You often see the claim bandied about that the only employers in the wizarding world are the Ministry, Hogwarts, and St Mungos. Some are gracious enough to throw in an acknowledgment that there's a scattered handful of shops too. One might question these claims. In fact, I'm quite fed up with them. Stop for a moment and think. Hand to heart, can you name any other method of employment in the real world, besides government, businesses, and self-employment?
I'm waiting.
You can't list any because there aren't any.
What's vastly more useful from a fic writer's point of view, is to list what kind of occupations there are available in the wizarding world, regardless of who actually employs them. We can gather the majority of this by simply paying attention to the source material - with looking at what's implied as well as what's said straight out, much less actually paid attention to. Harry's limited observations does not the entire wizarding world make, a situation which is made infinitely worse when people tend to not actually look at what's not central to the story.
Read on and never again despair alone while trying to pick your OC's profession while your mind keeps supplying you with nothing but Hogwarts and the Ministry.
Let's start with the obvious ones.
Politics & law
Upper echelons of the Ministry and the Wizengamot belong here obviously! We're left in the dark about the existence of any possible lawyers or legal advisers, although it does look like actual lawyers aren't a thing. Doesn't mean that people are not in need of someone to hire to figure out all the complications. Is learning all wizarding laws and regulations a thing for Malfoys, for example? I'd be willing to bet they employ a legal adviser instead.
And as for political activists? We already know from the Pottermore character profiles that they're a thing, advocacy groups exist and are most definitely not funded by the Ministry.
Finances
Gringotts is run by goblins, sure. But at the same time, investing is a thing that rich people do. If all the finance sector of the wizarding world is handled by goblins, are you saying that the rich wizards don't invest in new things? That they don't set up businesses? Are you saying that goblins take that money out of their accounts and handle all of it? Or perhaps Ministry grants are the only way to get your business off the ground? No. We even see Harry invest in WWW during the books. Financing is a legitimate possible profession for wizardkind as well.
Administration
Another majorly Ministry industry, although we're starting to run out of Ministry employees not already covered, and we've barely started the list. Aside from all the Ministry paperwork (such as handling wills, or the entire Ministry Archives), we also have the Hogwarts board, and St Mungo's presumably has to keep patient records of some kind. Not to mention the education examiners, welcome witches, and personal assistants. I have a feeling this sector is quite as big in the wizarding world as it is in the muggle world. If not even bigger. You try hiding the existence of a significant portion of the world from the majority of humans that live in it. That's a lot of threads to keep track of.
Academia
Here including such things as Department of Mysteries, Auror research assistants (canonically a thing!), historians, magical theorists. Those who study natural phenomena of various kinds. There's the part that's employed by the Ministry again, but a good chunk of them seem to be independent (even though the quality of their research can be disputed). The existence of various profession-specific journals and expert articles and radio programs (as seen on Pottermore), this all indicates that they very much exist indeed. Possibly only as a side thing for the affluent or those employed elsewhere, but they exist.
Education
Hogwarts naturally, and other schools of the Elite Eleven. All the little-known regional schools. The correspondence courses, for those unable to attend an actual school but also for those patching up previously existing education (or lack of it) - such as the Kwikspell Company. Then there's the question of pre-11 schooling, which I've deduced elsewhere may consist of mother's tutoring, but likely also actual tutors for the wealthy, and even something like petty schools for those who choose to go that route.
(now that you have a taste and we've covered Gringotts, Hogwarts and most of the Ministry, there's 18 more wizarding industries listed below the cut)
Entertainment & arts
Music, radio celebrities, and announcers or various kinds are things most definitely in canon. Fiction book writers are probably a thing too, I don't see there being anything about magic that stops people from writing. There's a theater school that the old Herbology professor went to after leaving Hogwarts, therefore wizarding theater is a thing. Painters (and tapestry weavers) most definitely exist and there's awards you can get for being good enough at art. Sculptors most likely exist too, and I'd be incredibly surprised if wizarding museums aren't a thing. And as for wizarding sex work and gambling dens..was there ever any doubt?
Games & sports
Quidditch and quodpot, and wizarding chess and gobstones. We don't actually know much about wizarding leisure activities, there might be more games and sports played at the professional level than just these. Regardless of what we know for sure, it's a big enough sector that it has its own department at the Ministry to regulate it. That'd be one tiny department if all they do is handle 3-4 things.
Divination
Set here as its own industry, despite the muggle world not agreeing, because it's quite likely to be much bigger than in the muggle world. Looking at history we've got not only the standard fortune-tellers (questions about the future, sometimes questions about the self also included), but various methods of divination were used by doctors and architects, and by anyone looking to locate anything (so, private law enforcement and treasure hunters). Various diviners therefore likely have a lot of crossover with other professions depending on what they specialize in.
This is actually one of the most underutilized professions in fic. Wizarding healthcare is largely modeled after historical healthcare methods, and that includes healthcare professions. Yet I don't think I've ever seen a single Healer!(insertcharacterhere) fic where they've had to deal with their resident astrologer or doing the divining themselves or anything of the sort. Or Auror!(insertcharacterhere) having to deal with the same. Tchk tchk, what sloppy research. Go back just a couple hundred years and divination was everywhere in the serious professions, and the existence of Divination as a school subject no less does most definitely indicate that it's required for something out there in the adult wizarding world.
Journalism
Daily Prophet naturally, the various academic periodicals. Gossip rags and other magazines like Witch Weekly and the Quibbler. Quite possibly also radio reporters. There's even the distinct possibility that journalism over the radio isn't as heavily controlled by the Ministry as the Daily Prophet is. It doesn't take all that much to set up a local radio station!
Law enforcement & security
The Ministry quite naturally employs a huge chunk of this industry. Not only patrol officers, Aurors, hit wizards, obliviators, and curse-breakers, all employed by the Magical Law Enforcement, but also various officers in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Such as the Beast Division, in which we even have a whole game set in, investigating and handling beast-related incidents. But then there's the guards and curse-breakers at Gringotts, and honestly? I hope none of you were thinking private security isn't a thing. What about guards during transport of goods if nothing else? Gringotts is far from the only business transporting valuable goods out there. And then there's all sorts of warding of course, because you can't tell me a wizarding goldsmith wouldn't ward the hell out of their establishment since wards are canonically a thing (see HBP if your memory is failing you). Shopkeeps can't all be warding experts in addition to their real profession.
Healthcare & assistance
And here we get to St Mungo's Healers. Not only the Healers who deal directly with patients, but the potioneers who brew their medicine, and the academics that research new cures. Also any Healers outside of St Mungo's - while we don't see regular life in the wizarding world it wouldn't make sense for everyone in Britain to go to St Mungo's every time they get bitten by a gnome or whatever. There likely are more local kind of healers, probably usually with potions education.
This part also covers the people who just needs assistance not actual healthcare, and while we all know the Janus Thickey ward is a part of St Mungo's, there's confirmation of at least an old people's home in canon. And what about disability assistants? Whether or not they get any formal education, if someone is in need of just a little more assistance to be able to get by, why would they not hire someone for the position? As long as finances allow anyway. Even back when most people would take care of family members themselves, the rich were still hiring assistants. This is more than likely a thing in the wizarding world too. And honestly now, is large parts of the fandom of the firm opinion that mothers don't work in the wizarding world?There's no indication of that, even in canon we see mothers (or other main caretakers) who work, even if it's just at the periphery of the story. Therefore, daycare (or at least childminders for hire) is likely to be a thing too.
Beauty & hygiene
What the majority of the remaining potioneers will specialize in. We know from Pottermore and such that beauty salons hire potioneers, so that's already canon! But all the rest of it too - hairdressers, makers of cosmetics and perfumes and hygiene products. And let's think for a moment. Bath houses (talking literally here) were a thing since Roman times. Would there really not be any wizarding bath houses? Of course there are, and they need employees too. It's only incredibly recently in historical terms that bath houses stopped being a common thing.
Clothing & shoes, etc
Now we're starting to get more to the manufacturing side of things. And make note that these aren't the retailers we're talking about here, although in modern terms it's mixed. Since the wizarding world doesn't work like the modern muggle world. Most of the clothiers and seamstresses and milliners and cobblers and whatever else, would make their own product and have a shop out front. That's not even getting into the weaving of the textiles itself. Would wizards really not have special magical cloths and instead import all their fabrics from the muggles? I think not! Not to mention the impossibility of procuring dragon leather boots from the muggles. Wizarding weavers and leatherworkers are most definitely canon things that exist.
Manufacturing & inventing
I'm not going to list everything separately, so this actually covers a huge variety of things, from brooms and wands and joke items, to furniture (more than likely wizarding furniture exists!), sneakoscopes, and wizarding radios and wizarding gramophones. The latter two need to function without electricity (if electricity in wizarding homes was a thing, would everyone keep mispronouncing the word? If wizarding gadgets worked on batteries, would Arthur Weasley collect them? For real for real? Link to my musings on the matter), so they're more than likely wizard-made. Then all the jewelry and forged items like swords, and while goblin-made things might be held in high esteem that's not to say that wizard-made jewelry can't also be a thing. Not to mention parchment and quills! Parchment making is one of the largest industries in the wizarding world, no question about it. And what about all those candles and torches? While I believe a great many wizarding households make their own candles even to this day, it's fairly likely there's still demand for ready-made ones.
And this isn't even getting into modification of the muggle-made things that need to be modified for the wizarding world, such as the Ministry cars, the Knight Bus, and the Hogwarts Express, and there's a wizarding luxury cruiser mentioned once. This is probably not all that big of an in industry, but the existence of modified vehicles like that indicates that it does happen sometimes, and therefore some kind of experts on it must exist. They're not all illegal tinkerers.
Bakers & brewers, etc
While I admit that this may not be as big of a thing in the wizarding world as it is in the muggle world (just look at all the ready meals in your grocery store the next time and you'll probably figure out why), but food and drink made by a certain company getting sold either in their local store or elsewhere must be a thing. The Three Broomsticks might produce butterbeer, but it's not the only producer of it. Ogden's firewhisky is not the only firewhisky brand, and Three Broomsticks likely doesn't produce it, and neither is it the only place to sell it. Not to mention chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott's, those are not made specifically for the Hogwarts Express trolley or for Honeydukes. Production of these things happens elsewhere (yes, I quite suspect Hogwarts makes its own pumpkin juice, but what about everywhere else?). Let's not even get into juice or even water, should bottled water be a thing in the wizarding world. Would wizards buy wholesale from muggles and then sell to their own kind? Plastic bottles and all? I somehow doubt it. It all must be produced somewhere, though.
Farmers & herbologists, etc
Here we have wandwood (and broom wood) growers, that we know from canon exist. Herbologists of various kinds too, growing all kinds of magical plants in their greenhouses or other isolated areas - these must exist for the wizarding world to be supplied with enough potions ingredients. Not to mention just florists!
But also straight up wizarding farmers and millers and probably other facets of food production that I don't have a clue about. We see in HL that these exist, and it makes perfect sense - otherwise we're stuck once again with buying wholesale from muggles despite the obvious logistical and administrative difficulties, but also the fact that. Hey, wizards have magic. If you have magic, wouldn't you be able to grow a superior product? And if you have a superior product, wouldn't people buy it? Even if wizards engage in commerce with muggle producers, there's bound to be wizarding producers as well. Nothing else makes sense.
Magizoologists & gamekeepers, etc
Then there's all this. Caring for magical creatures, sure. Reservations and such. And Hagrid is canonically a gamekeeper(=hunter) as well as groundskeeper. But also farms, because feathers and fur are a thing that's needed for potions and clothing and probably other purposes, and do you honestly think wizards are dependent on feathers and fur harvested from wild beasts? There's bound to be farms that raise them. And quite possibly regular animal farms too, for meat and egg production, once again to get around the problem of interfacing with the muggle world. Then there's zoos (canonically there's a magical section at the London Zoo), and the post owls have to be bred and trained by someone. Plenty of options here too.
Transport & mail
One of the big ones, in the muggle world, and while I doubt it's as big in the wizarding world it most definitely exists. Who gets all the Bertie Bott's to the retailers? Who transports all the barrels of butterbeer that you can buy for your own use at the Three Broomsticks? Who makes sure crystals get to the crystal ball makers and potions ingredients to the apothecaries? But also, Hogwarts Express and Knight Bus and owl post are things. Even the sailors aboard that luxury cruiser. Hell, technically even people who make portkeys at the Portkey Office belong here.
Retail & wholesale
And we finally get to the shops, at least the kinds that don't sell their own produce. At least one wizarding grocery store exists and it doesn't sell just produce from the vegetable patch at the back of the house. And I guarantee you that the apothecaries didn't produce all the potion ingredients they sell. They would have bought them from those who do produce or procure such items.
That isn't even getting started on the facts that shop assistants exist even in shops that do sell their own products, and the entire wholesale side... again we must ask, is everything bought from the muggles through some convoluted route? Such as, say, crystals for crystal balls, or glass for the windows and other things, or wood for the houses, or various metals for those who need such in their work (although I have no doubt that goblins do mining too, they canonically do in the wider series). We don't know. But the point is that all these must come from somewhere. There's no guarantee that there's wizarding miners, or sellers of sand for the glass or wood for regular houses. But what's just about guaranteed is that there's middlemen, the wholesale companies who gather the materials from the producers and sell onwards to the wizarding folk who make the end product. Sure, some places more than likely cut out the middlemen and deal directly with the producers. Some others won't have a choice, especially if they have to deal with muggles.
Hospitality
Did you think we were done? There's still a couple left. Hospitality industry must be quite large in the wizarding world as well as it is in the muggle world, and consists of places like bars and inns and tea shops. And the customer-facing side of the luxury cruiser(s). Restaurants and hotels too most likely. I'm sure you get the idea.
Janitorial & maintenance
Filch is indeed a person who exists, as a caretaker, and there's the entire Magical Maintenance Department at the Ministry. These should be sufficient to convince you that it's not all done by house elves, even if house elves are likely involved in this particular industry. I seem to recall some extra materials having an advertisement for a house elf for hire service? Anyway, this would also include pest exterminators, handymen, and private cleaning services. Even those who exclusively repair magical artefacts and such, it can't be that the entire wizarding world is dependent on the manufacturer or what they can fix themselves.
Construction
As evidenced by Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, and the Ministry building? (not to mention Hogwarts) Wizards don't just take over muggle buildings and call it a day. Therefore, wizarding architects and construction workers must exist somewhere. Not to mention that whether taken over or wizard-built, they're probably going to want utilities. Like running water perhaps. Functioning sewers. Possibly even gas lines, in some places if not all. And once modified for wizarding needs there's no guarantee they can let a muggle into the house, so the utility lines must be maintained by wizards as well in those cases, although that falls more under maintenance above.
Crime
Last but not the least, there's more than likely wizarding folk out there who sustain themselves with crime. Not just petty crime like Mundungus Fletcher, but whole smuggling and trafficking rings and other organized crime. All that law enforcement must have something to enforce those laws over, there'd be no point in having so many otherwise!
By now, I'm sure hoping that we can agree that the wizarding world is as much of a diverse place as the muggle world is. Canon rarely states things outright, but the implications of what it does deign to mention are quite far-reaching.
I'm officially claiming Addison and Melody Fawley for the HPNG subfandom. They are canon characters and like, we desperately need more characters that aren't Wotter's, so I figured, "they'd be about the same age as Roxanne and/or Lily and Hugo, so fuck it I'm claiming these guys". We know more about them than Sophia Barclay actually, and somehow we haven't been claiming them this whole time so I'm doing it.
i love you so much thank you for gifting new characters to next gen we are in desperate need of them. and i literally keep forgetting that knock off pokemon go game existed 😭😭
anyways this is an open cast call to send headcanons of these two
As a child who grew up watching the Harry Potter films. There's always this interest in wanting to be a part of the Potterverse. Something about the whimsical world that entrances us all to one day, join the hallowed halls and leave a mark on the universe and on Hogwarts itself.
So, with that said. Let's explore a more immersive side to the franchise that allows one to coexist in the universe with familiar faces to guide us as we navigate the world of Muggles and Wizardkind.
- There Once Was a Boy -
Destined to be a Star ~
Back when the movies came out, game developers tackled the interesting concept of doing magic like Harry Potter through the Harry Potter film-based games.
To make it short, see [Flatlife's - Evolution of Harry Potter Games] The games were made in a variety of ways. You play as Harry Potter, traversing around the grounds of Hogwarts. Solving puzzles, going to classes, and combat various foes.
Despite the fact that the graphics are simple and often seen as horrendous. The games as a whole, were considered a success. It laid the foundation for the desire to learn the skills of a wizard/witch and explore the school grounds. Applying the lessons in combat and winning the day as Harry Potter. But that left the question;
What if, instead of playing as Harry Potter. We play as our own self-insert character?
The good news is, becoming a Hogwarts student seems a lot more accessible with the mobile game <Harry Potter: Magic Awakened>
Of course, this isn't the first attempt in the Potterverse's history of self-insert games. In 2018, another mobile game <Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery> was released to the public as well as the highly anticipated console game <Hogwarts Legacy> released in 2023.
I think it's worth mentioning, regardless of your opinion towards JKR's views. The lasting effect of this franchise has raised a generation of fans and their love for magic.
- Welcome to the Dueling Room! -
As a film-only based fan of the franchise, I find that; NetEase, Avalanche, and Jam City managed to capture the wonders of using magic and being in Hogwarts. Due to the nature of the universe's magic system, the games used several ways to tackle the issue of using magic.
In Magic Awakened, the game uses a mana-point system that limits spell casting. The game also uses a Card Game base in which players can mix and match card types and upgrade for significant effects.
The cards come in a variety of references. From summons of popular magical creatures, famous props, and the spells themselves.
In Hogwarts Legacy, your spells are limited to what I like to call, a Hotkey Shortcut. By limiting the slots to four different abilities. Players can combine a limited set of spells in combat to deal with the more fast-paced nature of the game.
The game emphasizes the importance of using potions for that quick boost and custom clothes as additional cover. Because the game has a special condition/ finishers called "Ancient Magic" the player is encouraged to travel around and find unique upgrades to improve and build resilience. It's simple, quick, and also the most fun game to use magic.
In Hogwarts Mystery, the combat style is a lot slower and has a two-punch effect. The first part of the duel is decided by Aggressive, Defensive, and Sneaky moves. Similar to the Rock, Paper, and Scissors game. Which when won, allows the first strike.
After that, the player is given a list of spells with various effects. The spells can sometimes cause massive damage and sometimes even stun/skip opponents for one turn. Because Hogwarts Mystery is a decision-making game, it's often regarded as the weakest attempt at magic.
- Do you Like My Scarf? -
Magic spells aside, The game's respective story is awfully predictable and bland. From the little that I personally played and hear from the folks of the community. The three games did the safe thing by doing the <Fantastic Beasts> route.
They distance themselves to different eras of the Wizarding world's history. By the game's own description, Hogwarts Legacy is set decades before Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts. Following a special witch/wizard who enrolled at Hogwarts as a fifth year.
Hogwarts Mystery is set roughly a generation before Harry Potter. Making them seniors who just graduated when Harry just entered. Meanwhile, Magic Awakened is set after Harry Potter. Close to around the time when Harry, Ron, and Hermione's kids started their year at Hogwarts.
Each year deals with its own type danger. From a dark magic rebellion to a cursed student of a deranged sibling to whatever Magic Awakened was trying to do. (I'm a bit slow to that game)
My issue with these games is, there seems to be this tendency to make the MC a center piece to the story. While it is, after all surrounding the MC's life. I couldn't help but feel that as far as developments go. Nothing is interesting about the MC's canonical story.
The games are also wasted with issues of telling via dialogue but not showing via action. The drama of the story didn't feel as impactful. While the player's decisions can sometimes change the outcome. It is far from being as big of an influence as I thought it would.
As far as playing the game itself goes, I only played Hogwarts Mystery till year 4 and stopped out of boredom.
I am enjoying Magic Awakened so far since it doesn't make the MC take center stage but rather uses the side characters to put weight to the story and to the playable cards. Granted, I'm not as active.
That said, I am still looking at a lot of its interesting parts from an outside perspective. So I would very much like to hear a rebuttal.
- Return to Hogwarts, Join My Dorm! -
Back when I was still playing the game, I came across a few users who interact on social media as their own MCs. They would use screenshots of their characters and write a treasure trove's worth of lore and developments. Discuss their favorite crushes and build more lore upon their OCs.
Seeing the encouragement and love between users and their OCs, got me to start uprooting my HPHM character; Sadie mac Lir and interact with quite a few names in this community outside of the games.
But after realizing that the story is just not as rich as I'd imagine, Sadie transferred into the world of <Murder The Crow> following Hector Dagger, the story's original character, and was later added with Jamie Robyn who is now a placeholder in Magic Awakened.
In spite of the situation with JKR and some of the whispers of this fandom's dark side. The fandom is still going strong as ever. While I have distanced myself, I still linger with the friends I made along the way. Most come from an artistic perspective with their OCs and art in general. Some of them are just good conversationalists.
It felt like being in school again. To learn from one another, socialize among fellow housemates and discuss plans for the future and have fun little interactions. Being in cliques and enjoying the other bit of magic that is not in the games, friendship.
In conclusion, I think it's been a wonderful journey for Harry Potter's gaming side of the fandom. The games went from being Harry to becoming your own Harry. To forge your own path in a world that is rich with possibilities and build friendships in-game and out of the game that might last lifetimes.
For a fandom as big and equally as problematic as Harry Potter. The Potterverse games have proven that it truly is not our abilities that show who we truly are. But rather, it's our choices that make the significant change.
AU Hogwarts Mystery next gen fancast, part I
Dmitry Chebotaryov as Rowan Lee
*Born 13 May, 1998
*Son of Ava and Barnaby Lee
*Named after Rowan Khanna
*Animagus (nebelung cat)
*Delphini's boyfriend
*Slytherin
*Investigator for the Ministry of Magic Beast Division and Statute of Secrecy Task Force member
Lucy Boynton as Delphini Malfoy
*Born c. 1998
*Adopted daughter of Draco and Astoria Malfoy and Scorpius's older sister
*Biological daughter of Tom Riddle and Bellatrix Black
*Parselmouth
*Rowan's girlfriend
*Slytherin
*Curse-Breaker for Gringotts Bank and Statute of Secrecy Task Force member
Emilia Clarke as Victoire Weasley
*Born 2 May, 1999
*Eldest child of Bill and Fleur Weasley
*Part-veela
*Teddy's girlfriend
*Gryffindor
*Librarian in Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Statute of Secrecy Task Force member
Andrew Garfield as Edward Lupin
*Born April, 1998
*Son of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks
*Harry Potter's godson
*Metamorphmagus
*Victoire boyfriend
*Hufflepuff
*Auror and Statute of Secrecy Task Force member
RIP pokepotter! You were a kinda fun game with too many glitches, absolutely horrible characterization, and the worst lore since the book 7 epilogue, but at least you had this cool trans girl troll!
So Helen McCrory hasn't even been dead a week and Wizards Unite announced an event in which you fight Narcissa Malfoy of all characters???????? Show some sensitivity? Delay the event or change it? Good lord. You wouldn't even have to change much of the game code. Just put Lucius in there instead of having us fight a woman whose actress JUST DIED.
