Voldemort and wandless magic

[blpurdom]

No: HPFGUIDX 38178

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "marinafrants" <rusalka at i...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., Edblanning at a... wrote:
> > When Harry and Quirrell confront each other, Quirrell binds Harry
> > magically, apparently without recourse to a wand.
> > We know that Dumbledore can perform wandless magic.
> > But Voldemort, *Voldemort*, the most powerful dark wizard of 
> > modern times, apparently needs a wand. Why? 
> 
> I think that wandless magic (useful and controlled wandless magic, I
> mean, not the chaos random stuff Harry has done by accident) may be 
> a matter of not just power, but also mental focus and self-control 
> -- qualities Voldemort is a bit low on.  This does raise the 
> question of how Quirrel could do it, but I tend to lean toward the 
> theory that Quirrel was actually a talented wizard and DADA 
> instructor before Voldemort got to him.   

I got the impression when reading the first book that Quirrell was 
being possessed by Voldemort and was therefore channeling Voldemort's 
power, such as it was.  Since he still had his own power, this would 
mean his magic would be very potent indeed.  (After all, Quirrell 
couldn't touch Harry without feeling pain, although it was Voldemort 
who had tried to curse Harry in 1981.)  It's not that Voldemort needs 
a wand to do magic, per se--the point is he needs a BODY, which he 
doesn't have yet.  That's why it's so important for him to get his 
body back.  

Other people use wandless magic, most notably Dumbledore (although 
even old Tom lights fires with a snap of his fingers at the Leaky 
Cauldron and Remus Lupin conjures instant illumination on the 
Hogwarts Express).  I believe the body is the first way in which 
magical humans express their magic, and wands just help focus it even 
more.  Ghosts, for instance, don't seem to retain the ability to do 
magic even when they were witches and wizards in life.  The Fat Friar 
was supposed to have been a Hufflepuff when he was in school and he 
is no longer able to do magic after death; ditto the ghost of Myrtle.

I think Quirrell could probably have conjured the ropes whether or 
not he was being controlled by Voldemort, but my point is that I 
think he did it BECAUSE he was being controlled by Voldemort, and it 
was Voldemort's will and power that accomplished this.

--Barb

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HP_Psych
http://www.schnoogle.com/authorLinks/Barb