Wands and spells

[mhbobbin]

No: HPFGUIDX 109385

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "wapp13" <mandyallen286 at f...> 
wrote:
> Correct me if I've missed something, but having just read GoF for 
the 
> eighth time I realised that Harry, when he is in the alleyway with 
> Dudley, casts a spell without his wand in his hand.  Is this 
right?  
> He says 'lumos' and the wand tip lights up.  I have always assumed 
> the wand has to be held my the person casting the spell, otherwise 
> why have a wand in the first place?

mhbobbin writes:
Yes, that is correct and I believe it is yet another indication that 
Harry is gaining in power.  But I think you mean OotP not GOF.


> And a couple of other things struck me while reading this again 
> (goodness knows why they haven't occurred to me before now - must 
> have been reading with my eyes closed!)  One is that Aunt Petunia 
> says the dementors were guarding Azkaban when Lily was hanging 
around 
> with James Potter because she heard them talking about it.  Had 
> Voldemort not recruited them on his team at this point?  If not, 
when 
> did they join him?

mhbobbin writes:
Not sure that we know that the Dementors were ever an ally of 
Voldemort in Voldemort's reign of terror. Obviously, DD is worried 
that they could become allies, as he expresses that in PoA. And in 
GoF, yes, Voldemort refers to recruiting the Dementors as they are 
his natural alllies.

But when you say that Petunia heard Lily and James talking about hte 
Dementors--you may be being intentionally misled by JKR.  Petunia 
heard "she" talking about them [we assume Lily and have no other 
choices yet] and "that awful boy".  We don't know who Petunia means 
by awful boy. Does James seem like an awful boy to you--maybe awful 
to Snape but likely well behaved and presentable in front of Lily's 
family.  This, IMO, is classic JKR sleight of hand. We assume that 
Petunia is talking about Harry's parents because Harry assumes that 
she is --"If you mean my parents, why don't you use their names?' 
Petunia doesn't answer. She has not yet told who she meant by AWFUL 
BOY. Some posters believe that Snape is the awful boy. I do. 


Mandy Pandy:
> > Petunia says in PS that Lily was always showing off doing magic 
> tricks, turning tea cups into mice during the school holidays.  
Was  magic not banned during holidays as it is in Harry's experience?
>
mhbobbin: Good question. We just don't know. Even in Harry's 
experience, the law is inconsistently enforced.

mhbobbin