Wixkind
Wixkind were humans that were born with the ability to perform magic. An individual male human with magical ability was known as a wizard (plural: wizards), and an individual female human with magical ability was known as a witch (plural: witches), "wix" can be used as a gender-neutral singular noun. There were three statues of wixkind, Pure-blood, Half-Blood and Muggle-born, and they were relative to Squibs and Muggles.
It was said that most of the greatest wixes did not have an ounce of logic, suggesting their complete reliance of powerful magic led them to neglect other aspects of their mind.
, More exhaustive information about Wixkind can be found at the HP wiki and the HP Lexicon.Origins
The origins of wixkind was unknown. Whether, in ancient times, some humans randomly discovered they had magic, or there was some sort of ritual or potion or pact, their origins remain a mystery. However, if it was the first, then some Muggle-borns may not be the descendants of Squibs (as is most often theorised) but entirely new wixes, like the very first members of wixkind.
Performing magic
In childhood, wixes may have exhibited random bursts of magic, called accidental magic, which were honed and controlled as they progress to maturity.
To perform controlled magic, almost all wixess needed to use a wand, although the advanced skill of wandless magic may have been mastered in later life. A few highly advanced Western wixes could do controlled magical feats without a wand.
Heredity
Magical ability was an inherited trait usually passed from parent to child. Wixes are classified by blood status.
Pure-bloods were born of two wizarding parents and at the very least, four wizarding grandparents. However, many believed a pure-blood family tree should have no Muggle ancestors despite the fact that every family tree had at least one Muggle ancestor modern times.
Half-bloods were mainly born of one wizard and one Muggle or Muggle-born parent.
Muggle-born wixes were distantly descended from a Squib who had married into a Muggle family. The magical gene resurfaced many years later in a Muggle-born descendant when that branch of the wizarding family had usually lost all traces of its wizarding legacy.
Physiology
The physiology of wixes was subtly different from that of non-wixes. As such, wixes would react differently to the effects of contact with a magical creature, such as being attacked by a murtlap. Wixes also by nature could not be fooled by certain types of magic or magical barriers. It was, for example, possible to hide certain magic from Muggles via Muggle-Repelling Charms, which naturally would have no effect on wixes.
Wixes had the power to cure 'mundane' illnesses and injuries, and contact with non-magical creatures that Muggles could not. However, they could struggle to repair any damage caused by magical means such as the Memory Charm and Unforgivable Curses.
Despite their science and living conditions being almost Medieval, wixes were, ironically, probably healthier than Muggles, presumably due to their inherent magic protecting them from most mundane illnesses.
Life span
Wix life expectancy in Britain reached an average 137¾ years in the mid-1990s although the oldest wizard on record reached the age of 755 in late 1991; wixes in general have a much longer life expectancy than Muggles, usually living two or three times as long as their non magical counterparts, some living even longer than that depending on circumstances.
Physical appearance
Most wixes looked no different from Muggles, although some wixes bear unusual physical characteristics. Rolanda Hooch, for instance, had yellow eyes. This was consistent with some magic being shown to affect bodily appearance, especially the eyes (as, for instance, Tom Riddle's eyes turned bright red after his constant use of the Dark Arts). In other cases, this may simply have been a cosmetic application of self-transfiguration or charm work to alter the colour of one's eyes or hair to reflect the wizard's personal preferences.
Sub-types
Some wixes exhibited special inborn (or acquired) attributes which marked them as unique amongst their kind. They are listed as follows:
Inborn Attributes
These often hereditary traits marked subdivisions within wixkind.
Seers
Some wixes were born with abilities beyond those of the average wizard. Seers, for example, had the skill of insight into future events. They may have garnered this insight through visions and dreams or through scrying physical objects like tea leaves, tarot cards, and crystal balls. Some seers included Sybill Trelawney and her ancestor Cassandra.
Metamorphmagi
Other wixes may have had the ability to change only their physical appearance rather than their bodily form. This type of wizard was termed a Metamorphmagus. Such a wizard could change the shape of their noses, hair colour, and other physical attributes. Nymphadora Tonks and Teddy Lupin were known Metamorphmagi.
Parselmouths (and other animal communication)
Some wixes and witches had the ability to talk to animals. For instance, a Parselmouth could speak to snakes. This ability was extremely rare. Salazar Slytherin was an infamous Parselmouth, and his descendants, such as Lord Voldemort, inherited this trait.
Animagi had also demonstrated being able to subtly influence animals while assuming their animal forms.
Half-Veela
Veela had been known to marry wixes, and wizarding children of these unions were Half-Veela, and they would inherit magical ability from their wizarding parent, as well as the beauty, charm, and seductive dance from their Veela parent. Veela traits seemed to persist for at least a few generations.
Acquired Traits
Animagi
While some wixes have the ability to turn into animals, it is not an inherent power, but rather a trained technique. This type of wizard is called an Animagus (plural Animagi). The first recorded Animagus was Falco Aesalon, who could turn into a falcon.
The Animagi have to register themselves at the Ministry of Magic, because human Transfiguration can go horribly wrong. However, there are some unregistered Animagi.
Werewolves
Some wixes are permanently infected with lycanthropy (also known as werewolfry) when bitten by a werewolf, which forces the infected wizard to become a fearsome and deadly near-wolf upon the complete rising of the full moon. Werewolves appear in the form of a wolf but, there are distinctions between them and regular wolves.
Legilimens
Legilimens are wixes who can perform Legilimency. These wixes can tune into other people's minds, but have difficulty reading the minds of those people who can perform Occlumency. The act of Legilimens is referred to as "mind-reading" in the Muggle world. It is also possible to be born as a Legilimens.
Occlumens
Some wixes have the ability to protect their minds from others who can perform Legilimency. This ability is called Occlumency.
Society
As decreed by the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, wixes maintain a society entirely separate from Muggle society, with their own culture and traditions. Wixes populate areas all over the globe. At the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, over 100,000 wixes were in attendance. At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, there are several hundred students in residence at any given time. About 30 million wixes attended Barry Winkle's 755th birthday party in 1991.
Wixes may live together in communities such as Godric's Hollow or Hogsmeade. Other wixes live in solitary locations. The first wizarding communities are said to have come up in India and the Middle East. More sophisticated communities would come up in Western Europe during the Middle Ages. Most wixes maintain little if no contact with Muggle society and find Muggles strange and unpleasant. They are somewhat ignorant to the Muggle world but in a different manner than Muggles as of the Wizarding World. While Muggles are completely unaware of wixes, wixes appear to be ignorant of certain aspects of the Muggle world, such as electricity and other modern technologies that become redundant and, at times, non-sensical when one is able to use magic. While certain aspects of Muggle society are evident in the wizarding one, wixes seem to be a number of decades if not centuries behind Muggles in other areas. In addition, wixes are sometimes just as progressive, if not more, on certain issues than their Muggle counterparts, such as women's rights.
Some wixes do not like to talk about their Muggle relatives, or even deny their existence altogether. Other wixes find Muggles to be highly intriguing and ingenious.
Muggles who perform illusions or tricks to make it look as real magic is known as a magician. A true wizard being called magician is a grave insult to them.
