spells: hard not to think like a Muggle

[Steve Vander Ark]

No: HPFGUIDX 24525

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., prefectmarcus at y... wrote:
> 
> I agree with nearly all you post.  However, I do disagree with this:
> 
> > It also means that Hermione 
> > can create a spell on the spot 
> 
> Steve, this is Hermione we're talking about.  You are likely 
correct 
> in that third years probably don't study it.  It also is unlikely 
> that first years learn "Alohomora" before Halloween, but we find 
her 
> knowing it.  She's the class swot, remember?
> 

Granted, but I still don't believe that she learned a spell that 
moves a tree. That isn't even a logical spell to have. What makes a 
lot more sense is that she understands the root words and has no 
problem creating the words she needs at the time she needs them. 
After all, to move Snape in PA they used "mobilicorpus," which is 
basically the same spell with a different thing being moved ("corpus" 
means "body" while "arbus" refers to a tree). Hermione, being as 
bright as she is, has quickly moved past simply parroting back spell 
words and has grasped the underlying logic to the whole thing. 
Alohomora, on the other hand, is a very obscure spell. The etymology 
is definitely not simple Latin like so many of the others. It is 
specifically refered to as "her" spell. It seems fairly obvious that 
Alohomora is one she dug up in some dusty book somewhere in the 
library, doing a bit of light reading. And when she spotted it, of 
course she'd see the usefulness of it and memorize it. But 
Mobiliarbus? You think she saw that and said to herself, "Well, you 
never know when I might have to move a tree!"? No, that's a spell of 
her one invention, improvised on the spot using her understanding of 
the way magic works. That's completely logical and actually makes her 
even smarter, if you think about it. Its a good example of the 
working of the mind of someone who gets over a hundred percent on a 
Charms exam.

Steve Vander Ark
The Harry Potter Lexicon
http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon