Magic in 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) This article may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience. Please help by spinning off or relocating any relevant information, and removing excessive detail that may be against Wikipedia's inclusion policy. (November 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (November 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Magic in Harry Potter" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

In the Harry Potter series of novels, magic is depicted as a supernatural force that can be used to override the laws of nature. Many fictional magical creatures exist in the series, and ordinary creatures sometimes exhibit magical properties. Magical objects are also described. Witches and wizards refer to the rest of the population, who are generally unaware of magic, as "Muggles" in the United Kingdom and "No-Maj" in the United States.

In humans, magic or the lack thereof is an inborn attribute. It is usually inherited and carries "dominant resilient genes".^[1] Magic is the norm for the children of magical couples and less common in those of Muggles. Exceptions exist: those unable to do magic who are born to magical parents are known as Squibs, whereas a witch or wizard born to Muggle parents is known as a Muggle-born, or by the derogatory term "Mudblood". While Muggle-borns are quite common, Squibs are extremely rare.

Rowling based many magical elements of the Harry Potter universe on real-world mythology and folklore. She has described this as "a way of giving texture to the world".^[2] The magic of Harry Potter was the subject of a 2017 British Library exhibition and an accompanying documentary. The exhibition, entitled Harry Potter: A History of Magic, is the first at the British Library to be inspired by a single series by a living author.^[3]