spells: thinking like a Muggle, etc. - license plates

[Amy Z]

No: HPFGUIDX 24556

Steve, terrific post.

I believe that there are laws governing spells, which one may call 
physical or not.  It's hard for Muggle minds to comprehend them, but 
magical folk learn what they are; e.g. Accio might work differently in 
different circumstances, but it doesn't work in *every* circumstance; 
maybe it does require an open window.

. . . or maybe not--I like Rita's view of how things are Summoned 
long-distance (a sort of hyperspace, if one wants to try to translate 
into Muggle physics), and think the Trio had it wrong when they 
imagined a problem with the aqualung.  The spell would certainly be 
more useful if one didn't have to remember to open windows and so on 
before one left home for the day; imagine being faced with Voldemort 
and you can't Summon something you really need because you shut the 
dratted drawer.  But there are other spells to deal with closed doors 
and windows, which you could use together with Accio if necessary.

Anyway, my point is that we Muggles *can* continue to speculate about 
spell mechanics because magic does have a logic of its own (cf the 
essay from this brilliant mind on the nature of magic <g>).  We just 
need to keep in mind that when we hit a brick wall in our attempt to 
understand that logic, the answer is "that's because we're Muggles."

Robyn brings up the potential for mayhem.  One of my favorite things 
about the books (the list has about 500 items on it by now) is the way 
JKR revels in the mischief-making possibilities of magic.  You get the 
sense that the first thing she thought up when she was putting 
together this magical world was a joke shop.

Wizard Barruffio:  There is no f in "Wingardium Leviosa," so I've 
assumed that Flitwick isn't talking about that spell in particular but 
reminding the students (who are, after all, *very* new at this Charms 
business) that correct pronunciation is important.  Who knows what 
spell poor old Wizard B. was trying to cast, but one doubts he 
intended to say the spell that puts one under a buffalo.  I agree with 
Steve, though, that intention is so important that mispronunciation 
might not always cause one's spell to go off track.

frantyck wrote:

> During yesterday's furious sprint down the freeway, I spotted a car 
> whose license plate read ALBUS D. It was a macchina much more 
potente 
> than my feeble Honda,

With Albus D at the wheel, I don't doubt it.

Amy Z
who would settle for a bumpersticker, if only WB made funny ones

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 The Whomping Willow was a very violent tree that
 stood alone in the middle of the grounds.
                 -HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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