CHAPTER DISCUSSIONS: Chapter One/MuggleWorld, Wizard World

[adsong16]

No: HPFGUIDX 82615

 "jwcpgh" <jwcpgh at y...> wrote:

> If Ffred is right, and I think he is, then magical ability is a sort 
> of genetic mutation that occurs in certain people.  

Gorda:
I agree (by the way, what a great post Ffred's was!)


>The ability lies  in the capacity to tap a source of internal power or energy 
that is 
> not available to most people.  Hence, the energy is not something 
> that exists in the physical world, accessible to anyone, the way 
> electromagnetic energy is.  Instead, it inheres in the persons who 
> possess it, and they can choose to use it or not.  (see note below)
> 

I don't know about that. The mutant gene could open up an ability that all 
people have, but don't know how to use, or it could simply allow people to tap 
that magical energy outside (analogous to the Star Wars "Force", perhaps). 
We just don't know enough from canon to know what magic really is in the 
Potterverse. I was only offering a possible explanation for the phenomenon of 
wandless magic, particularly since in canon we only see wandless magic 
performed outside of magical surroundings and people .

[side note: except for Dumbledore's clap of hands that changes the 
decorations at the end of PS/SS. I am excluding here also the Animagus 
transformation and the Apparating, because we have no clue as to how those 
things are accomplished (is there an incantation? do they have to simply 
concentrate? just because the text does not mention an incantation doesn't 
mean there isn't one, it could be something that is thought rather than said, or 
it could be that those who have mastered the spell don't need the incantation 
anymore.)]

> There seem to be limits on what that power can do, but not many.  
> Magical power can't reverse death or allow people to travel at light 
> speed, for instance (or can it...?)-but it does allow for time 
> travel.  We also know that the amounts of magical power/ability 
> differ from person to person in the WW-or else not everyone can 
> harness that power to the same degree.  That's why, presumably, not 
> every magical child is invited to attend Hogwarts.  And that would 
> make sense if the power were a genetic trait rather than something 
> that exists external to people.  

Yes, but it would also make sense if the genetic mutation simply affected the 
degree to which you can tap that external force. Again, we just don't know 
enough one way or the other.

[snip]
> 
> We know that having a few wizards around won't cause electronic 
> devices to fail, but we don't know what number is required.  Or it 
> may be that it depends on how powerful the wizards and witches 
> present are.  But can we call that phenomenon a "magical field"?  
> And if that's what it is, magical people gathered together in 
> numbers would have to be careful to limit the field.  Otherwise, for 
> instance, the nearest muggle town to the QWC might have lost its 
> electricity, and that's the last thing the MoM would have wanted.  
> 
OK, you have a good point.  Of course this also lies near the edges of what we 
know for sure. Was there a Muggle town close to the QWC campsite? we don't 
know. Do Muggle-repellent charms, such as the one placed on the QWC field, 
also act as a "magic containment field", so that the energy doesn't disturb 
electricity outside? we don't know, it could be. I know that JKR has worked out 
what magic can and can't do, but I wonder if she was worked it out to that 
degree of detail.

> And what happens when the witch or wizard who casts a spell isn't 
> physically present any more-how long does the spell last?  What if 
> the Order abandons Grimmauld Place and manage to move Kreacher 
> elsewhere? (Portraits don't count, imo, because they can't do 
> magic.)  Would the protective charms stop working?  If the Board of 
> Governors decided to move the school to a new site, would Hogwarts 
> suddenly become visible to muggles as it really is?  Can spells be 
> cast in perpetuity?

Well, we know that there are spells on Hogwarts that likely have been there 
for hundreds of years (for example, the spell that sealed the entrance(s) to the 
Chamber of Secrets). We also know of spells that have lasted decades (the 
one that makes 12 Grimmauld Place unplottable, was put there by Sirius's 
dad and persisted even after his and his wife's deaths). So, we can assume 
that spells can outlive their casters. How long they stay cast? maybe it 
depends on the skill of the wizard, maybe it is part of the spell itself, who 
knows.

> 
> Note:
> We don't know of anyone who does in fact choose not to use his/her 
> magical powers, but presumably people could do so.  We also know 
> that in moments of high stress, magical powers can manifest 
> themselves involuntarily, at least in children.  We haven't seen any 
> adult have that experience.

mmmh, interesting. I wonder if as wizards get older and better trained in 
harnessing their powers, they become unable to use their power 
involuntarily...

thanks for the discussion, it's great fun!

Gorda