Wand construction ....and Application.

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 96945

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, squeakinby <squeakinby at t...> wrote:
> If one requires a wand to perform magic, from where does the wand 
> receive its power?  Does Mr. Ollivander impart the essence into the
wand 
> when he creates it?  If the wand is simply a means by which to focus
the 
> energy of the universe, why is it not sufficient to point one's finger, 
> much as the magician in the tarot deck?
> 
> Jem

bboy_mn:

The wood used to make wands comes from Naturally Enchanted Trees. You
can tell which trees are naturally enchanted because bowtruckles live
in them. 

---Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them - pg 5---
"An offering of woodlice will placate the Bowtruckles long enough to
let the witch or wizard remove wand-wood from it's tree."
---end quote---

---OotP - Pg 259---
"...bowtruckles ...generally live in trees whose wood is of wand quality."
---end quote---

While I admit I am extending what was actually said, I speculate that
what makes a tree 'of wand quality' is that it is a naturally
enchanted tree. It has some magical essense of it's own which is what
attracts the Bowtruckles to the tree, and is why the Bowtruckles guard it.

So wands are made from naturally magical wood and given a magical
core, and it is this magical essense of the wand that makes it
suitable for focusing and channeling the magic of a wizard or witch.

As far as Mr. Ollivander imparting some magical essense into the
wands, I don't think he adds any enchantment to them. He adds magical
essense by very closely matching the core to the wood so that they are
in magical harmony. A wizard who matches that wand is simply a wizard
who shares that magical harmony with the wand.

In addtion, to precisely matching the 'essense' of the core, I think
length and shape of the wand further harmonize the components. To fine
tune the wand, Ollivander may also carve ancient siymbols and runes
into the wood. But all his efforts are toward one goal, making the
wand and it's components as harmoniously in sync as possible. The more
the components are in sync harmoniously, and the more closely the
wizard using the wand is in sync with it, the more powerful the
potential is for magic.

Side note; I think in incidences of intentional wandless magic by a
skilled wizard, there is still something that focuses and directs the
magic. Example, Tom snaps his fingers and the fireplace ignites. It
was the snapping of his fingers that was the trigger or focus event
that caused the magic to flow and produced the desired result.

Tom has probably, in his long life, lit countless fires, it has become
so second nature to him that he doesn't need his wand any more, but he
still needs a 'trigger'. He needs something to initiate and focus the
magic, in this case, it is the 'snap' of his fingers.

I suspect that most wizards can do common tedious mundane acts of
magic with little or no effort, and without their wands. How many
times in a lifetime is a wizard or witch going to heat the water in
the tea kettle or just tea cup? ...zillion? At some point, it will
surely become such a second nature that a nod of the head or the snap
of their fingers will be sufficient to get the job done. 

We see how effortless powerful and experienced wizards like Voldemort
and Dumbledore are able to duel with each other; rarely using
incantations, minimal wand movement, and seemingly little effort.

Just a few thoughts, some of which, admittedly, stray from the main topic.

bboy_mn

See Post #52995, #53010, #42727, #42765, #47614 for more theories on
wands. PS: I though you'd never ask ;).