wands

[corinthum]

No: HPFGUIDX 40083


Nik wrote:

> Wands don't work in an all or nothing fashion. Does that make sense?
>I'll explain... Harry is told that it is possible to use another
>person's wand, but the results won't be as good as he would get with
a >wand that has picked him. So it's not just a case of only being
able >to use that one wand. If a wizard could use any wand (with
varying >degrees of success), then couldn't there be more than one
that would >work well for him/her.

I think wands are something like certain types of clothing, such as
evening gowns or bathing suits (sorry guys, I don't know what the most
difficult type of clothing for men to buy is).  In both of the above
examples, it is physically possible to wear many styles.  But there
are very few specific dresses or bathing suits that compliment an
individual.  However, there are in most cases more than one dress/suit
that would flatter a person.  

Wands, in my opinion, work the same way.  One may have to "try on"
several wands, as Harry did, before finding a suitable one.  However,
there are probably several other wands out there that could mesh with
Harry's personality/ability/whatever-else-a-wand-looks-for.  Also,
certain people may have better "figures" (pardon the extended
analogy), and have a much easier time finding a wand that fits well
than other people.  (Luckily, wizards are spared any wand faux pas
since the wand chooses the wizard.)  

If this is true, Ron could easily use a passed down wand.  It just
doesn't fit as well as his own.
 
Nik also wrote:

> Another idea to consider - Do you think it is possible to "outgrow"
>your wand? I'm assuming that the wand picks you based on the person
>that you are at the time of purchase, but as your abilities grow and
>change, could the wand becomes less effective? Perhaps this explains
>why Percy replaced a perfectly good wand. 

Interesting idea.  I had always assumed wands wear out as time passes.
 I don't have my books on hand, but didn't Ron have Charlie's old
wand?  If so, perhaps the wand was not in good enough shape to trust
against dragons, but would be fine for a first year student.  However,
needing a new wand due to changing abilities perhaps makes more sense.

-Corinth