[Mr. Silverback]

The magic in the books is just a vehicle for the moral of the story, that good will win out over evil, and sometimes, folks have to pay a heavy price in order to do that which is good.

Plus, myself I've always figured that magic in fiction which is merely "mechanical" (point a wand, say some words, presto, ya got magic) is very, very different from magic that is based on connecting with a dark spiritual power of some sort.

[SuziQ]

magic in fiction which is merely "mechanical" (point a wand, say some words, presto, ya got magic) is very, very different from magic that is based on connecting with a dark spiritual power of some sort.

There is no 'occult' in the modern sense in Harry Potter.