Chapter 67: Gender Equality in the Magical World
On the other hand, the Weasley family not only had many children, but each child was also a top student at school. To outsiders, this might seem like a trivial matter. But to George, the Weasleys were extraordinary, because his perspective encompassed the entire magical world—and even the wider world beyond.
How special, how unusual was this? If George were to choose a Hogwarts headmaster, he would never even consider Dumbledore. He would manipulate the vote by any means necessary to ensure it went to Mrs. Weasley.
George could not understand how the magical world could overlook the Weasleys when their differences were so obvious.
In fact, the entire British magical population was only about 3,000 people. Compared to the Muggle world, this seemed wildly unreasonable.
First, there had been no large-scale wars in the magical world. Even during Voldemort's dark reign more than a decade ago, relatively few actually died. After all, the magical population was very small. If Voldemort had dared to expand on the scale of the Muggle world, the entire magical community could have been wiped out in just a few weeks—or even days.
No ambitious person would want to rule only over cats and dogs.
Second, wizards live very long lives. A healthy wizard can easily reach a hundred or even two hundred years, and there are many ways to prolong life if they wish.
Infant mortality is extremely low in the magical world. Unlike the busy, hectic life of the Muggle world, magical life is full of convenience. Even ordinary wizarding families have automated and simplified household chores from an early age.
This gives wizarding families plenty of time to care for their children. At the same time, declining birth rates among wizards mean families focus even more attention on each child. Hogwarts accepts all eleven-year-old witches and wizards, and once these young wizards acquire some basic magic, their survival is much more secure.
There is no large-scale war, no mass death, no short lifespans, no high mortality, no early death, and no patriarchal dominance burying children. So how does the magical world maintain such a low population density?
Finally, after studying a large amount of historical data, George came to a fascinating conclusion: the main reason for the low population density in the magical world is excessive gender equality.
George proposed many hypotheses and tested them against historical data. He considered average life expectancy and mortality rates, but none of these factors explained it.
Ultimately, the greatest factor affecting the magical population was the extreme equality between men and women, which resulted in low birth rates.
It must be said that the magical world's concept of gender equality has long surpassed that of the Muggle world. As the saying goes, only the strong have a voice. Unlike the Muggle world, which only developed feminism and equality movements after technological advancement and liberation of production, witches did not need to fight for these rights—they were born with magical power. They were not meant to lose to men; they were meant to wield power.
Although most politicians in the magical world are male due to preferences and habits, girls can also become witches—even powerful ones. In both the household and society, the status of women is unprecedented. At this point, the idea of harem systems or patriarchy seems absurd.
Just like in modern society, widespread gender equality and contraception naturally lead to declining birth rates. In the magical world, no one views their life solely as a means of producing offspring. Ordinary people do not, and even proud wizards do not.
Even someone like the tall, handsome, wealthy "winner" Nicolas de Me, who could theoretically acquire unlimited gold, wealth, and life, had only one wife. Despite his power, even magical women were not compelled to accept multiple spouses or concubines.
But Nicolas de Me, who had lived for over 600 years, a true winner in life, wealthy, handsome, and influential, not only had a wife but no children.
In the magical world, reproduction and procreation seem not to be matters of particular concern. In this context, the Weasleys, who had so many children, were unusual—standing out from the norm.
Harry ran, panting, holding a suitcase.
To avoid being seen, George did not let Ron drive his flashy car to Privet Drive 18. The house was close to a busy street, and any spectacle would have drawn unwanted attention.
George sent his raven to notify Harry and told him to take all his belongings. Harry left a note for Barbara Brooke, then quietly sneaked away with his large suitcase.
Ron stepped forward and gave Harry a tight hug. "Hey, mate, I was really worried about you. I sent you twelve letters and got no reply. Come with me, just the two of us."
Harry, who had just run over and hadn't yet relaxed, was held tightly by Ron. He released the suitcase, stood there in shock for a moment, then finally exhaled. "Sorry… I ran into some trouble. All my letters were intercepted by a creature."
George placed Harry's suitcase in the car trunk and got into the passenger seat. He looked back at Harry and Ron. "You two get in first. Fly over there quietly and make sure you aren't seen."
Ron and Harry sat in the back as the car slowly lifted off, rising higher and higher, with Hedwig happily gliding around them.
Ron could no longer contain himself. "So, what happened?" he asked eagerly.
Harry then told the entire story: how he had been neglected by the Dursleys, how on his birthday he had encountered Voldemort's house-elf, Dobby, who intercepted his letters and even tried to attack him. Luckily, George arrived in time, and Harry moved into his new home.
After Harry finished, a long silence filled the car.
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