magical communities across the globe
i love harry potter (as do we all) and like most im incredibly disappointed with the lack of multiculturalism in it and i havent been able to stop thinking about how wizarding communities in different cultures might evolve. some cultures are much more in touch with spirituality and magic, so the wizarding community doesnt have to be as repressed everywhere as it is in england. so... think about it?
spell casting in different languages!! tonal languages like chinese. if i know anything from 5 years learning mandarin its that intonation can change your meaning completely... a transfer student attending the beijing wizarding school. theyre doing charms and accidentally get the tones wrong. the only thing you hear is their chinese classmates yelling “nO NO NONONO-” before they all get turned into frogs
big wizarding families with ancient lineage having had generations living in hidden hutongs across chinese cities!
what about all those stories of old emperors sending envoys out to search for the key to immortality - and this brings up the interesting possibilities of intersections between magic and traditional medicine!
you know how bats are a symbol of good luck in china? and black cats are symbols of good luck in japan? yeah
also screw the gross western conflation of blackness with evil, with corruption. screw the death eaters with their “dark marks”. many cultures see white as death, as emptiness, and black as richness, as life. wizarding communities finding power in the darkness of the night
what about indian wizards and witches? theyre big on scientific magic (unlike the incredibly scientifically backward communities in england) bc for centuries india and the middle east had the greatest scientific developments in the world
indian wizards/witches making breakthroughs in astronomy through their charmed instruments and maps that rotate with their view of the skies!
hindu wizards using mehndi to form magical symbols on their skin
and what about tattoos and piercings across cultures! so many communities across africa and south america and the pacific that have long histories with tattoos. imagine tattoos glowing while they spellcast.
young witches and wizards earning tattoos as they grow... the tattoos grow organically and shift and change
and its incredible bc all different cultures would have completely different approaches to spellcasting at all!! what if wizards across the world dont generally use wands? some use staffs or their bare hands or scrolls or even their eyes!
inuit magical communities!! conjuring fire for warmth. keeping seals and wolves as familiars. using ice and water in their magic and hunting in the icy waters by transforming into animagi
wizards and witches in the amazon who are hidden from the rest of the world. they use plants to their advantage by merging into foliage or slipping into shadows, leaving no trace behind at all. they nurse their ecosystems back to life
east asian wizards using martial arts to strengthen their magical abilities or to duel
and what about the possibilities in art across different cultures!! old japanese woodblock prints that oscillate and move around. wall carvings in hindu temples dancing and walking around
kashmiri and pakistani wizards with eye colours that subtly shift and change depending on what magic theyre performing
hieroglyphics in ancient egyptian wizarding communities!! they often have cat familiars too
nomadic communities living in scorching deserts... wearing shimmering fabrics, almost appearing to be mirages themselves bc they can bend and twist light
viking wizards exploring the world on ships!! powered by wind they harness themselves by performing incredibly powerful coordinated spells. especially strong norse wizards could harness lightning
maori magical communities and southeast asian communities and pacific islanders taking care of reefs. they can manipulate air and water to travel deep below the surface of the ocean
magical communities atop the himalayas in monasteries. they protect muggle climbers from avalanches and heal climbers who have been wounded
wizards/witches in the swiss alps who are animagi. they transform into saint bernards and form strong bonds with explorers
im just in love with wizarding communities across the globe evolving separately and having different relationships to spirituality because!! nothing is ever black and white but the world is vast and diverse and there are ten thousand sights that could blow you away and how tiring that the only glimpse into wizarding communities we receive is the drab and repressed one in the UK
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