Magic Imitations

[Amy Z]

No: HPFGUIDX 18951

Robert wrote:

> I'd guess that the boggart derives its power, as well as its 
>appearance, from its victim.  Effectively, you're involuntarily 
>working a transformation spell to change it into what you fear 
>most.  So it's limited by your own power - which, however, makes it 
>powerful enough to defeat you, since it's almost certainly attacking 
>where you're weak.  But I propose that Harry's boggart Voldemort 
>wouldn't be a match in a duel for any adult wizard (although in 
>practice it would become the adult wizard's Voldemort, which is more 
serious), and Neville's boggart Snape couldn't teach a class - all it 
can do is make Neville miserable.  The boggart Snape is only a 
thirteen-year-old boy's caricature of a teacher.

<snip>

> Actually, I think JKR's "implementation" of the boggart is 
>logically defective, and paradoxical.  But let's not get started - 
>no, on secont thoughts, let's do - on how many laws of physics it 
>breaks, of conservation and otherwise, starting, snug in its box or 
>wardrobe, with the one about Schroedinger's cat, and ending with the 
actual size of the Moon, according to Sir Patrick Moore ( 
www.bbc.co.uk/skyatnight/ ), relative to a Hogwarts classroom.  The 
book might have ended right there...

Welcome, Robert!  Warning:  Goblet of Fire spoilers abound on this 
list.  Read fast!

I like your thoughts on the boggart's conforming to the fears of 
whoever it's facing.  It makes total sense to me that Boggart Snape 
won't know beans about Potions, although he'll know lots about Making 
Neville Miserable.

It seems that magic trumps physics.  Otherwise all sorts of things, 
from flying to time travel to Apparating, would be impossible.  I 
thought of this when Trelawney had a model of the galaxy (that's in 
GF, but don't worry, I haven't spoiled anything)--you couldn't 
possibly fit a model of the galaxy inside a classroom without the 
stars being of subatomic size.  But through the magic of magic, it 
works.

Apparating is like transporting in Star Trek, more or less, right?  
In ST lingo they have what they call a Heisenberg Compensator to 
solve the problem of random motion, which might otherwise make it 
just a tad difficult to move all one's molecules across the room (or 
from ship to shore) and keep them in the right order.  Someone once 
asked a ST writer, "How does the Heisenberg Compensator work?" and he 
said, "Very nicely, thank you!"  Anyway, this might be a problem for 
ST, which wants its inventions to at least sound physically 
plausible, but HP is different.  All JKR has to say is, "It's magic!"

Amy Z