Preamble

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I’ve always been a big fan of Harry Potter, so I will admit that I was pretty excited when Warner Brothers Studios announced that they would be doing a seven part prequel to the Harry Potter saga called Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

I recently watched the new Fantastic Beasts film The Crimes of Grindelwald and enjoyed it quite a bit despite the many negative reviews from hard core Harry Potter fans. I personally found most of the arguments against the film to be quite poor considering that Fantastic Beasts is to be a seven part series. In my opinion, we have to keep in mind that the writers have another five films to develop all of the character arcs. We also have to keep in mind that this movie in particular is mostly a “set up” film, meant to develop a much larger story plot. I for one remain open minded to the direction that the series is taking and overall, I really enjoyed what I’ve seen so far.

One scene in The Crimes of Grindelwald really stood out for me and got me thinking about the magic in the Harry Potter series and how it might work within the universe. The magic that I am referring to relates specifically to how the world of wizardry remains hidden from muggles (aka nomaj’s).

At this point, it is all just a theory that dawned on me when watching the film. I’m not really sure if it is a correct way of thinking about it, as I am not an expert on the natural laws of how fantasy magic works, or the rules that guide it in the Harry Potter universe. As such, I am open to discussion, critique and criticism of my theory. When I discussed this idea with my wife (a huge Harry Potter fan) she absolutely hated the idea but was also unable to discredit it.

With all of that preamble out of the way, lets dive into the theory. In this article I will attempt to explain two different theories of how magic might work within the Harry Potter universe with examples from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films. I hope you enjoy.

Theories of Magic

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After watching the latest movie it seems to me that there are two possibilities for how magic works in the Harry Potter universe and how the wizarding world remains hidden from muggles.

The first theory is what I will refer to as Magical Cloaking Theory

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Magical Cloaking theory suggests that the wizarding world is a physical place on earth and that witches and wizards cast spells to hide it from non-magical people. These spaces of wizardry exists within separate areas of the human world but remain blocked by physical obstacles and spells, kind of like a courtyard surrounded by walls of a building.

These spells basically create illusions that hide the wizard world from view and/or blockades that block their access points. This theory suggests that the spells behave much like a cloak of invisibility by creating the illusion that these places do not exist. It also suggests that though the wizardry world is a physical space on earth, it cannot be seen or heard by non-magical people unless they are granted access behind the veil of illusion.

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In order for Magical Cloaking Theory to work, the two worlds (human and wizard) cannot exist within the same physical space. Instead, areas dedicated to the wizarding world must occupy their own separate spaces while being blocked from non-magical people by physical barricades and magical spells.

As an example, we could say that the ministry of magic is a physical place buried underground and that its access points are protected and blocked by magic. Similarly, cloaking spells are cast in order to hide any sound that may be generated within the space from escaping into the muggle world.

Going Down

Another example of magical cloaking theory at work is Diagon Alley. Diagon Alley exists in a similar way as the Ministry of Magic in that, it is a real physical alley that exists within a space carved out in the middle of a block of buildings, again much like a courtyard. The entrance of Diagon Alley is blocked by a physical wall that can only be opened by a magical spell.

Open sesame

Like the Ministry of Magic, Diagon Alley it is also likely surrounded by a cloak of invisibility to block any sounds coming from within it from escaping into the muggle world. An invisibility spell may also be cast to block it from view from above.

The second theory is what I will refer to as Dimensional Theory

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Dimensional theory suggests that the wizarding world is not a physical place on earth but that it actually exists within a different dimension and that witches and wizards gain access to this other dimension through (essentially) portals. Wizards may cast spells over these portals to block them and to hide them from non-magic people, much like discussed in cloaking theory, but the spaces themselves exist within a different realm of reality.

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Dimensional theory suggests that two separate worlds (the wizardry world and the human world) can exist within the same physical space at the same time. However, they remain separate and distinct from each other because they are in different dimensions. As such, two different individuals could essentially occupy the exact same location without bumping into each other, something that isn’t possible with within Magical Cloaking Theory.

An example of dimensional theory at work within the Harry Potter Universe could be the case of Kings Cross Station and the Hogwarts Express. The Hogwarts express appears to exist within the same physical space as the muggle train station, yet trains do not collide and muggles and wizards do not bump into each other. If the Hogwarts Express does in fact operate under Dimensional Theory, then platform 9 ¾ could be a portal to a separate dimension that is hidden from muggles by a magical spell. In this way, the Hogwarts Express can exist in the same physical space as the muggle train station because they both exist within different dimensions.

Note: I will admit that I myself am a bit unclear about how the magic surrounding the Hogwarts Express operates, so at this point I am just using Kings Cross Station as an example of how dimensional theory would work. At this point I remain open to the idea that it may actually be hidden by magical cloaking spells.

A definitive Case for Dimensional Theory

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Prior to the Crimes of Grindelwald film it seemed to me that the world of wizardry always remained hidden from muggles via charms and magical cloaking spells. However, there is one scene that awoke me to the idea of Dimensional Theory, which I now believe to be one way in which magic works within the Harry Potter universe.

The scene is the one in which Tina Goldstein enters the street in Paris where the Circus Arcanus is being held, through the statue of the woman (pictured above).

Tina enters the street through the statue. She simply walks up to it, casts a quick spell, and then walks through it just as the children of Hogwarts walk through platform 9 ¾ to gain access to the Hogwarts Express. After walking through the statue, she finds herself on the exact same street, except now it is filled with witches and wizards and other magical beings. It’s as if Tina is in a different world altogether.

To me, this scene has to be an example of Dimensional Theory at work. The street which holds the circus is not separated from the human world by any physical barricades (i.e. walls, buildings…etc). Rather, it appears to be the exact same street as the human street, existing in the same physical space - but in a different dimension. In this case Magical Cloaking Theory fails as an explanation because cloaking spells only hide things by creating illusions and making them appear invisible to the eye and ear. Cloaking spells do not allow two individuals to occupy the same space at the same time. As an example, Harry Potter’s cloak of invisibility creates the illusion that he is invisible but nonetheless he can still be detected by touch or sound.

In the case of the street and statue, two spaces (the human street and the wizard street) appear to be in the same location but again, in different dimensions.

Conclusion

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I personally do not believe that it was J. K. Rowling’s intention for dimensional theory to be at play in the Harry Potter universe. I believe that she always intended for the wizarding world to remain hidden from muggles and other non-magical people via cloaking spells. However, the Fantastic Beasts films seem to have opened the door for the possibility of Dimensional Theory, especially since there are no Fantastic Beast’s books to further explain what is going on in a particular scene.

As such, it is now my personal opinion that the magic in the Harry Potter universe operates on both principles – cloaking and dimensional.

Thanks for Reading. What do you think of Dimensional Theory? Do you have any other theory’s that might explain how magic works within the Harry Potter universe or an explanation of what is happening on the street?

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Images from the Harry Potter and the Fantastic Beasts films