Random Things About The Rules Of Magic In The Wizarding World (15 items)

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  (#1) A Muggle Can Perish If They Try To Do Magic With A Wand

  Albus Dumbledore was very polite when he refused Petunia's request to enroll at Hogwarts as a child. As it turns out, Dumbledore was also protecting Petunia's life, as Muggles can't handle wands. Not only do they lack the inherent magical ability, but Muggles are also in danger if they take hold of wands.

  Should a Muggle get their hands on a wand and try their hand at magic, something violent will happen at the cost of their lives. Wands are meant to be carried by wizards, and even then they are loyal to the ones they choose. Muggles are in danger if they handle wands, as the magical devices are not meant for them.
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  (#2) Happy Magical People Can't Become Ghosts

  Harry wonders why the Wizarding World isn't filled with ghosts after Sirius's demise. Nearly Headless Nick tells him that Sirius has moved on and won't be coming back. Nick doesn't know why a person doesn't return and, in truth, it comes down to a wizard's personality.

  A witch or wizard needs to be in a state of regret or fear to become a ghost - happy people don't fit the requirement. Many have speculated on the possibility of Fred Weasley returning as a ghost, but Fred was a brave person who would have accepted death rather than be saddened by it. Fred even smiles in his last moment, ruling out any possibility of him as a ghost.

  Magical people can return to Earth, but those who feel they have lived fulfilling lives won't do so. Characters like Moaning Myrtle and Nearly Headless Nick were sad in their last moments or lived depressing lives and moving on scared them. 
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  (#3) Currency Exists In The Wizarding Rule Because Legislation Prohibits Wizards From Conjuring It

  Galleons don't sound necessary when wizards can simply create whatever they want for themselves. Magical people can't actually break the laws of nature despite the seemingly endless possibilities, and something that is conjured through magic can't last forever.

  The Ministry of Magic has laws that control what can and cannot be conjured, which magical people need to abide by. Characters are shown purchasing items with Galleons because creating the currency through magic is prohibited. 

  The concept of currency exists in the Wizarding World to avoid potential breaches of the laws of magic and nature.
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  (#4) Ghosts Only Get One Chance To Move On

  Nearly Headless Nick expresses some regret to Harry for his status as a ghost in The Order of the Phoenix. He doesn't know if he will get another chance to go into the afterlife; the truth is that it isn't possible. A witch or wizard is given a choice at the moment of their death to move on, which is a one-time offer. 

  A person doesn't get the chance to turn back should they decide to become a ghost, meaning they're trapped as an echo for all eternity. The permanent state of a spirit is proven through the Bloody Baron and the Grey Lady, who are ghosts from a thousand years ago. 
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  (#5) Veritaserum Is Not Fully Accurate And Can Be Fooled Using Occlumency

  Veritaserum is considered ineffective by default in wizarding courts and isn't used for trials. The ability to block out the truth by using Occlumency is the reason for the lack of faith in the truth potion. Skilled Occlumens like Horace Slughorn, Severus Snape, and Bellatrix Lestrange, among others, are not susceptible to Veritaserum. 

  The potion works best on unsuspecting individuals, meaning slipping it into someone's drink to force them to reveal their secrets is the best bet when it comes to Veritaserum. Barty Crouch Jr. only admits his treachery at the end of The Goblet of Fire after his emotions are heightened when he learns of Voldemort's return.
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  (#6) A Wizarding Portrait Needs To Be Taught Who The Person They Were Modeled After Was Supposed To Be

  Portraits appear to be a way for witches and wizards to be present in the world after their physical demise. Unfortunately, it isn't that simple and the portrait isn't an exact likeness of the person. Magical portraits know nothing of the person they are modeled after and have to be taught about this individual's personality and traits.

  Hogwarts headmasters' portraits are painted years before their demise and learn to behave in the manner of the real person - it's why they are far more active and knowledgeable than other portraits. Certain other portraits have entirely one-dimensional personalities, such as Sir Cadogan and Gilderoy Lockart, as they are exaggerations of their original's most dominant traits.
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  (#7) Dark Wizards Who Attempt The Patronus Charm Will Be Killed By Their Own Wands

  Raczidian was a dark wizard who lived in a castle surrounded by dementors and grew to have control over them. His dementors were driven out by a hero known as Illyius through the use of a Patronus charm. Raczidian had never witnessed a Patronus before and considered it a spell of immense power that he wanted to use.

  Unfortunately for Raczidian, he learned the hard way that a dark wizard is incapable of casting a Patronus. Raczidian's attempt resulted in his wand sprouting out so many maggots that they covered him entirely until the maggots devoured Raczidian whole. 

  Raczidian is an example for all dark wizards about the extent of magic they can use, with Voldemort and his Death Eaters also shown to be incapable of casting a Patronus.
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  (#8) A Distant Wizarding Ancestor Is Needed For A Muggle-Born To Have Magical Powers

  A true Muggle-Born doesn't exist and it's not possible for a person to manifest magical powers without a wizarding relative. People like Hermione are considered Muggle-Borns due to their lack of knowledge of their family tree. 

  Every person who has magical abilities has had at least one ancestor who was a witch or wizard. Hermione is the first wizarding child born to her family in generations, but she isn't the only magical person in her ancestry. A wizarding relative with a different surname is the most likely scenario for Hermione to become a witch as a member of the Granger family.  
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  (#9) Wand Or Spoken Magic Is Required To Make Potions

  Potions aren't just concoctions created by following a set of guidelines - they need a magical ingredient to work. The only way to make a potion work is by injecting a spell into it, which turns it into a magical brew.

  Muggles lack the inherent magical ability to create potions and will be unsuccessful should they try. Wizards from European and American countries use their wands for the required spellwork, while wizards from Africa use spoken magic since they don't use wands. 
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  (#10) No Level Of Magic Can Domesticate A Dragon

  Dragons can't be kept as pets, no matter what Hagrid claims. Hagrid was lucky he had Harry and his friends to get Norbert to Romania in The Sorcerer's Stone before something disastrous could happen. Dragons are meant to live in places with mountains, and there are centers to house the ones that need to be kept safe.

  Keeping a dragon as a pet is illegal and the Ministry of Magic can convict a person for their possession of this creature. Charlie Weasley works in a dragon research center, so he is a licensed expert who works around dragons. However, Charlie doesn't work on domesticating these creatures; his work is to ensure they are safely bred without harming themselves or humans.
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  (#11) Wizards Can't Choose Their Animagus Forms, As They Tie Into Their Personalities

  The characters that are seen in their Animagus forms always seem to suit the animal they transform into, and it isn't coincidental. Witches and wizards can't choose what they will look like as animals - they learn what they become after completing their transformation.

  The witches and wizards' personalities decide what animal they will turn into, and no kind of magic can change this. Peter Pettigrew, who was a coward and a snitch, turned into a rat, while the loyal and fierce Sirius Black turned into a large dog. Rita Skeeter, who is duplicitous and sneaky, turns into a beetle, and Minerva McGonagall becomes a cat since she possesses a sense of class and independence. 
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  (#12) Moving Pictures Need To Be Developed In A Magical Potion For Them To Work

  Magical cameras don't exist and the process of creating the standard moving pictures of wizards comes down to the use of potions. A picture from a normal camera that can develop film is needed, which can then be dipped into a magical potion in order to bring the pictures to life.

  A Muggle can do the same thing, in theory, as they just need to procure the required potion to make their pictures move, as well. Since wizards don't share the knowledge of this potion, Muggles are stuck with their stationary images for now. 
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  (#13) Wizards Are Perfectly Capable Of Doing Magic Without Wands

  In The Prisoner of Azakban, Albus Dumbledore points toward Harry as he falls from the sky to immobilize him in midair, which attests to his innate magical ability. While witches and wizards usually use wands in the main Harry Potter series, they don't actually need them and can be trained to do the same magic on their own. 

  Students at Uagadou, a wizarding school in Africa, are trained to become experts in Transfiguration, Alchemy, and Astronomy. All of their magic is accomplished without the use of wands, as the entire continent of Africa completes their magical needs using natural magic. 
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  (#14) A Witch Or Wizard Needs To Understand The Concept Of Death To See Thestrals

  Harry sees Thestrals after Cedric Diggory's demise and later learns that these creatures can only appear to those who have witnessed someone's death. Many fans have raised the point that he should have seen Thestrals all along, as Harry also saw his parents' elimination at Voldemort's hands. 

  Witches and wizards can only see Thestrals if they are aware of the concept of death, not just if they've seen it. Harry was a baby when his parents were offed and didn't understand what had happened, nor did he retain a memory of what they looked like. 

  Cedric's demise was an event that haunted the then-teenage Harry, which enabled him to view Thestrals.
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  (#15) It's Impossible To Resurrect People Through Magic

  In Deathly Hallows, Harry uses the Resurrection Stone to bring his loved ones to him. The magic of the stone can't bring someone back to life, however, so they aren't truly back. They are echoes or souls of people Harry wants to see, and that's the extent of a person's return to the land of the living.

  As it is, no magic can keep death at bay - Voldemort simply delayed the inevitable with the Horcruxes. Studies are ongoing at the Ministry of Magic through the Veil Harry and his friends came across. Nothing conclusive has ever been uncovered and wizards currently have no choice but to either accept their deaths or return as ghosts.

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