flying

[joym999 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 16076

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Steve Vander Ark" <vderark at b...> wrote:

> According to QTA, there is no spell that allows a person to fly. So 
> how did Hagrid get to the Hut on the Rock? [snip] So HOW DID HE 
FLY? Mary Poppins-style, using 
> that pink flowered umbrella of his?

I have wondered this, too.  Absolutely the only references to flying 
in the HP books all involve of objects such as brooms, flying 
carpets, flying ford anglias, motorcycles, etc, none of which were in 
evidence as Harry and Hagrid left the Hut-on-the-Rock.  There are 
several possible explanations that I have come up with:

1 - I suppose a pink umbrella could be used like a broom or a 
carpet.  I rather like the image of Hagrid-as-Mary-Poppins flying 
along with his pink umbrella, except that the pink umbrella never 
gets opened, IIRC, probably because Hagrid's broken wand is hidden 
inside it.  But I suppose he could have spellotaped the wand to the 
inside of the umbrella so that it doesn't fall out.  

2 - Another possibility is that he used an (illegal) flying carpet 
which he folded up and put in one of his pockets, along with the 
teapot, teakettle, mugs, birthday cake, sausages, dormice, flask, dog 
biscuits, etc.  

3 - For that matter, maybe he has a Cleansweep Family Foldable Model 
broom which comes with a zippered pouch and fits neatly in any small 
space.  

4 - Or, maybe he was lying to Harry, or stretching the truth, because 
he didn't want to explain apparition or admit that he had done 
something illegal.  Or maybe Dumbledore told him not to say anything 
about how he got there so he just vaguely said something about 
flying. 

> One other little inconsistency is that Dumbledore apparently flies 
a 
> broomstick to London when called there toward the end of SS/PS. I 
> realize that it's probably just because of the fact that JKR hadn't 
> thought up Apparition yet, since Dumbledore should certainly be 
able 
> to Apparate. But it's a Flint, certainly. Maybe he accidentally let 
> his Apparition license expire...
 
OK, I have a bunch of reasons for this, too.

1 - There is a limit on how far a distance you can apparate over, 
isnt there?  It says so somewhere, I think.  Maybe in QTA?  Maybe 
northern Scotland to London is just too far.  

2 - Or maybe apparating makes Dumbledore seasick.  

3 - Or maybe it was a nice day for a flight in the country.

4- Actually all McG. says is that "He received an urgent owl from the 
MOM and flew off for London at once."  Maybe what she meant is that 
he flew as far as the edge of Hogwarts grounds and then apparated 
into London, since AS EVERYONE KNOWS it says in Hogwarts, A History 
that you cant apparate or disapparate in Hogwarts.


      ^
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    /   \       Joywitch M. Curmudgeon
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  "How come the Muggles don't hear the bus?" said Harry.
  "Them!" said Stan contemptuously.  "Don't listen properly, do 
they?  Don't look properly either.  Never notice nuffink, they don'."

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