Wizard Baruffio and the Wingardium Leviosa Charm Revisited

[secca_pk]

No: HPFGUIDX 159952



> Nikkallmati:
> I assume this is a play on the wizard's own name, not on the spell
he used.

Secca adds:
I don't understand how this works -- so he said his own name as 
Barussio? Is that what you mean? How does that conjure a buffalo? 

If it just supposed to be funny that his name and 'buffalo' are 
similar, then why bring up the whole 's' instead of 'f' -- She could 
have just said "never forget Baruffio who mispronounced a spell and 
ended up with a buffalo on his chest."

>Eddie wrote:
>Maybe Baruffio needs a spelling spell. :-)

Secca adds: 
Oh Eddie... No really... Oh Eddie... 

*Maybe* what he needed was to fit a fell...
WAIT I meant Sit A Spell... Aghhh ::<-- Smooshed by buffalo::
.... "accio bussola"

*All right then* -- Back to topic:

Why *does* Flitwick say: "-- Never forget Wizard Baruffio who 
said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a 
buffalo on his chest." SS USpb 171

*No really*. 

I have puzzled over this for years now, it bugs me every reread. 
(Okay, not very much... but it does bug me.)

I have never seen, anywhere (including archived HP4GU posts) a 
convincing explanation. Does anyone have one? The silliness I posted 
a couple of posts back almost works -- but not really. Nor does 
calling it a typo; (it should have been "f instead of s") as that 
makes more sense "Wingardium Leviofa" -- I don't buy this one either.
(It *might* work if 'ofa' somehow meant buffalo... any thoughts?)

The idea that makes the most sense to me is that Barrufio was saying 
something else, other than 'Wingardium Leviosa'; perhaps in Latin 
(or Portuguese if this is just a private joke of Jo's) -- but 
remember, this is Book 1. That means that we, as readers back then, 
did not know most of the spellnames we do now, so while "Accio 
bussalo" works for the joke... we don't know if Jo had 
invented 'Accio' yet when she wrote this... besides, 'bussalo' 
doesnt mean anything... details, details.(Well, actually, Busalo is 
a surname and Bussalo is a city in Togo, but *anyway*)

I have seen as well, and tried myself to find, some play on words 
for the Latin names for Buffalo, and Bison and Bovine and similar 
things, but none of that seemed to work either...

Anbody speak Portuguese? As I still think that is the best bet for a 
possible explanation for this, maybe a private joke of Jo's... 
(personally, given the nature of the word for 'floor' in portuguese, 
the joke might even be off-color, Jo had more leeway to have fun 
back with Book 1.. I imagine her learning portuguese and coming up 
with one of those 'only funny to non-native speakers' kind of pun on 
words... okay, so maybe I imagine a bit too much, but that *is* why 
I read HP in the first place!!

I know this is an old, unimportant trifle, but I really am curious 
as a kneazle in Knightbridge. Besides, I think I need a break 
from "Book Seven: Harry Potter and the Neverending Snape!Theories"

Inquiring Minds Want to Know! I want to know! Ms. Magoo wants to 
know!! (Great screename BTW!)