[HPforGrownups] Wands and Magical Ability, Part Two

[princesskatie115 -]

No: HPFGUIDX 24257



Lisa I. wrote:

*<>*<>*Hermione tells us in GoF that it is magical law that only wizards can 
carry and use wands; she wants to change it so that house-elves can use them 
too.  However, is it clear that house-elves need a wand?  Dobby sent Lucius 
Malfoy down a staircase with one finger, and can pull appearances and 
disappearances that are not hindered by the no-Apparition barrier at 
Hogwarts.  In CoS, as they rescue Harry from the Dursleys, the twins explain 
that house-elves have great magical power, but can't usually use it without 
their masters' permission.  If a house-elf were to use a wand, would it have 
greater results than that of a wizard?  Or is it merely that the 
characteristics of house-elf/wizard magic differ laterally?  After all, 
Winky's claim for not using the wand is that she doesn't know how.*<>*<>*

Hmmm... I guess, now that you've brought it up, that wands are sort of like 
guns in the US. Let's think of the desire to protect one's self and one's 
family [or the desire to kill, hurt, wound, etc...] as the magical ability 
inside one's self. Now: the wand and the gun is the outlet for this... 
energy(?) or desire (?).... You may not need a wand to practice magic...like 
house-elves, or possibly advanced wizards....but it sure is handy! (Not 
having to practice or whatever to retain the magical ability to focus one's 
magic well enough to work without a wand...that is if wands are, ideed, the 
'lens' that is commonly used to focus magic.) AND you may not need a gun to 
protect one's self or kill another. You COULD just run at an attacker and 
strangle or pummel him/her with your bare hands if you felt inclined to do 
so... but pulling a trigger and walking away just saves so much time and 
energy.

Now...why Hermione wants house-elves to have the option of using a wand...

Humans are only allowed to use wands...and Hermione seems to think, IMO, 
that anyone that isn't allowed is considered a lesser being. House-elves are 
being enslaved (even though they like it), and in her opinion, they 
shouldn't be, and should be considered equals to witches and wizards. In the 
constitution (i think,...I'm Canadian, and so I'm not exactly the authority 
on American anything, so please excuse me if I'm wrong here...), it gives 
everyone of legal age the right to own a gun... whether or not:
A) you want to use the gun
B) You can use the gun
C) it's smart and safe for you to use a gun. The right is there... In 
Hermione's eyes, it's the principle that she's fighting for...even if 
house-elves:
A) Can't use a wand
B) don't want to use a wand
C) SHOULD, for safety purposes, use a wand
D) Need to use a wand  ... the option should be there for them.

I'm not sure about all the nasty side-effects involved in house-elves using 
wands... but I peronally think that no house-elf would even bother...why 
hinder yourself with a wand when all you have to do is point a finger?! Not 
even Dobby is that liberal-minded, anyway, to accept a wand...I mean he has 
a hard enough time being SPOKEN to like an equal...getting the rights would 
be honour enough...USING that right, on the other hand, would just be too 
much for house-elves, who, after all, live to serve...Who knows? They might 
even be insulted by a right to carry a wand...They didn't seems to be too 
thrilled about winky and dobby being freed...

And Winky had probably never used a wand in her life... so it's perfectly 
believable that she wouldn't know how to do a very simple spell, let alone 
conjure the Dark Mark...She would feel that it 'wasn't her place' to touch 
'Master Barty's' wand... and I believe her sense of house-elf honour and 
tradition would keep her from doing so.

Yes, I ramble.
And Yes, I do hate guns, but no, I don't hate wands. (Guns just kill, wands 
can do a heap of other nifty tricks!!)

Katie**

*******************************************************************
'Aha,' he said vaguely,'we've won.'
And he fainted.
*******************************************************************
^^My temporary quote...until I can think up (...ahem...*find*) a better 
one^^


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