Battle Tactics... (was: Re: How can you kill a wizard? )

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 166005

---  "zanooda2" <zanooda2 at ...> wrote:
>
> ---  "Steve" <bboyminn@> wrote:
> 
> <SNIP>
>  
> > To the issue of good wizards killing bad wizards, I
> > don't think that is necessary. But I do have a huge 
> > bone to pick with the strategy and tactics used by 
> > the good wizards in the fight against evil.  
>  
> > <SNIP>  once you have a DE disabled, why not take,
> > hide, snap, or otherwise get rid of the DE's wand. 
> 
> 
> zanooda:
> 
> Does anyone happen to know why they never use 
> transfiguration in battle? It was probably discussed 
> before, but to me it's a mystery. Couldn't McGonagall,
> for instance, turn the DE that she fought in HBP 
> into a bug or something?
>

bboyminn:

Actually, I don't recall that ever being discussed and
I've been around here for a long time.

The best I can do is speculate. Since Transfiguration is
not used, then we must assume that there is a logical
reason for that in the Potterverse. So what is that
reason?

I could be because Transfiguration is complex and 
therefore takes a great deal of concentration. In the
heat of battle concentration is not a highly available
commodity, therefore transfiguration would be 
unreliable. 

Also note from Hermione's comments in Transfiguration
class, that Human transfigurations are very difficult.
The more complex the object being tranfigured, the 
more difficult the transfiguration magic is. That
somewhat confirms what I said above. 

Also, I speculate that the more different the pre-
transfiguation and the post-transfiguation objects are,
the more complex and unreliable the transfiguration is.
For example a hedgehog into a pin cushion is not that
different. Draco into a ferret also carries similarities.
Ferret fits Draco's personality. But what about 
strangers in the heat of battle? There is no time to
analyse the best and simplest 'object' to transform them
into. As an example, it might be easier to transform
Draco into a ferret or a weasel because they fit his
personality than to transfigure him into a fox or a dog. 

Further, exactly what would you transform an enemy into?
And to what extent while transformed would he/she retain
themselves and their objectives? It doesn't do much good
to turn someone into a dog only to then be attacked by 
the dog. 

It's a difficult question, perhaps if nothing else, I
have given you some food for thought. 

Steve/bboyminn