Muggle Questions Electricity

[bluesqueak <pipdowns@etchells0.demon.co.uk>]

No: HPFGUIDX 50626

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Debbie <debmclain at y...>" 
<debmclain at y...> wrote:

> Now an ignorant question...Hermione mentions that magic and 
> electricity don't work together. I'm assuming she means just at 
> Hogwarts, right? Otherwise, wouldn't muggles find it weird that  
> some neighbors only use candles?
> 
> -Debbie


Well, Arthur Weasley doesn't even know how to *pronounce* 
electricity (he says eckeltricity in GoF Ch.1); so a full time 
wizard obviously doesn't use the stuff at all.

I doubt that wizards use only candles.  Hogwarts uses large flaming 
torches in its halls. Plus wands get used in place of torches 
(flashlights) with the Lumos spell; the QWC stadium in GoF has magic 
lighting. For the suburban wizard surrounded by muggles, paraffin 
lamps (kerosene) would work quite nicely with magic. They can be as 
bright as electric lights, so the neighbours would be unlikely to 
notice unless they went into the house.

I suspect magic and electricity don't work together because magic, 
like electricity, works at the sub atomic level. Spells probably 
interfere with the continuous flow of electrons that 
electrical/electronic devices depend on. 

How do half and half households get on? Probably by compromise. The 
wizard/witch tries to remember not to use any spells when the 
telly's on; and the muggle remembers to have candles/paraffin lamps 
available in each room for those 'excuse me, I just have to talk to 
someone via the fireplace' moments.

There's probably quite a bit of 'Darling, I'm going to be on the 
Internet for an hour' or 'Darling, I just have to make this complex 
potion, there's nothing good on the tv tonight, is there?'.  

Alternatively, half and half households may be notorious for their 
large gardens, with their large garden shed, which is where the 
wizarding half can use magic away from all that eleckeltricity...

Pip!Squeak
 [ currently trying to complete the UK Inland Revenue's 
new 'simplified' Self Assessment Income Tax form (which contains 
such gems as ' If you ticked 'Yes' in Question 17 on page 7 then go 
to page 17 to work out the figure for box W76...)]