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 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, 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 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.
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 Potters and the murder of Peter Pettigrew and twelve 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 began with Lord Voldemort's return on 24 June 1995, and can be divided into three distinct phases.
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.