Spell Mechanics

[john at walton.to]

No: HPFGUIDX 24492

Herald Talia said:

> What are some of the mechanics of spell casting in the Potterverse? 
> The Summoning Charm, for example - is it limited to line-of-sight? Mrs.
> Weasley certainally used it to find Ton-tongue Toffees that she didn't
> see. 

Didn't Harry Accio his firebolt to use against the Horntail (I can never 
remember the task numbers...d'oh! 

I theorise that it's line of sight for things that you are not very familiar 
with. For instance, a Quidditch player like Harry could easily Accio his 
broom because he spends a lot of time on it. Similarly, Hermione could 
probably Accio "Hogwarts: A History" fairly easily.

> If it's more long distance, why couldn't Harry just Summon the diary
> when it was stolen from him? (CoS - when Ginny steals TR's diary back
> from Harry.)

Perhaps it's as simple as the fact that he hadn't learned that spell yet? 
::grin:: It would seem like a good idea, wouldn't it?

--John, whose messages are being really delayed today. ::cries::
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John Walton -- john at walton.to

"Correction.  Last week's column mistakenly identified a source.  The 
European Commission President is Romano Prodi, not Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  
Second Hand regrets the error." --Prague Post, Czech Republic.
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