- published: 02 Jun 2016
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The fictional[citation needed] universe of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of fantasy novels comprises two separate and distinct societies: the wizarding world and the Muggle world. The Muggle World is the series' name for the world inhabited by the non-magical majority, with the wizarding world existing coextensively with it but hidden from the awareness of the non-magical "Muggles" with few exceptions (most notably, the British Prime Minister). The plot of the series is set in contemporary Britain, but in a veiled and separate shadow society wherein magic is real, and those who can use it live in self-enforced seclusion, hiding their abilities from the rest of the world. The term "wizarding world" refers to the global wizard community that lives hidden in parallel with the Muggle world; the different terms refer to different communities within the same area rather than separate planets or worlds.
The entire Harry Potter Series is set from 1991–1998. The depiction of the wizarding world is centred on magic, which not only imbues objects such as wands, but is portrayed as an inborn ability that must be honed into a skill in order to do otherwise impossible things. It is also centred on the separation of the wizarding world from the non-wizarding, or Muggle world. Despite being an inherent talent, magic is honed through study and training into a skill.