Hi! I'm KJC2025! I'm a friend of ENTER THE STARGATE, who you may or not may know. She gave this to me to post in her stead, since her mother is currently being horrible and she can't access this site. So, this is sort of a side story from 'Little Orphan Harry' that was inspired by a review - someone thought that L should write a guide to the wizarding world, because there isn't really one, and that really screws up muggle-borns and their parents.
I'm afraid I don't get a lot of time to talk to ETS, so no, I can't really bug her about updates, but she tells me that she's being watched like to keep her from reading/writing fanfiction, but that she is working on a mental outline, since organizing stories is difficult for her. I'm also told to tell you that future updates will probably come through me, so if any of the stories you know from her show up on my account, it's all valid and approved by ETS.
ENTER THE STARGATE does not own Death Note or Harry Potter. I don't even own this guide, so I think it goes without saying that I don't own Harry Potter or Death Note.
Rue Ruzaki's Guide to the Wizarding World
The Wizarding World is a place completely unlike any other – this book should be considered a guide for anyone who finds themselves entering it. Note that while these rules are generally accurate, it should be remembered that they are based upon the experiences and research of the author.
Content
Introduction
History
'Dark' and 'Light' Magic
Customs
Travel
Government
Banking
Health Care
Schooling
Masteries
INTRODUCTION
The Wizarding World is an insular society that places a great deal of value on tradition and customs, many of which can be confusing to those who enter the society. People whose lineages are exclusively wizarding (henceforth known as 'pureblood wizards') find that these people are attempting to change things that have stood for thousands of years without attempting to understand them. It is this belief that has led to feelings of superiority to 'muggles' (non-magical people). In turn, these feelings have led to most in the Wizarding World to turn their backs on the non-magical world and refuse to understand them. It has proven counter-productive when it becomes necessary to blend in with muggles.
HISTORY
The Wizarding World has a rich history that stretches back to before the days of Merlin. This history frequently mixes with those of other magical races (centaurs, veela, merpeople, and goblins). However, for the purposes of this guide, a brief history of the main points of Wizarding Britain shall be provided.
Merlin has long been regarded as one of the most powerful wizards in history. He is most famous in the wizarding world for creating the Order of Merlin, a group which was dedicated to helping muggles (Orders of Merlin are now awarded to someone who has done a great public service). He was a charms specialist and part of the Court of King Arthur.
It is thought that Merlin's students later became the four founders of Hogwarts, but this author was unable to find any evidence to support this claim.
The next greatest wizards in history were the four founders of Hogwarts. Salazar Slytherin, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, and Rowena Ravenclaw. The four came from various areas of the British Isles, and worked for many years to create a school for magical students. Students are sorted into different 'Houses' that reflect not only their personalities, but those of the Founders. The larges personality clash was that of Gryffindor and Slytherin – Slytherin thought that only the pureblood should be taught, while the others disagreed. Gryffindor was the most adamant against Slytherins thoughts, and eventually Slytherin left the school after a fight with Gryffindor. He was never seen again.
Upon occasion, Dark Lords have sprung up in wizarding history. They are wizards (or witches, then called Dark Ladies) who have attained great power and use it to the general detriment of the Wizarding World. Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore is famous for destroying the Dark Lord Grindewald, who came to power during the muggle World War II (It is thought that Hitler and Grindewald worked together, but this author has found no evidence to support this claim, but admits that their goals were quite similar).
More recently, another Dark Lord came to power. He called himself 'Lord Voldemort,' though others refer to him as "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" or "You-Know-Who." His followers (known as 'Death Eaters') referred to him as "The Dark Lord."
Ten years ago, Voldemort attacked the Potter family for reasons unknown. He had no followers with him and so everything that happened that night is speculation, but it is believed that Voldemort killed James and Lily Potter, then attempted to kill Harry Potter, but failed. It is this failure that has led to Harry Potter being referred to as "The-Boy-Who-Lived." The reason for Voldemorts failure is unknown. Harry Potter (then a 15-month old baby) then vanished from the Wizarding World and has not been seen or heard from since.
'Dark' and 'Light' Magic
Merlin was not only seen as one of the greatest wizards of all time, but as the first Light wizard. Before Merlin's time, wizards were more like druids, living in tune with nature and the spirits therein. Light wizards are generally thought of as good, while Dark wizards are seen as bad. The distinction between Light and Dark magic is that Dark magic is almost always malicious (there are a few effective healing spells), highly addictive (all magic is addictive, but an uncontrolled spiral into Dark Magic is usually deadly), and almost always requires a sacrifice of some sort.
The Ministry of Magic declares what is Light and what is Dark, and decides the punishments for someone using Dark magic. They tend to declare most offensive magic Dark, though there are some people who may use Dark magic under certain cases (these people are usually in law-enforcement and must be able to prove that the use of the magic was justified).
CUSTOMS
Wizarding society has a multitude of customs. When a pureblood wizarding family is old enough, they may gain the titles 'The Most Ancient' or 'The Most Ancient and Noble' families. A family must be over five hundred years (all magical descendants) old to attain 'The Most Ancient' status, and must hold a certain amount of land to be 'The Most Ancient and Noble' status. Families who attain such heights are awarded certain privileges in society – a seat on the Wizendgamot (Wizarding Britain's legislature and judiciary branches) or other seats in similar bodies. These seats are usually hereditary, and are given to other, increasingly distantly related families when one family dies out.
The male head of such a family is the patriarch, and his word is law in the family. He is properly addressed as 'Lord [insert last name here].' Other titles may be granted to him as families die out and leave things in the hands of distant relatives. It is proper to refer to the patriarch as he was introduced to you until you have been allowed to use a different name. It is also considered highly rude to refer to anyone by a given name as opposed to a formal name unless asked to. One would call someone Lord, Lady, Mr., Mrs., Ms., or by some other title (Headmaster, Master [in the case that someone has attained a Mastery in a subject], etc.).
Most customs are incredibly old and routed in traditions – Muggle-borns and their parents can usually get by with basic courtesy.
TRAVEL
Most wizards travel by apparation – a method of near-instant travel that is announced by a popping noise. When apparation travel is restricted, travel by floo – a method of travel where someone throws floo powder into a fireplace and calls out their destination – is available. Please note that one can only travel on the 'Floo Network' and that fireplaces may be added or removed from this network.
The third mainstream method of travel is portkey. A portkey is an object that has been charmed to take whatever is touching it to a specific point when it is touched, or when an activation word is spoken by someone holding on to the portkey. Most wizards dislike portkeys, because travel with them is extremely uncomfortable.
When appararion, floo, and portkey travel are unavailable, wizards travel by broomstick. Unlike nonmagical myths, broomsticks are quite streamlined, and newer models may reach speeds comparable to a sports car – this author does not recommend learning to fly at such speeds, and advises people to not use such speeds for any reason other than an extreme emergency.
GOVERNMENT
The British Wizarding World is governed by the Ministry of Magic. At the head of the Ministry is the Minister of Magic – sometimes called the Minister for Magic. The current Minister is known as Cornelius Fudge. Under the Minister are Department Heads, who have deputies and assistants. Ministry Departments range greatly in size and function, from the Auror Department (a large department dedicated to tracking down Dark wizards/artifacts – also the police force of the Magical Britain) to the two-man Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department.
The Wizengamot is both the legislature and judiciary branch of magical government. There are over two hundred seats on the Wizengamot, though most of them are empty (they empty as families die and no one takes their place). As such, only sixty members need to be present to pass a law, and only 31 must ratify it. Only twenty-one members must be present for a 'full' hearing, though for lesser hearings, as few as seven may be called for a hearing.
The seats on the Wizengamot are hereditary, passing from the Lord of a family (usually an 'Ancient and Noble family') to the Heir when the Lord dies or is otherwise incapacitated. It is possible, when one is Heir to multiple families to have more than one seat in the Wizengamot, and therefore, more than one vote. However, in a hearing of any sort, each person receives only one vote, regardless of the number of seats they have.
BANKING
The monetary system of wizards is radically different from those of 'non-magical' methods. There are only three coins; the kunt (pronounced 'nut'), the sickle, and the galleon. Knuts are small bronze coins, about the size of a dime, sickles are a little larger, at about the size of a quarter, and galleons are gold, and about the size of a dollar coin. There are twenty-nine knuts to a sickle and seventeen sickles to a galleon. There are several Goblin enchantments on all wizarding money to keep them from being replicated, except for a few exceptions, such as leprechaun gold, which vanishes after a few hours. It is illegal to attempt to replicate money or to pay for anything with leprechaun gold.
There is only one bank in Wizarding Britain – Gringotts. It is owned and operated by goblins, who are extremely competent bankers, but are not considered 'friends' of the wizarding world. They have magic of their own, and are highly effective (and expensive) curse-breakers and ward makers.
The exchange rate for muggle currency fluctuates very often, but is often in the range of three to five pounds to a galleon.
HEALTH CARE
There is one well-known Wizarding Britain hospital – St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries (St. Mungo's). The hospital is hidden behind the storefront window of the closed nonmagical store Purge & Downs Ltd. The symbol of the hospital is a crossed bond and wand. St. Mungo's has six floors and various wards, ranging from magical bites to long-term spell damage wards.
SCHOOLING
The only school in Magical Britain is Hogwarts, which was founded over a thousand years ago by Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, and Salazar Slytherin. They created four 'Houses' that compete for the most 'House Cup' and the 'Qudditch Cup,' both of which are earned by points gained in classes and qudditch matches. The Houses are held up as examples of virtues that their Founders valued – Gryffindors are known as brave people, Ravenclaws value knowledge, Huffelpuffs are loyal, and Slytherins are cunning and value blood purity. However, due to the number of Slytherins who became Death Eaters, Slytherins are seen as Dark Wizards in training and generally discriminated against. Stereotypically, there are a large number of 'Dark' pureblood families in Slytherin.
Students are Sorted into the four houses upon arrival at Hogwarts, through a means that this writer has been asked to exclude for traditional reasons. Upon the completion of their Sorting, they join their House-mates for seven years, eating, sleeping, and living with their Year-mates in a dorm in the same general area as the rest of the House. The dorms are separated by year and gender, and there are wards to keeps people out of dorms not their own.
There are multiple classes at Hogwarts – Transfiguration, Potions, Astronomy, Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic, Charms, and Flight for the first years. At the start of the third year, electives are added – Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, and Muggle Studies. For students seventeen and older, an Apparition class is added.
The grading scale at Hogwarts runs through a series of six pass/fail grades. The highest grade possible is an 'O' (Outstanding), an 'EE' (Exceeds Expectations), and an 'A' (Acceptable). The failing grades are a 'P' (Poor), a 'D' (Dreadful), and a 'T' (Troll).
At the end of the fifth year, students sit for Ordinary Wizarding Levels (OWLs) in all of the classes that they take. If students don't achieve the required grade in a subject (the grade is set by the instructor, but is usually an EE), then the class may not be continued. Classes may be dropped after the OWL, even if the required grade was achieved. After the OWLs, classes get exponentially harder, as the classes are smaller, and the information is more and more focused to the subject.
At the end the seventh year, students sit their Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests (NEWTs), which test what students learned in the sixth and seventh years. These tests determine what professions a student may and may not go on to.
MASTERIES
Should a person find themselves wishing to apply for a mastery, they usually wait until after they have finished their schooling and find a Master in their subject who is willing to take them as an Apprentice. When the Master has declared that the Apprentice knows enough, they approach the Guild and the Apprentice takes their Mastery test. The test may be repeated, though a Guild may set the number of times a person may take a test. Apprenticeships usually take years to complete, as a Master is expected to know everything that there is to know on a topic. Any advances in a field are usually done by someone with a mastery in the topic, though there have been times when others have made advances in various fields through accidents or experimentation. This author urges that anyone reading this does not experiment with magic until a thorough understanding of magical principles has been attained and a clear goal is in mind.