Weasleys and Diggorys (was Re: the Lovegoods)

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 88503

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "quigonginger"
<quigonginger at y...> wrote:
> In wondering about whether Ron knew Luna, even though they (may) live 
> near each other, bboy_mn provided the following quote and comment:
> 
> > - - - Quote: GoF Am Ed HB pg 72 - - -
> > 
> > "Long walk, Arthur?" Cedric's father asked.
> > 
> > "Not too bad," said Mr. Weasley. "We live just on the other side of
> > the village there. You?"
> > 
> > --- pause quote ---
> > 
> > 
> > Mr. Diggory and Mr. Weasley don't seem to know exactly were the 
> > other> lives.
>  
> Ginger:  
> 
> ...edited...  
> 
> Back to the original question:  Does Ron know Luna?
> (much snippage of very good thought)
> bboy_mn again writes:
> 
> > In a way though, distance doesn't mean much to wizards. Even 
> > underage wizards via Floo can travel hundreds of mile before we 
> > could even get out to the garage and get our car started. So close
> > or far, Ron would not know other wizards and their kids well 
> > unless the Weasleys socialized with them in some fashion. ...


> 
> Ginger again:
> 
> Very good point.  Substitute computers for magic and it is true in 
> the real world.  I have e-mailed people in England, Philly, and many 
> other places, but have no idea what my next-door neighbours look 
> like. (...
> 
> As computers transcend the miles for us, so floo does for the WW.  
> It would seem that physical proximity would be a small factor in 
> socializing.  ...edited...
> 
> Ginger, wishing she could just floo to Grandma's

bboy_mn:

Thanks for the response Ginger. 

Your post reminded me of something that I think I might have been
leading up to in my previous post but due to the late hour, by the
time I got to the end, I completely spaced it out.

When we travel by automobile (or train, plane, bus, etc...) it, first
of all, takes time, and mroe important, we get to see where we are
going; we get to see the country side pass by as we move through time
and space. 

Wizards on the other hand, traveling by Floo or Portkey, see nothing
by a vague blur as they move through time and space. Consequently, I
could have traveled many many time to a given location by magical
means and still not really know where the place is or how to get the
by more muggle means.

Applying this to the orignal question, the Weasleys, the Diggorys, the
Lovegoods, and the Fawcetts could have actually socialized with each
other at their respective homes, without any of them know exactly how
to get to the other's homes in muggle space.

In the Floo Network, the difference between 10 miles away and 100
miles away, is probably just a matter of a couple of seconds. So all
sense of distance and place are lost in the mind of the traveler.
Unless you could see some very distinctive landmark upon arrival at a
given location, you would only have the vaguest idea where it was in
physical space.

Someone else asked something to the effect, do you need to know the
physical location of a given place in order to Floo to it? 

I don't think you do, I think most of all you need to accurately name
the place. Saying 'Hogwarts' or  more detailed 'Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry' would get you there, but saying, 'that place
up north that looks like an old castle where all those kids are' would
not get you there. Floo network is very much like the subway, you
really do need to know exactly where to get off, but you don't need to
have been there before.

Extending it farther, when you are hooked up to the Floo Network, you
may get to pick one or more names by which you location will be listed
 in or known to the Floo Network. When the Weasleys were connected
they chose to list their place as 'The Burrow', however, they many
have a second listing as 'The Weasley's' or 'Arthur Weasley's'.

I ammend this by saying that, in genneral, we have seen that intent
plays a big part in magic. Simple charms and spells are frequently
modified with slight shifts in intent, without the need for relavant
details in the incantation. So based on intent, saying, 'Molly
Weasley's', or 'Ron Weasley', rather than 'The Weasley's' or 'The
Burrow' to the Floo Network would probably still work. The invocation
of the Floo magic would be guided by you intent. 

But, of course, that's just one man's opinion.

bboy_mn