Oh wow… where do I begin? If J.R.R. Tolkein is the king of world-building, then J.K. Rowling is undoubtedly the queen. Before any of you start on me with Game of Thrones, I’m going to need some hard evidence of when George R. R. Martin invented his own fictional language. (Not gonna lie, still a tad salty about that anti-climactic and nonsensical ending for their final season…) Also, I understand there’s far more to world-building than linguistics alone, but my point still stands to reason!

*Ahem!* … back to Lady Rowling! When you think of the Harry Potter series, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Go on, close your eyes and think about it. I’ll give you a moment… Ready? I’m betting you were thinking of a giant castle with towering spires, or a bustling alley of shops filled with cauldrons and wands… or maybe even people zipping around on broomsticks! Whatever you pictured, I’m sure that a young boy with dark hair and a lightning-shaped scar was secondary to your thoughts, if he appeared in your mind’s eye at all. Interestingly enough, you wouldn’t be alone! Many people when they think of ‘Harry Potter’ usually envision the world of Hogwarts first.

I’ve never seen any other children’s story that causes 11-year old’s across the globe to weep when their birthday comes. Why do they weep, you ask? Many of you already know why, but if you don’t, it’s because they didn’t receive an owl-delivered letter inviting them to begin their studies at a school of witchcraft and wizardry – and they’ve come to the harsh realization that they truly are only Muggles after all (Non-Magic folk.) This apparently became such a widespread issue that there is now an official online service that allows parents to arrange for an (albeit fake) Hogwarts letter to be sent to their child for only $19.99. Don’t believe me? Google it, I dare you – and if I’m right, you owe me a Butterbeer!

So what makes Hogwarts so irresistible in the minds of not only children, but also teenagers and adults? Rowling went well beyond the crafting of a magical school alone. She brings the wizarding world to life by pulling from many aspects of the real world and re-adjusting them to the format of her fictional universe.

At this point, it may be helpful to define exactly what world-building means. It’s typically used to describe the process of creating a fictional or imaginary world, sometimes expanding even to galaxies. This is far more in depth than a ‘setting’ alone, since settings can often be describing already established real places. World-building includes the crafting of social structures of society (culture/race, religion, politics, linguistics, economics, government & class hierarchy, militia, healthcare, crime, entertainment, etc.), food and clothing, architecture, transportation systems, environmental landscapes, climate, and wild creatures or pets, types of magic, etc.

One thing that I’ve noticed with a lot of writers (including myself) is that it’s easy to get carried away developing LITERALLY an entire world, much of which will have no impact whatsoever on the story itself. As Rowling demonstrates, it’s better to fill smaller pockets of the chosen setting with more rich and intricate details, instead of spreading yourself thin by writing an encyclopedia’s worth of knowledge for your world, only for 20% of it to actually be relevant to the story.

Now on to the Harry Potter Universe! (*SPOILERS AHEAD!*)

As far as transportation goes, there’s a train station that you must run through walls to get to, flu powder that allows you to travel via chimneys, broomsticks and flying motorcycles, enchanted ships and carriages flown by pegasi, port keys, Apparation (aka teleportation), as well as other creatures to ride such as Hippogriffs, Thestrals, and if you’re brave enough, even dragons!

Food, especially candies, are vastly different from Muggle food. Jellybean flavors range from cherry to grass to soap to earwax… and God only knows what poor fools have had the misfortune of tasting other anatomy-related horrors! Chocolate frogs will jump around, and potentially escape! Of course, there’s a variety of other food such as pumpkin pasties, treacle tarts, cockroach clusters, and cauldron cakes.

I for one believe that normal sports are boring. Football, Soccer, Basketball, etc. They’re all about chasing balls back and forth across a field, and putting them through some hoop or goal post. However, even I wouldn’t balk at the chance to mount a broomstick, risk life and limb to ascend in an airborne arena where bludgeon balls are enchanted to knock you down, and throw quaffles in hoops or dive for golden little snitches (which in turn can get you stitches!)

Let’s not forget about other cultures, social classes, and political institutions! There’s two other magical academies, one presumably in Russia (Durmstrang) and the other France (Beauxbatons.) Class-ism exists between the rich and poor (think Malfoys vs. Weasleys.) There’s tension between Pureblood’s and Mudblood’s – a matter of genetic lineage from wizards alone, or wizards who come from at least one parent or ancestor of Muggle descent. Elves have their own unique dynamics with the wizards they serve, ranging from cowardice, resentment, or even joy – though for some inexplicable reason, their terms of freedom rely on the gift of clothing.

As for politics, a Ministry of Magic determines laws, and a Prison of Azkaban promises retribution for witches or wizards who perform Unforgivable Curses. Prison in general is awful anywhere, but how much worse would it be if your soul could literally get sucked out of your mouth? No less by a Ringwraith–I mean Dementor–who didn’t even take you out to dinner first!

(Speaking of similarities between Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, check out this video from “Studio C” if you’d like a dash of comedy for your day.)

The list goes on – banks are run by goblins, who in fantasy lore have an affinity for gold. Taverns offer Butterbeer for social occasions, and chess game pieces will mouth off to you if your strategy is lacking. And to think, we haven’t even broached the matter of the school itself yet!

Most (if not all) schools have a form of Orientation on the first day. Instead of listening to a principle drone on about the history of the school, benefits, or expectations, the children are led by a half-giant on small boats across a lake full of merfolk and other mystical fauna to the doors of a magnificent castle! They’re brought into the great dining hall with a ceiling enchanted to resemble the night sky, and then proceed to get sorted into their dormitories via a singing hat which is telepathically capable of reading their personalities. Arriving at said dorm rooms is no easy feat, as the staircases like to move, and the doors are guarded by talking portraits who can also wander off at will!

The curriculum isn’t limited to mundane studies such as Math, English, Science, etc. but rather Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Many of the spells are based on Latin. Teachers range from people, to cats, to half-goblins, half-giants, werewolves, ghosts, and if I remember correctly, a centaur comes later for Divination!

Think detention is dull and uneventful? Not when the punishment is to go out into the Forbidden Forest and follow the trail of unicorn blood. While Fire Drills may be pretty commonplace, have you ever prepared for a Troll Drill? Who knew there could be a basilisk lurking in the sewage pipes?

Prom comes every five years (otherwise known as the Yule Ball) which takes place during the Triwizard Tournament. It’s surprisingly relatable in its grandiose celebration accompanied with the crippling social awkwardness–I mean uhh–super awesome experience of being a high-schooler! I suppose the main difference is that instead of tuxedos, the appropriate attire is “dress robes.”

What’s more is that the world is filled with a variety of characters that Rowling has taken the time and effort to put forethought into each of their individual interests and backgrounds. The ghosts of Hogwarts have their own… well, um… lives (if it can really be called that) outside the realm of the students – conducting annual Headless Hunts, or wailing while getting flushed down toilets. The Weasley Twins pursue business endeavors involving general mischief and hacks to skip class.

Dumbledore has a mysterious past with two other siblings of whom he never mentioned. Hagrid can only use a wand under the guise of an umbrella, because he was accused in his early years for a crime he didn’t commit. Weathermen have better chances of predicting the forecast than Trelawney the Seer – unless a seizure overcomes her, and even then, she can’t remember her own prophecies. Snape… has harbored unrequited love for Harry’s mother, as childhood friends and long after her death, which is why his Patronus resembles a doe. Voldemort, who craved everlasting power, attained near immortality via Horcruxes (splitting his soul into pieces and affixing them to magical artifacts.)

I could continue for ages on this subject matter, but now the question boils down to what hasn’t Rowling thought of? The simplicity of the answer may surprise you.

How does magic function in this world? Does it come from wands? No, strange things happened around Harry before he knew he was a wizard. His Aunt Petunia would give him awful haircuts, shaving his head with the exception of his bangs “to hide that horrible scar,” only for the full length of his shaggy hair to grow back the next morning.

Is magic in the bloodlines, passed down from parent to child? Hermione was the child of two Muggles… so perhaps it’s a recessive trait like blue eyes, and could be passed down if there’s a grandparent on each side with the “magic” trait? Well, that couldn’t be the case, because Filch was the offspring of a witch and wizard – and he is incapable of performing magic.

It also stands to reason that magic isn’t some mystical force that just floats around as an energy form to be plucked from the atmosphere. Otherwise, what would stop Muggles from learning how to harness its power over time, and become witches or wizards by choice? Brandon Sanderson (author of the Mistborn series) would be disappointed at the lack of rules and structure in this “magic-system.”

Rowling fell into another trap of fantasy world-building that later came back to bite her. If you’re thinking of the infamous Time-Turner, then well done! Hermione’s trick of taking more classes than the normal allotment opened up infinite other dimensions and alternate realities. That’s not even counting their shindig with Pettigrew, Sirius and the Dementors! Reading Book 3 as a kid, my mind spun with dissecting and analyzing the consequences of time-travel in the Harry Potter universe.

I believe it’s mentioned later that the remaining time-turner(s) were destroyed, but be that as it may, Dumbledore still had access to this little device for the time that it remained at Hogwarts! Sooooooo many things could have been reversed or prevented, and perhaps in his “wisdom” Dumbledore decided that it was unwise to mess with time travel – but then why did he let teenagers use it if he was unwilling to use it himself?! Obviously, it made sense for that one situation with Buckbeak and Sirius, but why not many more???

This, among many other reasons, is why time-travel is usually best avoided in most fantasy and sci-fi realms. Unless the entire point of the story is centered around time-travel (ex: Back to the Future, The Butterfly Effect, etc.) most authors are typically better off without it, simply because it opens up so many loopholes into their already established world. The Time-Turner is a way to cheat the entire system, and if Dumbledore had enough patience, he could have gone back in time and arranged an “accident” to happen to Voldemort while he was a kid at Hogwarts to eliminate the threat early on. If that wouldn’t have worked for whatever reason, he could have gone even further back to when Voldemort was a “nobody” at an obscure orphanage home, and accomplished the same thing. Sounds cruel, but wouldn’t it be worse to allow him to live and terrorize the world, causing endless deaths for decades?

Well that just got dark. At any rate, this concludes my evaluation of Harry Potter: A Study in World-building. Overall, Rowling is one of the most talented authors of our generation – and for great reason! Let me know in the comments section if you’re a Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff or Slytherin! If you feel equally inclined, what would you choose for a magical pet? Standard answers are Owl, Cat, or Toad – but feel free to come up with other unique companions ♥ Favorite characters and such are also welcome to be discussed (as is any other Harry Potter or world-building topic.)

Stay tuned for more! I’ll be hosting a **FREE** Harry Potter themed Giveaway this Halloween, and all new subscribers who comment below will be entered in the drawing that’s to come! So don’t miss out, and CONFIRM in your inbox for a chance to win and see new posts! ♥♥♥

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