Magical Quills (Was: Teachers' workload)

[nkafkafi]

No: HPFGUIDX 87014

> > Booby J wrote:
> > > The Hogwarts teachers are overworked!  
> 
> Then Neri wrote: 
> 
> Regarding checking homework assignments, however, I'd be very 
> > surprised if a competent witch such as Prof. McGonagal does not 
> have 
> > a Homework Checking Quill or something of that sort. 
> 
> Beverly adds:
> 
> Ooooooh, that does make sense.  There are two quills that I can 
> remember that do magical things.  The first is Rita Skeeters Quick 
> Quotes Quill and then Umbridge's evil, foul, revolting quill that 
> makes a person inflict damage on him/herself when writing with it. 

Neri adds more magic quills in the WW (thanks to the very real magic 
of computerized search).

In SS/PS:
The final exams are conducted with quills bewitched with an Anti-
Cheating spell (I could use them too in my own teaching career).

In PoA:
Not magical, but Honeydukes sell sugar quills, which you can suck in 
class and just look like you're thinking what to write next (I wonder 
if these were already patented in the RW?) 

OotP:
An anonymous auror in aurors headquarters in the MoM dictates a 
report to his quill.

DD uses what appears to be one of Fawkes' scarlet body-feathers as a 
quill (thanks the Lexicon). It is open to speculation what powers 
does it have, especially remembering that that Fawkes' tail features 
are used in Harry's and LV's wands.  

Auto-Answer Quills are banned from the OWL examination (what happened 
to the Anti-Cheating Quills?). 


(Beverly again): 
> I also believe that Hermione put a spell on her quill when she had 
> everyone sign the list at the beginning of the DA meetings in OotP. 
I 
> say this because right after the meeting in the Hogshead, she goes 
> into a shop to buy another quill.  Since the quill she just used to 
> have everyone sign the list had a "sneak" jinx put on it, she 
needed 
> a new one for everyday work.

Neri again:
That's a brilliant idea, although I believe Hermione specifically 
mentioned she jinxed the parchment, but why kill interesting ideas 
with boring canon?

Beverly also mentioned:
> 
> Oh, and there is the quill that JKR said puts down the name of 
every 
> magical child who will get a letter from Hogwarts.  Maybe that's 
the 
> Headmasters magical quill??  And maybe all the teachers have 
magical 
> quills to keep up with all the grading and writing they have to 
do.  
> Does Snape's quill have a thing against Harry's papers?  After all, 
> in OotP Harry gets a "D for Dreadful" mark on his paper for Snape.

Neri adds:
I imagine magic quills reflect some of their owner's personality as 
well as their knowledge. In addition, it seems the most difficult 
part with inventing a new kind of magic quill is to get all the words 
of the name (or at least two out of three) to start with the same 
letter. This I leave to people with better english than mine.

Neri