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In the Harry Potter books magic is depicted as a natural force, one that can be used to override the usual laws of nature. Many magical creatures exist in the series, as do ordinary creatures which exhibit some magical properties (such as owls, which are used to deliver mail). Objects, too, can be enhanced to become magical. Humans with the ability to perform magic are referred to as witches and wizards, in contrast to the non-magical Muggle s.
In humans, magic or the lack thereof is a natal attribute. It appears to be semi-inherited, as magic is the norm in the children of magical couples and highly rare in those of Muggles. Exceptions do exist: those unable to do magic who are born to wizarding parents are known as Squib s, whereas witches and wizards born to Muggle parents are known as Muggle-born s.
For a person's ability to perform magic to be useful, a good deal of training is required. Without this training the ability will however still manifest itself when used subconsciously in moments of strong apprehension, fear or anger. For example, Harry Potter once made his hair grow back after a bad haircut, and made the glass front of boa constrictor's cage disappear.
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 increased. 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. Accomplished wizards and witches sometimes perform magic, especially simple magic, without need for an incantation. Albus Dumbledore has been known to do good-sized feats of magic without the use of a single spell.
It should be noted that within the Harry Potter books the technical details of magic are, intentionally or otherwise, entirely obscure. Of Harry's lessons only those involving magical creatures, potions or astronomy are given in any detail, none of the clearly magical lessons are shown with any structure. There is no mention of any underlying theory or process to magic.
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. It's also impossible to resurrect the dead, though much remains to be seen of the nature of death in the Potter series...
... and wizards of the Ministry of Magic study it in depth in the room of the Department of Mysteries which contains the enigmatic veil through which Sirius Black fell in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (this suggests some sort of portal between the worlds of the dead and the living, but the exact significance of the veil is still unclear). Furthermore, magical techniques have been used to prolong life: the Philosopher's stone (or sorcerer's stone in the American books) has the ability to postpone death indefinitely, and Voldemort has long sought to "conquer death".
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 Prime MinisterAlternate meaning: Prime Minister (band #A prime minister is the leading member of the cabinet of the top level government in a parliamentary system of government of a country, alternatively #A prime minister is an official in a presidential system or sem. To most magical people the Muggle world is unknown, and their attempts to disguise themselves as Muggles often have mostly humorous results ( Muggle Studies at HogwartsThe Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a fictional magic school that is the main setting of the Harry Potter novels by J. There are several teachers (called professors), each specialising in a single subject . Some are required, others elective is considered a soft option). Most things of magical nature are hidden or otherwise obscured from Muggles, others (such as Dementors) can simply not be detected by them.
The terms "wizard" and "witch" are used in magical society more or less the same way the terms "man" and "woman" are used in the Muggle world. "Mage" or similar words are rare and usually only seen in titles or such.
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.