Climate and the Wizarding World

October 2014 Sirius Fudge (Hufflepuff)

Climate is one of the factors that affects how people live. Wizarding communities, even with their magical abilities, could not get away from the destructive power of climate. This article will show three of the many intersections of climate and magic in the wizarding world.

Compared to muggles, wizards and witches have a greater ability to affect climate, with the use of magic. We know the effects of dementors to their surroundings. Light fades to darkness and one can feel the cold wind even in summer. Chilly mists caused by breeding dementors and freak hurricanes are other examples of how the wizarding world's magical ability affects climate.

But more than magic’s effect on climate are the influences of climate upon the wizarding world. Let us talk about wands. Wand trees, usually with bowtruckles in them, are crucial to making wands. As we can see, different kinds of trees grow depending on the climate. Ollivander surely searched lands far and wide for good-quality wood for wands, but the majority of his wands would still be made of wood from trees in the UK. This is the reason we expect wands from trees that are abundant in the area, even in temperate latitudes. I wonder, then, if the wand-woods used in the tropics come from deciduous trees of forests. I think the type of wand-wood used depends on the type of trees present in the region, which is in turn affected by the region's climate.

As with the woods used for wands, magical creatures also live in the climates most suitable to them. In general, polar bears and penguins inhabiting the cold poles have bodies that are adapted to cold climates. In the wizarding world, we see the nundu, streeler, erumpent, fwooper, and runespoor living in Africa. There is a reason why Africa is their home--they probably favor dry, hot climates. On the other hand, doxies, which are found throughout Europe and North America, prefer cold climates. Distribution of these magical creatures affects our way of thinking as we grow up. Magical abilities must be the reason why they are sensitive to climate, thus influencing their habitat locations.

There are still many facets of wizarding life influenced by climate. The clothing style, wizarding houses, and spell specializations could also be affected by climate. This makes wizarding life more interesting.