======The Wizarding Wars======
=====Introduction=====
The term **Wizarding Wars** refers to two major, widespread magical conflicts in the latter half of the 20th century. Both wars were instigated by the dark wizard [[Lord Voldemort]] and his followers, the [[Death Eaters]], who sought to overthrow the [[Ministry of Magic]], establish a new world order based on [[blood purity]], and conquer death itself. The resistance against Voldemort's regime was primarily led by [[Albus Dumbledore]] and the [[Order of the Phoenix]]. These wars shaped the magical Britain of the modern era, culminating in the final defeat of [[Lord Voldemort]] by [[Harry Potter]].
=====The First Wizarding War (c. 1970 – 1981)=====
The First Wizarding War began with [[Lord Voldemort]]'s initial rise to power. The period was characterized by an atmosphere of pervasive fear, distrust, and paranoia, as mysterious disappearances and brutal murders became commonplace. [[Voldemort]]'s forces included many pure-blood supremacists, dark creatures, and those coerced through fear or the [[Imperius Curse]].
The [[Ministry of Magic]], initially led by [[Minister for Magic]] [[Eugenia Jenkins]] and later [[Harold Minchum]], struggled to contain the growing threat. Under the authority of [[Barty Crouch Sr.]], the Head of the [[Department of Magical Law Enforcement]], [[Auror|Aurors]] were granted new powers, including permission to use the [[Unforgivable Curses]] against their enemies.
In response to the Ministry's inadequacy, [[Albus Dumbledore]] founded the original [[Order of the Phoenix]], a secret society dedicated to fighting [[Voldemort]]. Its members included prominent wizards and witches such as [[James Potter]] and [[Lily Potter]], [[Sirius Black]], [[Remus Lupin]], [[Peter Pettigrew]], [[Alastor Moody]], and [[Frank Longbottom|Frank]] and [[Alice Longbottom]].
The turning point of the war came with the creation of a [[Prophecy]] by [[Sybill Trelawney]], which foretold the birth of a child with the power to vanquish the [[Dark Lord]]. [[Voldemort]], learning of a portion of the prophecy from [[Severus Snape]], targeted the [[Potter]] family. On 31 October 1981, he traveled to their home in [[Godric's Hollow]] and murdered [[James Potter]] and [[Lily Potter]]. However, when he cast the [[Killing Curse]] on the infant [[Harry Potter]], [[Lily Potter]]'s loving sacrifice created a powerful magical protection that caused the curse to rebound, stripping [[Voldemort]] of his body and power. This event abruptly ended the First Wizarding War, leaving [[Harry Potter]] an orphan with a lightning-bolt scar.
=====The Inter-War Period (1981 – 1995)=====
Following [[Voldemort]]'s surprise downfall, the wizarding community erupted in celebration. In the war's aftermath, many of his followers were captured and sentenced to [[Azkaban]], including [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] and [[Barty Crouch Jr.]]. Others, such as [[Lucius Malfoy]], claimed they had acted under the [[Imperius Curse]] and evaded justice. [[Sirius Black]] was wrongly convicted for the betrayal of the [[Potter|Potters]] and the murder of [[Peter Pettigrew]] and twelve [[Muggle|Muggles]], while the true traitor, [[Pettigrew]], faked his death and lived for years in his [[Animagus]] form as a rat.
Unbeknownst to the wider world, [[Voldemort]] survived as a disembodied spirit. He fled to the forests of [[Albania]], where he possessed animals to sustain a weak existence. The thirteen years between the wars were a time of fragile peace, built on the belief that the [[Dark Lord]] was gone forever. This peace was shattered when [[Voldemort]], aided by [[Peter Pettigrew]], began the process of returning to a full, corporeal form, culminating in his rebirth in the [[Little Hangleton]] graveyard.
=====The Second Wizarding War (1995 – 1998)=====
The Second Wizarding War began with [[Lord Voldemort]]'s return on 24 June 1995, and can be divided into three distinct phases.
  - **Covert Phase (June 1995 – June 1996):** For a year following his return, [[Voldemort]] operated in secrecy. The [[Ministry of Magic]], under the leadership of a denialist [[Cornelius Fudge]], refused to accept the truth and launched a smear campaign against [[Harry Potter]] and [[Albus Dumbledore]]. During this "cold war," [[Dumbledore]] re-formed the [[Order of the Phoenix]], and at [[Hogwarts]], Harry, [[Ron Weasley]], and [[Hermione Granger]] secretly founded [[Dumbledore's Army]] to teach students practical defensive magic. This phase ended with the [[Battle of the Department of Mysteries]], where several [[Death Eaters]] fought members of the [[Order]] and [[Dumbledore's Army]]. The battle concluded with [[Voldemort]]'s appearance at the [[Ministry]], forcing Fudge and the wizarding world to finally accept his return.
  - **Open Warfare (June 1996 – August 1997):** With [[Voldemort]]'s return confirmed, open conflict erupted. [[Rufus Scrimgeour]] replaced Fudge as [[Minister for Magic]], but the government remained on the defensive. The war was marked by mass breakouts from [[Azkaban]], attacks on [[Muggle|Muggles]] like the collapse of the Brockdale Bridge, and an atmosphere of fear not seen since the first war. This phase culminated in the [[Battle of the Astronomy Tower]], where [[Death Eaters]] infiltrated [[Hogwarts]] with the help of [[Draco Malfoy]]. The battle resulted in the death of [[Albus Dumbledore]] at the hands of [[Severus Snape]], a devastating blow to the resistance.
  - **Voldemort's Rule (August 1997 – May 1998):** On 1 August 1997, the [[Ministry of Magic]] officially fell to [[Voldemort]]'s control after he had [[Pius Thicknesse]] installed as a puppet [[Minister for Magic]]. This marked the darkest period of the war. [[Voldemort]] established a totalitarian police state, appointing [[Death Eaters]] to key positions and creating the [[Muggle-Born Registration Commission]] to persecute and imprison [[Muggle-born]] witches and wizards. During this time, [[Harry Potter]], having left [[Hogwarts]], hunted for [[Voldemort]]'s [[Horcrux|Horcruxes]] with [[Ron Weasley]] and [[Hermione Granger]]. The war reached its climax on 2 May 1998 at the [[Battle of Hogwarts]], where the [[Order of the Phoenix]], [[Dumbledore's Army]], [[Hogwarts]] staff and students, and other allies made their final stand. The battle ended when [[Harry Potter]], the true master of the [[Elder Wand]], confronted [[Voldemort]], whose own [[Killing Curse]] rebounded and killed him for good.
=====Key Factions and Alliances=====
  * **Forces of Lord Voldemort:** This alliance was led by [[Lord Voldemort]] himself and comprised his inner circle of followers, the [[Death Eaters]]. They were supported by a vast army of dark creatures, including [[Giant|Giants]], [[Dementor|Dementors]] from [[Azkaban]], the werewolf [[Fenrir Greyback]] and his pack, and a network of spies and sympathizers within the [[Ministry of Magic]]. Mercenary groups like [[Snatcher|Snatchers]] were also employed to capture [[Muggle-born|Muggle-borns]] and dissidents.
  * **Anti-Voldemort Resistance:** The primary opposition was the [[Order of the Phoenix]], a vigilante group founded and led by [[Albus Dumbledore]]. They worked alongside [[Dumbledore's Army]], a student-led organization that became a key resistance cell within [[Hogwarts]]. The staff and students of [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]] were crucial allies, and the [[Ministry of Magic]] officially opposed [[Voldemort]] until its fall in 1997.
=====Aftermath=====
The death of [[Lord Voldemort]] and many of his most prominent [[Death Eaters]] at the [[Battle of Hogwarts]] marked the definitive end of the Second Wizarding War. The wizarding world, though scarred by its losses, began a period of healing and reconstruction. [[Kingsley Shacklebolt]] was appointed interim (and later permanent) [[Minister for Magic]], and he, along with the reformed [[Ministry]], worked to round up the remaining [[Death Eaters]] and their collaborators. The oppressive, pure-blood-centric laws enacted under [[Voldemort]]'s rule were repealed, heralding a new era of peace and equality.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * J.K. Rowling has stated that after the war, [[Kingsley Shacklebolt]]'s new administration worked with [[Harry Potter]] to reform the [[Ministry of Magic]], ensuring it was no longer "rotten to the core." (J.K. Rowling interview)
  * [[Harry Potter]] and [[Ron Weasley]] both went on to become [[Auror|Aurors]], helping to capture the remaining [[Death Eaters]]. [[Hermione Granger]] took a high-ranking position in the [[Department of Magical Law Enforcement]]. (Pottermore)
  * The term "Wizarding War" is largely a fan-adopted term that has been accepted into the lexicon, though characters in the books typically refer to it as "the war" or "when Voldemort was in power."