special, years-long training programmes after finishing Hogwarts. These include the professions of the
Wizarding Examinations Authority
The Wizarding Examinations Authority is an organisation responsible for examining students in their fifth and seventh years taking their
O.W.L.s
Ordinary Wizarding Levels (
Grading
O | Outstanding | Highest grade possible |
E | Exceeds Expectations | Above average |
A | Acceptable | Average; the lowest passing grade |
P | Poor | Fail grade |
D | Dreadful | Lowest common grade; fail grade |
T | Troll | Lowest grade |
N.E.W.T.s
Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests (N.E.W.T.s)[15] are wizarding examinations taken in the seventh year. N.E.W.T.s are the final tests to see what jobs a witch or wizard is eligible for. While Hermione goes back to Hogwarts to take her exams in the aftermath of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry and Ron never take their N.E.W.T.s. In spite of this, Harry manages to become the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at some point in the future.
Known foreign schools
- Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France
- Durmstrang Institute for Magical Learningin Northern Europe
- Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in North America[16]
- Uagadou in Africa[16]
- Mahoutokoro in Japan[16]
- Castelobruxo in Brazil[16]
- Koldovstoretz in Russia[17]
Economy
A fictional system of currency is used by the wizards of the United Kingdom. The currency uses only coins as the
Some Gringotts employees are stationed in countries other than England and tasked with recovering treasure for use by the bank. Bill Weasley is introduced as one such employee, working in Egypt as a curse-breaker to extract riches from ancient tombs.
Coins
The Galleon is the largest and most valuable coin in the British wizard currency. It is gold, round and larger than the other coins in use.
Around the rim of the Galleon is inscribed at least one serial number, which identifies the
As explained in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone there are 17 silver Sickles to a gold Galleon, and 29 bronze Knuts to a Sickle.
According to
Exchange rate
One Knut is | One Sickle is | One Galleon is |
---|---|---|
1 Knut | 29 Knuts | 493 Knuts |
0.03448... Sickles | 1 Sickle | 17 Sickles |
0.002028... Galleons | 0.05882... Galleons | 1 Galleon |
approximately 1pstg. |
approximately 29pstg. |
approximately £5stg. |
approximately 1.5 US¢ |
approximately 44 US¢ |
approximately US$7.50 |
In a 2001 interview, J. K. Rowling said a Galleon was approximately five pounds (at the time of the interview approximately US$7.50 or €5.50), although "the exchange rate varies."[18]
In the book
Games and sports
Sports, specifically
Not long into his first year at Hogwarts, Harry proves himself a talented Quidditch player and is named to the Gryffindor team as its Seeker, with the role of finding and catching the
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
Communications
Several magical communication methods are 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 to deliver heavier packages. Owls also deliver mail and newspapers, acting as a replacement for the postal service of the Muggle world. If an owl delivers something for which payment is expected, such as a newspaper, the recipient places the money in a small pouch attached to the owl's leg. Not only owls may be used; Sirius Black 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 circumstances, letters have extremely explicit addresses on them (specifying 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 to use owls to deliver inter-office mail within the ministry building, but according to
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 (his godfather) since his
Patronuses
A Patronus is primarily used to repel
Floo Network
While the Floo Network (a play on the word 'flue') 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 in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when Harry sees Amos Diggory's head in the Weasleys' fireplace at The Burrow, talking to Molly Weasley. Harry also uses this method to communicate with Sirius Black on several occasions during the series.
The etiquette surrounding using the fireplace for communication is not explicitly addressed in the series. Dumbledore tells Harry it is not polite for a wizard to apparate (appear out of thin air) directly into another wizard's house. However, at one point Harry uses Floo Powder to contact Grimmauld Place unannounced. Severus Snape uses a fireplace to contact Remus Lupin and tell him he wants a word, before speaking to him in person in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Dark magic communication
Lord Voldemort uses a method of communication called the Dark Mark, which is like a brand 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.
Those who follow
Hermione uses the principle of the Dark Mark in Harry 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.
Other forms of communication
Apart from the fake Galleons enchanted by Hermione for Dumbledore's Army, there are a few other methods of closed-channel communications used in the books and films. Subjects painted into wizarding portraits are frequently used to carry messages between locations where their portraits hang. Phineas Nigellus (former Hogwarts headmaster and member of the Black Family) is used to send messages between Dumbledore's office and his other portrait in Grimmauld Place. Hermione takes Phineas from Grimmauld Place during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and uses Phineas to obtain information about events at Hogwarts. Dumbledore also uses two other former headmasters in a similar fashion when Arthur Weasley is attacked by Nagini in the Ministry of Magic. A portrait is also seen carrying messages between the Minister for Magic and the Muggle Prime Minister in the opening of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
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 in Harry 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. In Harry 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.
Flying paper aeroplanes (referred to as "interdepartmental memos") are used within the Ministry of Magic. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when Arthur Weasley takes Harry to the Ministry of Magic, Mr. Weasley explains that these took the place of the owls to minimise the mess. They are pale violet with MINISTRY OF MAGIC stamped along the edges of the wings. A variation on this method of communication is shown in the film version of Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban, when Draco Malfoy sends Harry a note in class in the form of a flying paper crane.
Transportation
Apparition
Wizards and witches often Apparate 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". In Deathly Hallows, Ron gets splinched after being grabbed by Yaxley, a Death Eater.
Transportation objects
Characters in the series make use of several
Portkeys
Portkeys are used if witches or wizards are unable to Apparate, whether that be because they are unable to or because they have an underage witch or wizard in their company. Portkeys can be almost anything, usually a mundane, everyday object that would easily be overlooked by a muggle. Using the charm "Portus," they are able to carry the user to their destination, so long as the user has hold of the object upon leaving. Portkeys are able to carry multiple people at once, an example being in The Goblet of Fire when Harry, Hermione Granger, the Weasleys and the Diggorys travel to the Quidditch World Cup. Portkeys are usually disguised as rubbish such as a tin can or old sock so Muggles won't notice them.
Thestrals
Wizarding media
The Daily Prophet
The Daily Prophet is the most widely read daily newspaper in Britain's wizard community.
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.[27] 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" based on 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 and claims it to be exclusive.
The editor of The Daily Prophet is Barnabas Cuffe, a former pupil of the Potions master
The Warner Bros. Harry Potter website's news and events page has been named after the paper.[31]
The Quibbler
The Quibbler is a magazine first mentioned in Order of the Phoenix.
The magazine's editor is
In Order of the Phoenix, Hermione blackmails
Radio
The most popular radio station is the Wizarding Wireless Network. Harry learns about the popular wizarding band The Weird Sisters from his peers who listen to the WWN. Over Christmas with the Weasley family during Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the Weasley family listens to Celestina Warbeck on the network.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Ron introduces Harry and Hermione to Potterwatch. Potterwatch is an underground anti-Voldemort radio program that is only accessible with a secret password. The Potterwatch episode that the trio listens to features various members of the Order of the Phoenix and is hosted by Lee Jordan.
Food and beverages
The following are food and beverages unique to the wizarding world:
Magical sweets
Multitudes of sweets are referred to in the stories; many have violent or bizarre side effects, especially those created by
Chocolate Frogs are, as the name suggests, frogs made of chocolate, and are very popular wizarding sweets. They are each packaged with a collectible card displaying a magical picture and brief biography of a famous witch or wizard of medieval to modern times. Cards named in the Harry Potter series include wizards such as Merlin, Agrippa, Dumbledore, Nicolas Flamel and the four founders of Hogwarts. According to a webchat with the author, Harry and his friends are eventually featured on a series of Chocolate Frog cards, with Ron calling it "his finest hour".[32]
Some of the most notable magical sweets such as
A description of Honeydukes in the third book says that the store sells candies called Coconut Ice, Ice Mice (which make your teeth chatter and squeak), Fizzing Whizbees, Pepper Imps (which allow you to breathe fire on your friends), Sugar Quills, Cockroach Clusters, self-flossing mints, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum (which make a room fill up with bluebell-coloured bubbles which wouldn't pop for days), Peppermint Creams shaped like toads (which hop in your stomach), Exploding Bonbons, Jelly Slugs, Acid Pops, and blood-flavoured lollipops.
Butterbeer
Butterbeer is the drink of choice for younger wizards. Harry is first presented with the beverage in
The earliest reference to buttered beer is from The Good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchin, published in London in 1588. It was made from beer, sugar, eggs, nutmeg, cloves and butter. Another old recipe for buttered beer, published by Robert May in 1664 from his recipe book The Accomplisht Cook, calls for liquorice root and aniseed to be added. British celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal recreated the drink for his show "Heston's Tudor Feast".[35]
It was announced in April 2010 that a drink named after butterbeer would be sold in the theme park
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. Firewhisky is described as burning the drinkers' throats as they consume it.
It can be seen as a very strong whisky, and by all intents is used as such. The characters drink it in the last book when Mad-Eye Moody dies in flight, to numb the shock and toast to his life. Hagrid also drinks it, although in much larger quantities.
Pumpkin juice
Pumpkin juice is a cold drink favoured by the Wizarding World, and among the students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is drunk at any occasion, such as breakfast, lunch, at feasts or on other occasions. It seems to take on the same role that orange juice has to Muggles.
Pumpkin juice is readily available, and can be purchased on the Hogwarts Express. Severus Snape threatened Harry in his fourth year that he might slip
Pumpkin juice is one of several speciality beverages developed for Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park (along with butterbeer, see above). According to a preview by The New York Times' Neil Genzlinger, "Pumpkin juice (in a cute, pumpkin-topped bottle) is far more interesting [than the park's butterbeer], perhaps because the actual pumpkin content seems minimal – it's more like a feisty apple cider with a little pumpkin thrown in."[36]
Gillywater
Gillywater is a beverage sold in the Harry Potter universe. Professor McGonagall drinks this in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; Luna Lovegood drinks it in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
See also
References
- ^ "Muggles".
- ^ a b "How do wizards keep themselves so secret from Muggles? | Wizarding World".
- ^ "What Year is Harry Potter Set In?". 27 March 2023.
- ^ Rowling, J.K. (2001). Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. London: Bloomsbury.
- ^ "Read Harry Potter #2 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Chapter 7 Mudbloods and Murmurs - NovelPlanet". novelplanet.com. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
- ^ J.K.Rowling Official Site Archived 26 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine JKRowling.com Retrieved on 24 April 2007.
- ^ a b [HP5], chapter 6
- ^ [HP6], chapter 10
- ISBN 0-439-06486-4., chapter 4
- ^ [HP5], chapter 23
- ^ [HP2], chapter 4
- ^ [HP7], chapter 24
- ^ a b “Section: Extra Stuff‘: Squibs” Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine JKRowling.com Retrieved on 04-24-07
- ^ "J.K. Rowling Says the Fantastic Beasts Series Will Span The Course of World War II". Vulture. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- OCLC 41018643.
- ^ a b c d Hughes, WilliM (30 January 2016). "J.K. Rowling announces four new wizarding schools you'll never get to attend". AV Club. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
- ^ Wonderbook: Book of Potions
- ^ "We finally know how Harry Potter money translates to Muggle money". Entertainment Weekly. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ Quidditch Through The Ages
- ^ Quidditch Through the Ages
- ^ Site design and technology by Lightmaker.com. "rowling writes about owls". Jkrowling.com. Archived from the original on 25 August 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- ^ Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (New York: Scholastic Press), 2007. Page 596.
- ^ "Harry Potter newspaper designed by Muggles". Irish Examiner. 27 December 2005. Archived from the original on 3 February 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
- ^ "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". The Official Time Wasters Guide. 10 July 2007. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
- ISBN 978-0-7407-6157-7.
- ^ Colette Spanyol. "Harry Potter and the Separation of Powers: A Law and Literature — Review of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (PDF). Hertfordshire Law Journal. 3 (1): 12–16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2011.
- ^ Reading, Jill (2007). "Critical literacy in a global context: Reading Harry Potter". Australian Digital Theses Program. pp. 235–6. Archived from the original on 3 June 2008.
- ^ Angela Montefinise (7 August 2007). "The REAL Epilogue". New York Post Blog. Archived from the original on 26 February 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
- ^ "Transcript of JK Rowling web chat". 30 June 2007. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
- ISBN 978-1-58939-582-4.
- ^ Warner Bros. Harry Potter website's news and events page Archived 11 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "J.K. Rowling Web Chat Transcript". The Leaky Cauldron. 30 July 2007. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2007.
- ^ [HP4], chapter 29
- ^ Rupp, Rebecca (24 March 2015). "Lembas and Butterbeer: Your Favorite Fictional Food". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 25 January 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
- ^ Feasting on butterbeer channel4.com Retrieved on 07-28-09
- ^ a b Neil Genzlinger (7 June 2010). "Muggles Take Flight at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
External links
- Harry Potter, an external wiki
- Harry Potter movies – Official website (Warner Bros.)
- Harry Potter at Bloomsbury.com (International publisher)
- Harry Potter at Scholastic.com (US publisher)