Brooms and Wandless Magic - Nitpick

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 132313

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, heather the buzzard
<tankgirl73 at s...> wrote:
> 
> 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 ...

bboyminn:

Oddly enough, I agree with you completely, but none the less feel the
need to pick a few nits.

What passed for a broom in 950AD is not what passes for a broom today.
 A modern muggle broom would be completely useless for flying even if
you enchanted it, and a modern flying broom still does not look
anything like a modern sweeping broom.

> Heather:
>
> ... so they came up with cushioning charms. ... braking charms...
> 
> As things progressed, t... 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. ...
> 

bboyminn:

Which confirms my central point, that flying brooms are not sweeping
brooms, they are device specifically made for flying. They, as you
point out, are constructed specifically with flying in mind, then they
have the basic flying charm applied to them. To the basic flying charm
  are added various standard accessory charms like cushion charms.
Then performance charms are added braking, reversing, anti-jinx,
etc.... Then I suspect a variety of optional accessory charms are
added. It's sort of like buying a new car. 

But the final result is a long way from anything that any muggle would
identify as a modern sweeping broom. Further, flying brooms even if
you made the 'broom' connection would probably be terrible at sweeping
anything but large object like leaves and clods of dirt, and then you
wouldn't be so much sweeping as just pushing the stuff around.


> Heather concludes:
>
> 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.  ...
> 
> heather the buzzard

bboyminn:

In this area I think you are touching on the key. The broom has the
capacity to fly, but not the ability to do so. It is the wizard who
lends the ability to function to the device's innate capacity to fly.

Seems reasonable.

Steve/bboyminn