Harry Potter Questions of canon events...

[WhiteKnightLeo]

I haven't really been reading many Harry Potter fics till just recently, and I came across a couple fics that talked about a Wizard's "magic core", Now I know about Wand Cores, but the context seem to be referring to something more like a Linker Core from Nanoha. I tried to see if I could find info on it from the HPWiki but all I got was Wand Cores and I don't recall a "Magic Core" ever being mentioned in the books (though to be fair it's been awhile since I read the books...). So anyways are magic cores fanon or canon?

Pure, 100% fanon.

Fic writers use it to show how super-mega-ultra-hyper powerful Harry is compared to other lesser characters, not realising it's the complete opposite of the themes in canon.

Similarly, 'magical maturity' is fanon as well. As is the Potters' will and 1000 other things people use to bash characters.

To be fair at least the idea of the Potters leaving a will is at least plausible.

Having a will might be plausible, but having it say Harry should never go to the Dursleys is not. LV was after Harry, not after his parents. There was absolutely no reason for his parents to assume that they would get killed yet Harry would somehow survive.

Actually it is plausible that such a thing would be include even if they had no reason to think it might happen, or are you really suggesting that the Potters would not have listed Harry as the primary inheritor in the event of their passing?

And as for the plausibility...

More than a few have pointed out how ridiculous JKR's explanation for why Harry survived is, and have also made the highly plausible suggestion that perhaps when JKR says "love" and "sacrifice" what she really means is some kind of magical protection that Lily consciously cast; a protection that required the life of its caster to power (and generally speaking people would only give their lives in this fashion to protect a loved one, such as a spouse or child). Thus her refusal to move (although a mother would not likely be reasoning so in that situation, especially when she knows that her husband has just been murdered by the man threatening her son).

In that scenario, it makes perfect sense for instructions about Harry's placement to be included, as Lily would as least be hoping that the spell would work and save his life at the cost of hers and James's.

 

[pidl]

I haven't really been reading many Harry Potter fics till just recently, and I came across a couple fics that talked about a Wizard's "magic core", Now I know about Wand Cores, but the context seem to be referring to something more like a Linker Core from Nanoha. I tried to see if I could find info on it from the HPWiki but all I got was Wand Cores and I don't recall a "Magic Core" ever being mentioned in the books (though to be fair it's been awhile since I read the books...). So anyways are magic cores fanon or canon?

Pure, 100% fanon.

Fic writers use it to show how super-mega-ultra-hyper powerful Harry is compared to other lesser characters, not realising it's the complete opposite of the themes in canon.

Similarly, 'magical maturity' is fanon as well. As is the Potters' will and 1000 other things people use to bash characters.

To be fair at least the idea of the Potters leaving a will is at least plausible.

Having a will might be plausible, but having it say Harry should never go to the Dursleys is not. LV was after Harry, not after his parents. There was absolutely no reason for his parents to assume that they would get killed yet Harry would somehow survive.

Actually it is plausible that such a thing would be include even if they had no reason to think it might happen, or are you really suggesting that the Potters would not have listed Harry as the primary inheritor in the event of their passing?

Doesn't everything automatically go to the child in the absence of a will?

And as for the plausibility...

More than a few have pointed out how ridiculous JKR's explanation for why Harry survived is, and have also made the highly plausible suggestion that perhaps when JKR says "love" and "sacrifice" what she really means is some kind of magical protection that Lily consciously cast; a protection that required the life of its caster to power (and generally speaking people would only give their lives in this fashion to protect a loved one, such as a spouse or child). Thus her refusal to move (although a mother would not likely be reasoning so in that situation, especially when she knows that her husband has just been murdered by the man threatening her son).

In that scenario, it makes perfect sense for instructions about Harry's placement to be included, as Lily would as least be hoping that the spell would work and save his life at the cost of hers and James's.

So in the event we disregard word of god and put in some fanon instead, it becomes plausible?

 

[Hardcore Heathen]

So in the event we disregard word of god and put in some fanon instead, it becomes plausible?

Disregarding the Word of God is perfectly fine. Anything JKR said in interviews, or put on Pottermore, or any information put out in a format that is not the book series, is fair game for ignoring.

We can assume that people have read the books, or at least watched the movies. Deleting elements from the core source there just causes confusion. You alienate a lot less of the audience by ignoring things that were *not* in the core source material, because the audience is much less likely to have read it or internalized it.

For instance, even though pretty much everybody is aware that Dumbledore is gay by Word of God, nobody gives two shits if you ignore it.

 

[ArchfiendRai]

So in the event we disregard word of god and put in some fanon instead, it becomes plausible?

Disregarding the Word of God is perfectly fine. Anything JKR said in interviews, or put on Pottermore, or any information put out in a format that is not the book series, is fair game for ignoring.

We can assume that people have read the books, or at least watched the movies. Deleting elements from the core source there just causes confusion. You alienate a lot less of the audience by ignoring things that were *not* in the core source material, because the audience is much less likely to have read it or internalized it.

For instance, even though pretty much everybody is aware that Dumbledore is gay by Word of God, nobody gives two shits if you ignore it.

These are my feelings as well. I've never ready any of the miscellaneous books like the quidditch one, and I'm certainly not a pottermore member.

The core material is really what counts, in my book.

 

[pidl]

This whole business with the will had me check the books and made me wonder:

Why is it always the goblins who have the Potters' will, and why is every will reading done at Gringotts?
There is no mention whatsoever in either HBP with Sirius' will and DH with DD's about goblins or Gringotts. And why would there be, Gringotts is a bank run by creatures who dislike humans, they wouldn't give a shit. The only thing they do is transfer the money and items to the correct vault.

Makes the whole 'Harry goes to Gringotts, drinks a potion and discovers he's the heir to Gryffindor, Merlin, whoever' plot even more ridiculous.

 

[Chaotic Symbolism]

This whole business with the will had me check the books and made me wonder:

Why is it always the goblins who have the Potters' will, and why is every will reading done at Gringotts?
There is no mention whatsoever in either HBP with Sirius' will and DH with DD's about goblins or Gringotts. And why would there be, Gringotts is a bank run by creatures who dislike humans, they wouldn't give a shit. The only thing they do is transfer the money and items to the correct vault.

Makes the whole 'Harry goes to Gringotts, drinks a potion and discovers he's the heir to Gryffindor, Merlin, whoever' plot even more ridiculous.

Here's another one: Any story where James and Lily are alive, yet Harry was still left with the Dursleys.

 

[ArchfiendRai]

This whole business with the will had me check the books and made me wonder:

Why is it always the goblins who have the Potters' will, and why is every will reading done at Gringotts?
There is no mention whatsoever in either HBP with Sirius' will and DH with DD's about goblins or Gringotts. And why would there be, Gringotts is a bank run by creatures who dislike humans, they wouldn't give a shit. The only thing they do is transfer the money and items to the correct vault.

Makes the whole 'Harry goes to Gringotts, drinks a potion and discovers he's the heir to Gryffindor, Merlin, whoever' plot even more ridiculous.

Especially seeing as how the ministry had Dumbledore's shit.

 

[Herdo]

Why did Fudge have to inform the Prime Minister that they would bring in three dragons and a sphinx into the country? I can understand that he needs to know about the return of Voldemort or an escaped mass murderer but magical beasts? There are already magical beasts in Britains, why does the Prime Minister need to know that they are bringing in a few more? :help:

Is an Imperius curse cancelled once the caster dies or can victims be under its control after the caster dies? Also, does the distance between the caster and the victim affect its effects? Is it more powerful/effective if the caster is a few meters from the victim and does it grow weaker the greater distance the two have between each other?

Are there any other magical prisons besides Azkaban or Nurmengard?

Do wizards and witches eat magical beasts and creatures? Like, do they have cooking books that describe the best way to cook Knarls, for example? I have a feeling that hags eat magical beasts but not so sure about the normal wizards and witches.

 

[Chaotic Symbolism]

A fic I read brought up this issue and I wanted to ask you guys about it: Dementors cannot be killed, only kept at bay by a spell (which is very hard to cast), they can however multiply under the right conditions (by feeding off negative human emotions), so how is it they haven't over run the world yet?

 

[endev8003]

A fic I read brought up this issue and I wanted to ask you guys about it: Dementors cannot be killed, only kept at bay by a spell (which is very hard to cast), they can however multiply under the right conditions (by feeding off negative human emotions), so how is it they haven't over run the world yet?

Out of curiosity, where was it mentioned that Dementors multiply when feeding off negative emotions? I don't recall ever reading that.

 

[Glimmervoid]

Out of curiosity, where was it mentioned that Dementors multiply when feeding off negative emotions? I don't recall ever reading that.

Never really. The closeted is this.

Like a poltergeist, a Boggart is not and never has been truly alive. It is one of the strange non-beings that populate the magical world, for which there is no equivalent in the Muggle realm. Boggarts can be made to disappear, but more Boggarts will inevitably arise to take their place. Like poltergeists and the more sinister Dementors, they seem to be generated and sustained by human emotions.

 

[Chaotic Symbolism]

It would appear I have been misinformed then on that bit, but I still ask: what keeps the Dementors from just overrunning the world?

 

[tigros40208]

No idea. I don't remember the books saying they can't be killed but its been awhile. I do remember that there was a statement the reason one summer was so cold was that they were breeding.

 

[Glimmervoid]

It would appear I have been misinformed then on that bit, but I still ask: what keeps the Dementors from just overrunning the world?

As my quote says, they are 'generated and sustained by human emotions'. Dementors eat happy memories, giving rise to depression and despair. This lets them breed and multiple. If they can't do this, they dwindle.

The other relevant quote is this.

“And as if all that wasn’t enough,” said Fudge, barely listening to the Prime Minister, “we’ve got dementors swarming all over the place, attacking people left, right, and center…”

Once upon a happier time this sentence would have been unintelligible to the Prime Minister, but he was wiser now.

“I thought dementors guard the prisoners in Azkaban,” he said cautiously.

“They did,” said Fudge wearily. “But not anymore. They’ve deserted the prison and joined He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I won’t pretend that wasn’t a blow.”

“But,” said the Prime Minister, with a sense of dawning horror, “didn’t you tell me they’re the creatures that drain hope and happiness out of people?”
“That’s right. And they’re breeding. That’s what’s causing all this mist.”

The Prime Minister sank, weak-kneed, into the nearest chair. The idea of invisible creatures swooping through the towns and countryside, spreading despair and hopelessness in his voters, made him feel quite faint.

“Now see here, Fudge — you’ve got to do something! It’s your responsibility as Minister of Magic!”

 

[e39042]

jbern came up with a neat idea in his fic 'The Lie I Lived' that whilst the Patronus was highly effective at driving Dementors away, it's actually Transfiguration that grants Wizards a modicum of control over the soul suckers.

 

[Glimmervoid]

jbern came up with a neat idea in his fic 'The Lie I Lived' that whilst the Patronus was highly effective at driving Dementors away, it's actually Transfiguration that grants Wizards a modicum of control over the soul suckers.

Honestly, I really didn't like that part of The Lie I Lived and otherwise its my favourite story of his.

 

[jaredstar]

heres a question i have been asking lately what is cho's ethnicity

 

[endev8003]

heres a question i have been asking lately what is cho's ethnicity

I think she's Chinese, but I'm not sure.

According to Wikipedia, Chang can be a Chinese or Korean surname. As for Cho as a given name, Wikipedia only gives examples of people with that name, and it looks like it's limited mostly to India, Chinese and Burmese.

Pottermore doesn't have an article on Cho Chang when I checked.

 

[akun50]

Why did Fudge have to inform the Prime Minister that they would bring in three dragons and a sphinx into the country? I can understand that he needs to know about the return of Voldemort or an escaped mass murderer but magical beasts? There are already magical beasts in Britains, why does the Prime Minister need to know that they are bringing in a few more? :help:

I figure most of it was because of the dragons. Being such powerful beasts capable of flying, keeping control of them would be very important, and if one were to get out and attack a populace... welll, at the very least, it would be a very good idea if the Prime Minister were informed.

The Sphinx was likely added in because the Prime Minister likely asked if there was anything else that was coming into the country that might be dangerous. Then again, we don't know what other powers a Sphinx might have in the HP universe, so she might've warranted mention.

Is an Imperius curse cancelled once the caster dies or can victims be under its control after the caster dies? Also, does the distance between the caster and the victim affect its effects? Is it more powerful/effective if the caster is a few meters from the victim and does it grow weaker the greater distance the two have between each other?

Sadly, no knowledge is actually known, other than the fact that people can learn to resist the Imperious. I'd imagine that it would fade over time unless the victim was especially weak-willed or perhaps low on self esteem. It's possible that the more that the victim knows that it IS a forced compulsion, the better chance they have to resist.

It's also likely harder to maintain the less someone wants to do what the caster wants, i.e. getting Ginny to kill Harry when she still has a crush on him would extremely difficult and would fade fast, while getting Draco to insult Ron would be laughably easy and could end up permanent.

Distance is likely a factor if the caster is trying to maintain control over someone who isn't so weak-willed, if only because they likely act and react slower to active commands. Draco was able to keep Madam Rosmerta under the spell for the entire year, but he only had her informing him of Dumbledore's travels, which is innocuous enough that it would probably only require monthly re-castings _at worst_. IIRC, she actually hesitates when Harry and Dumbledore return from the cave at the end of the book, likely because she realizes what she'll have to do, but her desire/need to contact someone likely made it easy for the Imperius to force its will on her.

We've only really heard of the spell being cast relatively close, so my assumption is that it's likely got a stronger chance to miss or be blocked by something/someone moving inbetween at range, and the initial casting is likely requires a struggle of wills.

Are there any other magical prisons besides Azkaban or Nurmengard?

Others exist, but Azkaban is famous for being a 'fortress'-style prison and Nuremberg is famous because it holds Grindelwald. Any others simply lack anything obvious or worth mentioning.

Do wizards and witches eat magical beasts and creatures? Like, do they have cooking books that describe the best way to cook Knarls, for example? I have a feeling that hags eat magical beasts but not so sure about the normal wizards and witches.

We have no confirmation, but I wouldn't be surprised, considering how exhaustive wizards are about the weirdest things, like noting that there are 12 uses for dragon's blood, which includes use as an oven cleaner.

 

[pidl]

Do we know how the silencing charm works?

In many fics people use it to silence their footsteps, but iirc canon only shows it prevents people/animals from speaking?

 

[Hardcore Heathen]

Do we know how the silencing charm works?

In many fics people use it to silence their footsteps, but iirc canon only shows it prevents people/animals from speaking?

It's a Silencing charm in the D&D sense of the word Silence - it prevents somebody from talking. You can still move your mouth, sounds just don't come out. It's never been shown to silence anything else. (However, a spell to make your activities quiet is hardly stretching suspension of disbelief - it just wouldn't be Silencio).

A similar thing I see is people using Muffliato as a noise-dampening charm, when in reality it just makes a static buzz in the ears of people trying to overhear what you're doing. So, the exact opposite of making you more stealthy =P

 

[seitora]

Not really a question, but something that annoys me.

In Book 1, when a Troll attacks at Halloween, Dumbledore sends everyone back to their dorms from the Great Hall, but in Book 3 everyone gets moved into the Great Hall for a night when Sirius attacks.

Obviously it's needed for plot, but really, it'd be a lot safer to keep everyone in the Great Hall with some teachers (and 7th-years) who can ward off the Troll in case it wanders in there, while the rest of the staff go through the castle. There's probably what, two entrances at the most? Not that difficult to guard.

 

[e39042]

Not really a question, but something that annoys me.

In Book 1, when a Troll attacks at Halloween, Dumbledore sends everyone back to their dorms from the Great Hall, but in Book 3 everyone gets moved into the Great Hall for a night when Sirius attacks.

Obviously it's needed for plot, but really, it'd be a lot safer to keep everyone in the Great Hall with some teachers (and 7th-years) who can ward off the Troll in case it wanders in there, while the rest of the staff go through the castle. There's probably what, two entrances at the most? Not that difficult to guard.

Haven't read the books in years, but was this before or after Sirius broke into the Gryffindor common room? It would explain the difference in strategy if Dumbledore felt the common rooms were insecure.

 

[endev8003]

Not really a question, but something that annoys me.

In Book 1, when a Troll attacks at Halloween, Dumbledore sends everyone back to their dorms from the Great Hall, but in Book 3 everyone gets moved into the Great Hall for a night when Sirius attacks.

Obviously it's needed for plot, but really, it'd be a lot safer to keep everyone in the Great Hall with some teachers (and 7th-years) who can ward off the Troll in case it wanders in there, while the rest of the staff go through the castle. There's probably what, two entrances at the most? Not that difficult to guard.

Haven't read the books in years, but was this before or after Sirius broke into the Gryffindor common room? It would explain the difference in strategy if Dumbledore felt the common rooms were insecure.

Before. There were two incidents were Black was inside the castle. The first one was on Halloween, where Black damaged the Fat Lady's portrait while trying to get in. It was that night when everyone was sent back to the Great Hall.

After that, Sir Cadogan was made the entry portrait for Gryffindor until Black managed to get the passwords and was inside. I don't recall them being sent to the Great Hall after the second attempt.

 

[Herdo]

What is the purpose/meaning of the Ancient runes, who created them (and therefore used them) and do we know when they were created?

How powerful/dangerous are Chimeras and how rare are they?

How do acromantula kill their prey?

Is there a limit on how far one can travel with apparition?