[HPforGrownups] Re: Brooms and Wandless Magic

[heather the buzzard]

No: HPFGUIDX 132307

zgirnius:

>>Are the brooms WW folk use specially charmed/enchanted so they would 
>>fly? If so, could Muggles use them? (Perhaps they are excepted from 
>>the usual ban on enchanting Muggle artifacts for reasons of 
>>tradition?) 
>>

bboyminn:

>>Flying Brooms are not ordinary brooms that have been enchanted to fly.
>>They are special devices magically created specifically for flying;
>>that much is a fact. They do not resemble anything that any modern
>>muggle would regard as a broom or something functionally able to
>>actually sweep; again by modern standards.
>>
>>As to whether a muggle could get a flying broom to fly, I'm not sure.
>>We have to ponder to what extent a flying brooms flying ability is
>>self-contained, and to what extent it draws on the magic of the wizard
>>doing the flying. 
>>
>>Just a pure guess, but I think to some extent, it draws on the magic
>>of the wizard doing the flying. The core nature of the object is
>>enchanted into it, but the activation, motivation, and control of the
>>flying broom must come from the wizard.
>>
>>Mostly, I just made that up, but it seems reasonable.
>>    
>>

You guys obviously haven't read "Quidditch Through the Ages".  :)

It talks in some detail about the history of brooms and enchantments 
thereon.  Originally, wizards used brooms to get around on precisely 
because they were regular muggle objects that would be unusual to have 
lying around the house.  But they were uncomfortable, so they came up 
with cushioning charms.  Anyway, yes they were regular brooms, then 
enchanted. 

Oh, and they soon also discovered the need for braking charms...

As things progressed, they started making brooms that were designed just 
for flying.  But the essence of the flying aspect is indeed in charms on 
it - the construction is part of the technology, but only in that it 
enhances the charms rather than creates them.

Modern brooms have all sorts of fancy charms on them, as well as the 
latest advances in design and aerodynamics.  They're always working on 
improving the quality of the charms or coming up with new ones.

However -- does this mean an ordinary muggle could use a broom?  I don't 
think so.  It's enchanted to fly, yes, but actually *enabling* it, 
accessing the charm, controlling it, requires the riders' own magic.  
Otherwise, they wouldn't even really need 'flying lessons', they'd just 
pick it up and press the 'go' button.  They have to learn how to channel 
their magic energy into the broom, or something like that.

Harry was a natural flier -- the kind of 'magic access' needed for 
flying is a kind that comes easily to him.  Other types of magic he's 
had to work at more.  Conversely, Hermione was not a good flier right 
off the bat.  (In fact, have we ever seen her on a broom?)  It's a 
difficult 'kind' of magic for her, though most magic is simple as 1-2-3.

If Hermione has trouble with it, my goodness certainly a muggle would!

So basically, any broom can be enchanted to fly -- though it won't be as 
controllable or as efficient as a modern flying broom.  The flying comes 
from the charms.  However it takes a wizard to be able to 'turn on' the 
charms, so to speak... they lie dormant in the broom until called upon 
by a magic being.

Now I've expanded a lot from what is written in QTTA, but this is the 
impression I got from reading that book, of how it all works.

heather the buzzard