Harry Potter Club
Join
Fanpop
New Post
Explore Fanpop
This text is not meant as critisism to anyone, but only to ponder how much wizards/witches really differ from muggles, and how much of it is only a trick of mind.

In HP related discussions and wikipedia sites, there are often speculations and thoughts painting the magical folk as more different from us than they actually are. I think such habit comes from how the books give a extreme general image; as if the two groups of people had some sort of basic difference with their entire existance.
And I think that somewhat misleading image comes from how no one of the main character trio grew up in a neutral relation between the magical society and muggle society but instead in only one of them and more or less out of touch with the other, while most of the witches and wizards portrayed or refered in the books think that they are entirely different.

1. "wizarding world" or "our world", "the muggles' world".
---> ! (I too, out of being used to, use the words "wizarding world" when I'm talking about the wizarding society, but I try my best to get used to saying "society".)
As in I think the more logic choice of words would be "society", because they all live in the same universe and same planet - just partially in different dimensions. Of course differences in society, (which the magical and muggle ones sure do have), do bring remarkable differences. But for the magical to think of themselves as a different world is an exagguration and surely isn't helping the secrecy matter. On the contrary it twistes their way of thinking and leads to ridiculous and unnecessary problems.

2. Such as, how many witches and wizards apparently don't know how to dress up normally in "muggle clothing". (The only one who didn't have a weid outfit in the Quidditch World Cup, was Barty Crouch Sr.)
--> ! At Pottermore Rowling has stated that the worst cases have minds stuck to the century when the international secrecy status took effect and that's why they may walk among muggles in old fashioned clothing. But that doesn't explain ridiculous and totally unestetic clothing combination, or really even that old-fashioned style. I mean, they must be seeing muggles every day, if Hogsmade indeed is the only totally muggle free area in Britain. Some may spend most of their time with their own kind individuals who like using robes or capes, but I don't think they're naked underneath them, so the whole concept of "muggle clothing" is silly. Thus, I'd see this matter too as only in the wizard or witche's own head rather than there actually being any difference to muggles, apart from some liking robes and capes.

3. Some muggle's objects are seen as very unusual and faschinating even if the only difference in their own version was some magical element, if even that.
---> ! Molly Weasley got all tangled with how a car functions. As if Arthur didn't have a car which only difference to that muggle's car was that it flew instead of moving on the ground... I think Arthur had the same problem with other inventions. And Dumbledore spoke of lemon drops as "kind of a Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."

BUT I think this all might also include Rowling's own similar way of thinking:

At least I can't see how in example Honeydukes wouldn't have lemon flavoured sweets, so what exactly makes lemon drops "kind of a Muggle sweet"?

And Rowling has the tendency to wildly generalize when talking outside the books, about the differences between the wizarding and muggle societies.
In example;
"Just as British witches and wizards do not use electricity or computers, they have never turned metric. They are not governed by the decisions of the Muggle government, so when the process of metrication (switching to metric measurements) began in 1965, witches and wizards simply ignored the change"
-J.K. Rowling at Pottermore

---> ! I always thought, that in the communities with only wizards and witches around they don't use electricity because it doesn't work when there's too much magic in the air, and not out of their own choice. In any case, that quote's generalization is huge, and contradicts many things's she's said before about the magical folk in Britain.

So I believe that in her mind with that quote she meant those that live in their own connumities, and that she just has the tendency to wildly generalize.

But my point is, that that tendency to wildly generalize combined with the way the books give an extreme general image, paints somewhat misleading impression of the difference level.

I think they're not so very different from muggles. Just those individuals who are obsessed with secrecy or too in love with the little differences they actually do have, have it turn against themselves without even really noticing it. (Ministry of Magic's law department has a lot of those individuals.)
While those who realize that in essence they're just like muggles, have no remarkable problems in secrecy, understanding, and feeling at home amongst muggles society while also able to enjoy the spice of magic in their lives.
added by linhousepotter
Source: www.snitchseeker.com
added by BellatrixFan
added by makintosh
added by shieldmaiden
Source: Warner Bros.
added by swimswamswum
Source: MuggleNet.com
added by rose2
Source: http://www.slashfilm.com/2007/06/22/75-photos-harry-potter-and-the-order-of-the-phoenix/
added by PotterGal
added by PotterGal
added by PotterGal
added by tubby2002
added by kathiria82
posted by peppergirl30
Lily's POV

They need a horcrux? From me? But by Abby's smug look, I can tell that they're tactful planners. They must know that the Weasleys aren't going down with a fight: They've been expecting us. Suddenly I wish that I had listened to James, that I had just backed out of all of this. Tamara surely would do it, do this even better than I could.

I took a deep breath and answered them.
__________________________________________________

Rose's POV

I'm almost afraid to go to the Great Hall. Face all those people. People who know me, or Hugo, or Al.. somebody that's linked to me. Why did Hugo have...
continue reading...
posted by bendaimmortal
The Weasley family has an owl named Errol and it's very old; it's moulting, and so exhausted that it can't even stand up after a flight - In fact it often downright loses consciousness after both long and short flights. If it even gets to where it's sent, because its eye vision has gotten so poor that it hits objects as it flies, which also can make it lose consciousness and could even kill it. Still the Weasley's keep using it for delievering their mail. In addition, their youngest son shows no compassion to it, calling it a "bloody bird", "menace" and "pathetic". And the Weasley parents bought...
continue reading...
I got this off another website, check it out:

How do you know you're taking Harry Potter too seriously?

Your computer says "You've Got Mail" and you run outside looking for an owl.
You ask for a broom for Christmas.
You sort everyone you meet into the four Hogwarts houses.
You went out and bought the latest edition of the Webster's Dictionary because they added the word "muggle".
You were burned trying to get through the flames of your fireplace.
You were kicked out of the movie theater for standing on your chair, throwing your shoe at the screen and yelling "THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN IN THE BOOK!"
posted by cat100
plese join hartclan for chance at deputy and 2 props..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Again, I'm really sorry for it coming late. I completely forgot but from now on, I promise I'll try to keep the contest going and try not to forget!

If you're interested in entering The Fan of the Week Contest, only a few rules apply. You can only enter once for obvious reasons, you CAN vote for yourself, when entering, please include a pciture of your favourite character, you CAN advertise yourself i.e post of people's wall asking them to vote for you, making an artical saying why you should win etc.

After the contest has closed, the winner will be interviewed. The question will come threw...
continue reading...
The name of the street where the Dursleys live is a reference to that most suburban plant, the privet bush, which makes neat hedges around many English gardens. I liked the associations with both suburbia and enclosure, the Dursleys being so smugly middle class, and so determinedly separate from the wizarding world. The name of their area is 'Little Whinging', which again sounds appropriately parochial and sniffy, 'whinging' being a colloquial term for 'complaining or whining' in British English.

J.K Rowling:


Although I describe the Dursleys' house as big and square, as befitted Uncle Vernon's...
continue reading...
posted by sharon-sel
J.K. Rowling's thoughts

This is a personal expression, which has nothing to do with tales of the dead.

Over the seventeen years that I planned and wrote the seven Harry Potter books (not to mention Quidditch through the Ages, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and The Tales of Beedle the Bard), I generated a mass of information about the magical world that never appeared in the books. I liked knowing these things (which was fortunate, given that I couldn't stop my imagination spewing it all out) and often, when I needed a throwaway detail, I had it ready because of the background I had...
continue reading...
posted by princessofmagic
Calypso's P.O.V.

Being dead wasn't bad at all. No sarcasm. When Calypso died, her soul landed in a big red room. No,it wasn't a room, but like a big red empty space. Different souls were cruised around her, to see who she was. Calyspo heard one soul say "Another one? Why are we getting so many kids?"

"Tiss a shame, there all dying far to young." another said sadly. Calypso raised an eyebrow. A lot of the souls left, but one remained. It was Dumbledor.

"Calypso Cryson. Seventh year, Slytherin. I remember you all right. Even though you did you best to avoid being seen by me, I noticed the resemblance...
continue reading...
Credit: link. I didn't write it myself.

"I like taking pointless Facebook surveys as much as the next person. But, since they’re mostly about kissing, I started to wonder how someone completely incapable of feeling love might handle such things. So I just had to tag my good pal Lord Voldemort in my most recent survey. Here's what he had to say:

Was your last kiss standing up, sitting down, or lying down?
The only kiss I believe in is the Dementor's kiss, and as I have very little soul remaining in my withered husk of a body, one would have little effect on me.

Whose bed were you on last?
Nagini's,...
continue reading...