Essay:Evolution of the Wizarding World
There exist a field of energy that spans the universe, called "Quintessence". It surrounds and penetrates all things. It is this elusive field of energy that is the basis of magic. Quintessence is actually a scientifically explainable and quantifiable phenomenon. This energy field is made up of magion "particles" - subatomic, high energy, fluctuations in the quantum state of the spacetime continuum. Magion particles exist throughout the universe as "background" radiation. Even in the deepest void of space, one can find magion particles. Due to the unique nature of magion particles (fluctuations in the quantum state), they affect both matter and energy. Magion particles are not true particles, but do possess mass. Magions also exhibit the wave motion properties of electromagnetic radiation. Hence, they travel through most matter at light speed, while still interacting with matter on an atomic level.
All living creatures generate bioneural energy within their nervous systems. This energy is concentrated in nerve fibers throughout the body and the spinal column, but is especially strong in the synaptic neurons of the brain. The more highly developed the brain, the stronger the bioneural energy generated. Some simple life forms do not have true brains, only nerve clusters. These creatures generate very little bioneural energy. Humans, however, have very complex and highly evolved brains. They are capable of abstraction, imagination and language. Hence, they have the strongest bioneural energy.
In a similar fashion to the way mass distorts the spacetime continuum to bend the fabric of reality and produce gravity, the bioneural energy of living organisms distorts the universal magion field. The presence of bioneural energy, that which is generated in the nervous system of a biological entity, causes a increase in density in the magion field.
In prehistoric times, most humans were usually able to exert a certain amount of control over magion particles. Not only did they have stronger bioneural energy, but as living creatures that use imagination and structured thought patterns they were able to affect the unified field. The process occurs during the interaction between bioneural energy and magion particles. In such interactions, the bioneural energy can alter the wavelength and frequency of magion wave properties. Bioneural energy can also alter the density, quantum oscillation, phase and other properties of magion particles. By influencing magion particles, they can be directed, used to generate and manipulate energy, matter, gravity, spatial anomalies, universal states of nature and other phenomena. These are the fundamental building blocks of what is called magic.
The existence of the Neanderthals is the evolutionary pressure that caused the "magic gene" to become active in Homo sapiens. Humans won out and the Neanderthals died out when modern man appeared on the scene because humans had magic; while the Neanderthals did not.
With no spells or wand of usage the magic of these primitive ancestors manifested itself rather subtly, it appeared as frequent cases of good luck or happy accidents. However, some of these people acquired some rudimentary control over their power--enough to aid in the hunt, and in causing or curing various simple maladies. With this advantage; Homo sapiens was able to supercede the Neanderthal and flourish; driving the less fortunate primitives out.
It is because of social pressure that the magic gene, which is so vital to our past, receded to the small population we see today. An actively anti-thaumaturgical mindset spread across the world, into various cultures for various reasons. People who manifested magical abilities were hunted down and eliminated. Only people who had somehow learned to suppress their abilities survived (magic manifest itself around the age of puberty, if training is withheld during this critical period the ability can never thereafter be fully developed or controlled).
Eventually it was discovered that wood is a magically imbued material. This is because in addition to harnessing sunlight, photosynthesis allows wood to store a significant quantity of magion particles within its cells. Using the unique properties of wood, the first magic wands were created. Wands function as a "magic focuser". In the same way a convex glass can focus sunlight enough to create a small fire, a wand focuses the magical energy of its user, not necessarily increasing the magic power, just making it more intense.
The development of the magic wand as a mental focus of sorts, allowed for the first time the controlled and reliable applications of magic. This was as much a disaster for the thaumaturgically inclined as the anti-magical factions of humanity - now the magically inclined had a clear and decided advantage over the nonmagical or "Muggles" as they came to be known to the "Wizarding World", and these Muggles now had a powerful political and economic incentive to hunt down and eliminate the magical. Eventually the magic gene declined in strength. In other words; primitive human ancestors were of magical stock; and over time lost the ability in large part. The data for this can be found in our ancient texts; including the Bible, Qur'an, Talmud, Dead Sea Scrolls, Book of the Dead, etc.
Shortly after the discovery of the wand, magical persons exiled themselves from the Muggle world, forming small and isolated magical communities.
In Europe, during the Middle Ages, magic was seen as 'heresy' and violently persecuted. Most common magicals were either hunted down and destroyed or suppressed their ability to hide their true nature. As a result; the trait atrophied. Only those that kept their magic active and stayed alive by secluding themselves kept the ability strong. Thus; over time the magicals formed a separate society; using their craft to hide their nature and locations from the increasingly large Muggle population. With the passing of the International Act of Wizarding Secrecy in 1692, the entire wizarding world formally severed contact with mundane society, and removed itself from it, retiring behind a firewall of Muggle-repelling spells and illusions. The only Muggles to know of this secret, magical world were those Muggle husbands, wives, parents and siblings who chose to accompany the wizards into their sanctuary. The various governing bodies of the wizarding world took steps to limit the likelihood of wizards and witches encountering Muggles either by accident or design.
While the articles of the International Act of Wizarding Secrecy allowed for the recruitment of Muggle-born magical children, once "Seclusion" was established the actual incidence of such recruitments were exceedingly rare because under such conditions it was virtually impossible for any Muggle-born magical child outside the boundaries to be noted or identified.
About a century after the formal adoption of Seclusion, it became apparent to those who were in a position to oversee the wizarding world's welfare, that its population's birthrate was insufficient to maintain its numbers at a high enough level either to survive over the long term. In addition, a discernable rise in the number of magical children being born outside the wizarding world was reaching a point that they were becoming a security risk. The belief among Muggles that magic does not exist could only be fostered if there were no wizards practicing magic out in mundane society and unintentional or not, these children were practicing magic.
It was ultimately decided among the wizarding world's leaders to make a virtue of necessity and to take aggressive steps to identify, train and assimilate these Muggle-born magical children into the wizarding world, both from a security standpoint by removing them from the awareness of Muggles, as well as to take possession of these children's talents to offset natural attrition.
Early in the first half of the 19th century, a cross-section of the wizarding world, who had nothing but bad associations with Muggles - dating from the era that Seclusion had been determined to be necessary for wizards' continued survival - began to put a renewed emphasis upon the need to distinguish those who were descended from "pureblood" wizarding ancestry, from those who were "halfblood" or Muggle-born. The wizarding world has been dealing with the ramifications of this situation and the response to it ever since. With varying degrees of success.
So the evolution of magic in humanity underwent three distinct phases. 1. Prehistoric--magical abilities were selected for as they improved the luck of the individual. 2. Suppression--uncontrollable magical manifestations were selected against as they violated the mores of the societies. 3. Isolation--people with magical abilities formed their own societies; strong magical abilities again became desireable.
The trait of the magical ability is purely a genetic difference. The magical gene is dominant; but largely inactive. It is dormant but present in most Muggles; but once activated in a family line; it usually stays active. For Muggles; the production of a magical child is extremely unlikely; while for magicals the production of a Muggle child (a 'Squib') is equally unlikely.
There is a spectrum of magical abilities in humans, ranging from no discernable magical ability, even with training, through magical abilities only manfested with training, up to spontaneous magical manifestations when used subconsciously in moments of strong apprehension, fear or anger. There are a variety of genetic factors controlling these abilities. The majority of humanity falls into the middle category (although due to various selection processes the median of abilities in the Muggle societies is well to the left of the median of abilities in the magical societies). The offspring of magical folk who fall into either of the latter two categories are trained into magic-using people; those unfortunate enough to fall into the first, non-magic, category find themselves ill-equipped to live in their magic-using world, but entirely untrained for the mundane, "Muggle" societies. Those few children in the mundane society that fall into the third category can be brought into the magic-using world far more readily, as their magical powers are well above the norm.
The current population of the wizarding world stands at approximately 25% Muggle-born witches and wizards, 50% halfbloods, and 25% purebloods.
Almost all magic is done with the use of a supporting tool, typically a wand. By using a wand one's magical powers are greatly focused. Furthermore, most actual spell-casting is done by using short incantations (most often in what sounds like a modified form of Latin) accompanied by gestures. This is because certain words and gestures act as "psychological triggers" to alter the perceptions of the mind, allowing one to manipulate magion particles to override the usual laws of nature. Accomplished wizards and witches can sometimes perform magic, especially simple magic, without the need for an incantation.
Regardless of how powerful a witch or wizard is, she/he is by no means without limits. For instance, while it is possible to conjure things out of thin air it's far more tricky to create something that fits an exact specification rather than a general one - moreover any objects so conjured tend not to last.
Most magic is relatively neutral--it can be used for bad or good. Some magic, however, is evil in it's intention through and through. Spells of this kind are often called curses. Curses are spells that are often intended to cause harm to another person. This intention to do harm places that spell into the realm of the Dark Arts. However, simply casting a Curse spell doesn't mean that a person is using the Dark Arts. Ultimately, the deep, true intention of the caster is what makes the difference. Dark Magic is more than simply curses, however. Magic which involves tampering with the free will of another person, or which kills another person would be considered Dark Magic.
The wizarding world exists as a shadow society to the Muggle world and works as hard as it can to keep its existence a secret to all but a few Muggles, such as those who are related to witches and wizards, or important Muggles such as the leaders of countries. To most magical people the Muggle world is unknown, and their attempts to disguise themselves as Muggles often have mostly humorous results. Most things of magical nature are hidden or otherwise obscured from Muggles, others simply cannot be detected by them.
The technological development of the Wizarding World is far behind that of the Muggle one. This is partly due to the fact that magic greatly lessens the need for such, and partly due to magic's tendency to cause interference with electrical equipment.