Criticisms about the Magical World (Harry Potter only)

[Daonexus]

Also the whole statute of secrecy seems like a joke.

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They are probably getting help from the non-magical government. Since the PM knows.

 

[Greer]

They are probably getting help from the non-magical government. Since the PM knows.

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I might remember wrong but I believe that when Fudge informed the PM about magic he asked why his predecessor didn't inform him. That seems to indicate that only the PM is clued in.

 

[Daonexus]

I might remember wrong but I believe that when Fudge informed the PM about magic he asked why his predecessor didn't inform him. That seems to indicate that only the PM is clued in.

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I think it is more that the exiting PM pulled a fast one on the new pm. I speculate they already have a department linked with the Magicals that cover up stuff.

 

[Maragas]

"muggle expert" of the ministry

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I assume you are talking about Arthur. He isn't any kind of expert nor does he even work with a department that actually handles Muggle interactions.

He first worked in Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. His purpose was to stop the enchantment of muggle objects without permission or making sure enchanted items didn't end up at the hands of the muggles.

"He works in the most boring department," said Ron. "The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office." "The what?" "It's all to do with bewitching things that are Muggle-made, you know, in case they end up back in a Muggle shop or house. Like, last year, some old witch died and her tea set was sold to an antiques shop. This Muggle woman bought it, took it home, and tried to serve her friends tea in it. It was a nightmare — Dad was working overtime for weeks."
"What happened?"
"The teapot went berserk and squirted boiling tea all over the place and one man ended up in the hospital with the sugar tongs clamped to his nose. Dad was going frantic — it's only him and an old warlock called Perkins in the office — and they had to do Memory Charms and all sorts of stuff to cover it up

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And after that he become the head of Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects. Which doesn't even have anything to do with Muggles.

At most you can say he is a muggle hobbyist thanks to his first job making him interact with muggles. He doesn't even work in Office of Misinformation. Or even an Auror or Hit Wizard that have experience in muggle subjects.

 

[Greer]

I think it is more that the exiting PM pulled a fast one on the new pm. I speculate they already have a department linked with the Magicals that cover up stuff.

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Not trying to be argumentative but I imagine if a whole department existed over magic they would first be more concerned over someone able to mind control or alert memories being near the PM. Any government would first try find ways to combat magic in case the wizards became hostile.

I assume you are talking about Arthur. He isn't any kind of expert nor does he even work with a department that actually handles Muggle interactions.

He first worked in Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. His purpose was to stop the enchantment of muggle objects without permission or making sure enchanted items didn't end up at the hands of the muggles.

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I guess I confused fanfictions with the original on that point. Still the fact remains that all it takes is an obliviator to mess things up for the whole statute of secrecy to start unraveling (and someone will screw up sooner or later, it is just human nature). Or another potential avenue for information to be leaked could be couple breaking up and the muggle part starting their own crusade against magicals (there are plenty of vindictive bastards who will take a break-up to the extreme).

 

[S.I.N]

Not trying to be argumentative but I imagine if a whole department existed over magic they would first be more concerned over someone able to mind control or alert memories being near the PM. Any government would first try find ways to combat magic in case the wizards became hostile.


I guess I confused fanfictions with the original on that point. Still the fact remains that all it takes is an obliviator to mess things up for the whole statute of secrecy to start unraveling (and someone will screw up sooner or later, it is just human nature). Or another potential avenue for information to be leaked could be couple breaking up and the muggle part starting their own crusade against magicals (there are plenty of vindictive bastards who will take a break-up to the extreme).

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One thing that kinda of protects wizards is people really don't want to believe In magic if someone saw something magical and tried to share alot of people would instantly try to rationalize it, if you got a video of a werewolf and post it people are going to call it fake.

 

[mannan]

Also, people keep using Arthur as an example of a tech-savvy wizard, when we know that it is not true.

We already have an example of the MInistry having a fleet of enchanted cars. We have an auror acting as the Prime MInster's secretary for months, and the fact that most wizards actually live among muggles and not secluded in their own tiny communities.

And people forget that the Harry Potter books take place in 1991 to 1998. The technology then was vastly less capable than it is right now.

 

[Germtheory3Z]

1.) How does wizarding economy not collapse?

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That always seems like the least of the Wizarding World's problems. Remember that each worker can do a bullshit variety and amount of work with magic and for all we mock the tiny wizarding population of England that's really only a tiny fraction of the relevant population. Maybe there's only a little more than ten thousand Wizards in England but there's got to be that many Goblins, House Elves, Centaurs, Dwarves, Vampires and other magical creatures they can trade with. There are dozens or hundreds of other countries with similar populations worldwide and with apparation, floo networks, portkeys and shrinking spells there's very few obstacles to trading with them cheaply and easily.

The worldwide 'economy' for the Harry Potter verse is probably millions strong once you add everyone in. Given the Wizards can get hours of the work of an unskilled muggle done with a simple household charm it seems reasonable they'd be post scarcity.

3.) Can wards protect you from non-magical bombing?

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With imagination I'd say certainly. They have impermeability magic, teleportation, time travel and other shit that doesn't rely on power to match the attack. The average wizard probably isn't prepared for every scenario though.

5.) Why is Homo Magicus not the dominant race given the evolutionary advantages?

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Probably the same reasons the entire first world has a shrinking population despite the average person being richer than a medieval king. They've had contraception for millennia, don't need kids to take care of them in old age and the women all work. The status quo for the Wizarding World is probably a 'native' pureblood/half blood generation shrinking by 20% or something a generation and the replacement being made up of muggleborn 'immigration'. Given how few muggleborns we see in canon for a muggle population in the tens of millions you'd have to assume there were even less in the past which would've helped keep the population small.

6.) What is the reason why invention and inventors are very rare in the magical world?

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There's less people to have ideas but I don't think it is rare even then. All of the versatile spells we see in canon were invented by someone, all of the potions and magical items as well. They just didn't invent the things we'd recognize because a steam engine or clothing factory is worthless to a Wizard. A spell to have the needles knit a bespoke jumper to fit you automatically is far more useful. We just occasionally see Wizards adopt an idea or aesthetic from Muggles when they like it, like cars or a radio.

 

[Purplepurple]

1.) How does wizarding economy not collapse?

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Why it would collapse?

What is the power level of wizards?

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It is something that may be handled however you want and be canon-compatible.

You can go with nearly depowered ones (with typical wizard having trouble to cast shield charm) to lolpowered - with everyone making Fidelius level world-warping magic casually and Imperius being within range of typical teenager.

Can wards protect you from non-magical bombing?

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It is something that may be handled however you want and be canon-compatible.

Either wards flatly ignoring physical damage (you can be within star and survive thanks to basic fireproofing and bubblehead charms) or being destroyed by nukes or noone bothered to research that or magic for some bizarre reason is not capable of that.

How did they avoid Satellite images?

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It is something that may be handled however you want and be canon-compatible.

They don't? Area warping and Fidelius and other infomagic works on satellites? Obliviate works on satellites and computers because HP magic is bullshit? Someone made Hidus Satellitus spell because HP magic is bullshit?

5.) Why is Homo Magicus not the dominant race given the evolutionary advantages?

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Magic is not genetic but working differently? Magic genes make you typically infertile? Superpowered people kill each other constantly? They actually are, with separate populations living in hiding from Muggles - and each other, with thousands of separate populations, each numbered in millions?

6.) What is the reason why invention and inventors are very rare in the magical world?

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Why they would be? It is something that may be handled however you want and be canon-compatible. From fast-moving progress to nearly static status.