Magical Latin / Draco's son's name / Triwizard Tournament

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

No: HPFGUIDX 186090

Miles wrote in <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/186065>:

<< Just look at the language question. Why are most spells using Latin? What is magical about Latin? Did manhood have no magic before Latin was spoken? How could there be ancient wizards in Egypt, before there was something like "Latin" at all? Aren't there indigene wizards in America and Africa, who will not know of Latin at all? And if Latin is important, why is this Latin so messed up? And if the language is not important, why aren't there working spells in English? >>

One spell in English is Tonks's 'Locomotor trunk!' Which ought to be 'Locomotor cysta!'

Okay, the idea of the Potterverse is that a lot of stuff that we Muggles think are folktales and superstitions are really true, and a lot of things we Muggles think are proven scientific or historical fact are really cover stories. Modern Muggles think that the Loch Ness monster is a fiction, an optical illusion, or a pleiosaur who somehow survived since the time of dinosaurs, all erroneous beliefs, as FB tells us that Nessie is a kelpie with an unfortunate fondness for publicity.

This has inspired me to include other things that are superstitions in the realiverse as truths in my fanfic Potterverse, such as Atlantis, and humans from early in the genus Homo until the Middle Bronze Age lived in matriarchal groups and civilizations.

In the same spirit, I say that spells aren't in Latin; they are in a different language that was specially invented and engineered to be effective for spell-making. That it is similar to the Muggle language named Latin is because Latin began by ambitious Muggles trying to learn by imitation the powerful language of their wizard king tyrants. (I suppose that a magic intended for magic spells doesn't need any verb tenses or moods except the imperative.)

There is more than one language engineered to be used for magic, including Sumerian and Old Egyptian; the wizards wrote in these magic languages and we have found their writings and assumed it was a spoken language, but the non-wizards (and wizards speaking to non-wizards) really spoke an early form of Babylonian and Middle Egyptian respectively. I assume something similar happened in China and all the other places where civilization was independently invented. Also, it is possibly that the very first language ever was invented by wizards to use in doing magic, and using language to communicate with fellow wizards came along later.

Bird wrote in <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/186082>:

<< Draco named his son [Scorpius ]after the thing that killed the
namesake of his Great Uncle [Orion] and Aunt [Bellatrix, a star in the constellation Orion]. >>

And explained in <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/186084>:

<< I wonder if the name isn't an FU to his ancestors. >>

Only to his Black ancestors. I'd be more impressed that this was a sign that Draco had decided that goodness is good business if he issued an FU to his Malfoy ancestors. 

samajdar_parantap wrote in <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/186088>:

<< In the beginning [of the Triwizard Tournament] it is said that the champion with total highest score in the three phases of the game will win. But in the third task – one who touches the cup first wins irrespective of total points. Seeker syndrome again? >>

One could excuse this as careless speech on the assumption that the first Champion to enter the maze will touch the Cup first, and the order of entering the maze is based on their points from the first two Tasks. Or it could be that they were simply lying to motivate the Champions to try hard in the first two Tasks rather than rest up for the only one that matters.

<< And all the foreign students who were not competing stayed for the whole year to cheer for their champions. Doesn't make much sense. >>

It would make sense for DD's announced goal that young wizards and witches from different countries should get to know each other, if the guests studied in the Hogwarts classes and ate in the Hogwarts Great Hall with the Hogwarts students, rather than taking their classes and meals as well as sleeping in the conveyance that brought them there. If their Headmasters were teaching all their subjects, then those Headmasters wouldn't have much time for Apparating back to their school to attend to duties there.

<< Apart from Harry , all other champions are either appearing for
OWL or in their NEWT/pre-NEWT year - which is supposed to be very
tough scheduled. So how they could devote 1 year for a game. >>

People in their OWL and NEWT years play Quidditch on their House teams, so the OWL year and NEWT year study schedule is not all-consuming.

<< In case of people who are appearing for OWL/NEWT , are they exempt from end of year exam , too ? if they are , does competing ( Not even winning ) in tri-wizard tournament viewed as a replacement for those exams ? >>

Actually, students in their OWL and NEWT year should not have to take end-of-years exams at all, because the end-of-year exams are really just a check of how well one is doing on preparing for the tests that matter, the tests that give certificates that future employers care about, the OWLs and NEWTs.