I’ve been thinking about the structure of the wizarding world in Harry Potter and wanted to get your thoughts:


What kinds of resources, monopolies, or advantages would pureblood families realistically control to maintain their power over time?


It can’t just be blood status alone, right? They must have control over key industries like potion ingredient, ward creation, the Floo Network, Portkey creation, magical creatures, or utilities.
While spells and magical skill are vital, having control over these resources would give pureblood families an undeniable advantage, especially in times of war, right?


What’s your personal headcanon for which pureblood family controls what?

(Malfoys? Blacks? Longbottoms? Other rich purebloods?)

 

Extrapolating from canon, power structures in the wizarding world has to do with who gets to use magic, specifically wanded magic, and to what degree of expertise.

It's not a coincidence that most adult wizards cannot cast a Shield charm, or that Ministry jobs come with status but require utmost compliance, i.e., consider the WOMBAT exams as a requirement.

As with the muggle world, resources are important, but access to magic itself changes everything.

And everyone has the possibility to be ... better. This is why two of the most influential and powerful wizards, on an individual level, happened to be half-bloods.

But humans remain the only human-like species to have access to wands. Hags, goblins, etc all have to do without.

You can control power structures if you encourage those beneath your thumb to believe they have the possibility to be just like you. In a democracy, anyone could be president, technically.

The trick is to embed restrictions into the very frameworks that allow access. Teach your peoples to believe in their unfreedom, teach them to seek it.

So, I'd say it's probably the Sacred 28 running the show. Who are the big players? That changes with every generation, but the Minister doesn't need to be from the Sacred 28 if some of those people are pulling strings. No need to get their hands dirty, other people have hands...

Anyway, that's enough handwaving for now. There's some gaps in my logic here, but I found the question interesting and wanted to push the idea out. Will think on this some more.

 

Personally I assume they primarily focus on increasing their wealth and then just use their wealth to influence things through donations to certain politicians or institutions.

Like I doubt the Malfoys or Blacks perform some special services for the wizarding world, but are probably just in possession of some valuable capital like maybe they own parts of a forest that has a large amount of wand trees growing in it and some magical creatures or they own land used for agriculture of magical herbs and creatures, or maybe they just have some rental properties used by wizards and other magical beings.

like what they own doesen't have to be particularly important, it just needs to give them the funds to exert enough power, like how one Black was able to become Headmaster of Hogwarts through donations, another one bought himself an Order of Merlin and how Lucuius was able to avoid prison time and exert influence over Fudge through donations.