The AK itself, / Keep Harry Horcrux Free Challenge

[Ceridwen]

No: HPFGUIDX 140277

> Ceridwen wrote:
> >(Going off on a tangent here, could the power source reside in the
> >heart? If someone who is not magical does perform magic in book 7,
> >could it be because they have found their heart/courage in a
> >desperate situation, like mothers who heave cars off their kids?
> >And, if being 'heartsick' over a lost or oblivious love can 
diminish
> >one's magic, then that would be a heart effect, too)
> 
> Saraquel:
> I'm also swimming in porridge over just what resides where, but I 
do 
> think that the emotions reside in the blood, which was why Harry 
> started to feel Voldemort's emotions *after* Voldemort used his 
> blood in the rebirthing scene.  There is obviously a connection 
> between emotion and powers (Tonks), but I have also speculated on 
> hands being important here, that DD lost some of his powers when 
his 
> wand hand died, and that he wasn't willing to give up the whole of 
> his left hand, but only two or three fingers! Also, do witches 
> channel magical power (your power source) or is it in them?  My 
> thought is that they may channel it, rather in the manner of 
> spiritual healers.

Ceridwen:
Oh, I think this might be four.  But I forgot to answer this one 
point before when you raised it, so the iron is heating up again.

I don't think the blood/heart are exclusive.  The heart pumps the 
blood, and all of the blood goes through the heart.  Blood also goes 
through the other organs, including the skin.  So, a body would be 
diffused with the emotions.

I chose the heart because it *is* possible to channel emotions away 
from primal instinct, and even to cut them off entirely or 
compartmentalize them.  The heart has four chambers - compartments.  
The heart is also symbolic of love or hate, and of courage or of 
fear.  It seems to represent the emotions connected with how we view 
others and our world.  So, I would place the power center of magic in 
the heart specifically, and if it then powers the magic in the blood, 
then that makes sense.  When there is a disconnect in the emotions of 
the heart, the magic suffers.

I still believe that the reason Dumbledore's powers were diminished 
is because his dominant hand was damaged.  The body apart from the 
blood is as necessary to magic as the magic itself and its power 
source within the body.  Voldemort couldn't do magic, not because he 
got stupid all of a sudden, but because he lost his body and couldn't 
hold a wand.  I would assume that a good wizard who had learned his 
lessons well, would be able to cast a spell with his wand under his 
arm or clutched between his toes, too, just not as well as if he was 
holding his wand in his dominant hand.  Like we see or hear of people 
who are able to draw with their feet, lacking hands.  And, I suppose 
that someone who learned to cast spells holding a wand in their toes 
would do just as well as someone who was only used to holding their 
wand in one particular hand.  In the same way, spells can be cast 
nonverbally, and even wandlessly (Legilimency for one), but they're 
not as powerful as when one uses words and a wand.

And, the spoken word makes a spell more powerful, too.  The 'breath 
of life'.  'Ask and ye shall receive'.  'Speak "friend" and enter'.  
IMO, magic is a power wielded by the whole being.  So, I guess, which 
part does what is academically interesting, but if you don't have all 
parts functioning up to speed, you do diminished magic at the best, 
no magic at the worst.

Ceridwen.