Incantations and R&D in the Magical World (WAS Omnioculars - spells - Lily )

[cindysphynx]

No: HPFGUIDX 33496

Ben wrote:
> 
> >I was wondering where spells come
> >from.  Is there something intrinsic about the word "Accio" 
embedded into 
> >the
> >magical fabric of the universe that causes things to be brought to 
the
> >speaker (imagine the poor prehistoric wizard who discovers this as 
he
> >sneezes, his wand inadvertently pointing at a woolly mammoth).  Or 
perhaps,
> >are the spells created somehow (wizard R&D) and magically assigned 
a magic
> >word upon their creation.  Or something else entirely?  Any ideas?
> 
Amy encouraged:

> Ooh, I wonder!  Care to spin out these theories some more for us?  
I love 
> nature of magic stuff...
> 

OK, how about this?

If memory serves, the students almost always use incantations, 
whereas the adults often do not.  Instances of adults not using 
incantations include Pettigrew stunning Ron and Crookshanks; Black 
conjuring manacles; Voldemort conjuring Wormtail's hand; Dumbledore 
sweeping tables aside.  Perhaps fully trained wizards are so 
experienced with certain spells that they don't need an incantation.  
If that's the case, then maybe incantations are kind of like training 
wheels.  :-)

Maybe the purpose of the incantation, like the wand, is to assist the 
wizard in concentrating his/her power.  If the wizard uses an 
incantation, the incantation helps focus the wizard's mind and energy 
on the result to be achieved.  So if you tried to summon 
using "Ferula" instead of "Accio", it wouldn't work because your mind 
would be trying to accomplish something different from your words.  

So why does Voldemort use incantations in the graveyard?  If he's so 
powerful, can't he torture people with a wave of his wand and no 
incantation?  Perhaps Voldemort uses the incantation because it would 
be rather embarrassing should the Crucio or Avada Kedavra spell 
fail.  So he uses the incantation to be safe, and to fulfill is Evil 
Overlord desire for drama.

I suppose it is also possible that the wizard is communicating with 
his wand when he says the incantation.  If you use the incantation, 
the wand knows what you are trying to do.  If you don't, the wand has 
to pick up on your intention in other ways.  Perhaps the tight bond 
between a wizard and his own wand helps this communication process.

I'm not sure that the wand-wizard-communication idea works, though, 
because we see Sirius do rather complex magic with Snape's wand and 
no incantation.  Sirius is good, but is he that good?

Ben's idea of a magical R&D department is interesting.  It makes 
sense that there ought to be a department at MoM developing new 
spells and magical aids.  Percy alludes to this with his work on 
cauldron bottom thickness.  It would be highly amusing if Mundungus 
Fletcher ran MoM's R&D department, which would make his claim that 
his tent on sticks was really a 12-room suite more believable.  If 
so, Mundungus would be a valuable ally in the fight against Voldemort.

Cindy (getting mighty cranky as days go by with no word on the status 
of OoP)