Knowing your Latin (was Re: Mindset in the Wizarding World)

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 140757

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "bibphile" <bibphile at y...> wrote:

bibphile:
> On a side note, am I the only one who thought it was very stupid of 
> Harry to just try spells on people when he had no idea what they 
did.  
> He could have at least looked for Latin roots or tried them on mice 
> first.  What would have happened if he'd tried that spell on McLaggen 
> like he planned?

Geoff:
I quite agree that a knowledge of Latin might well have warned Harry of 
the danger inherent in this spell.

He had already met Rictusempra earlier:

'Harry pointed his wand straght at Malfoy and shouted "Rictusempra".
A jet of silver light hit Malfoy in the stomach and he doubled up, 
wheezing...

...Harry had hit him with a Tickling Charm and he could barely move for 
laughing.'

(COS "The Duelling Club" pp.143-44 UK edition)

This may have been a fairly harmless spell but its structure is of 
note. "Rictus" is a "grin" or "open mouth" and "sempra" is derived 
from "semper" meaning "always".

"Sectumsempra" shares part of its name. "Sectum" is the supine of the 
verb "secto" - to cut and means "in order to cut". Add on "sempra" and 
you have a spell which apparently makes permanent cuts. It is fortunate 
that Snape was around otherwise I think it possible that Draco could 
have bled to death. It was certainly very stupid of Harry to use an 
untried spell without attempting to determine its meaning.

Just as an afterthought, how did Snape manage to emerge from the 
woodwork so quickly to deal with Malfoy's injuries? He was through the 
door within seconds of the spell being cast.