85
votes
Accepted
Why didn't Dumbledore make a sound when he appeared at Privet Drive?
I was under the impression that those who were more skilled at apparation could do so quieter and even silently.
Now some instances Rowling may have left out mention of pops/cracks as they did not ...
- 3,794
53
votes
Accepted
Do the Kwikspell courses work?
Kwikspell courses are (probably) useful to some wizards, but not to squibs.
The Kwikspell course literature comes with two testimonials.
Madam Z. Nettles of Topsham writes:
‘I had no memory for ...
- 667k
50
votes
In Harry Potter, is it only children who can do 'instinctive magic'?
If you take this statement from Rowling at face value then anyone at any age would be able to use instinctive magic:
You can do unfocused and uncontrolled magic without a wand (for instance when ...
- 65.8k
42
votes
Accepted
What would happen in a battle of Felix Felicises (?)
Felix would lead them both away from playing with each other, as that would be the most lucky scenario for each of them (Thanks @Deltharis).
If you consumed some Felix and went to a gambling table, ...
- 5,434
42
votes
Accepted
The core of Voldemort's wand came from Fawkes, so how could he successfully use a Killing Curse against Fawkes?
That effect only happens with twin core wands forced to duel.
Fawkes himself, as a living phoenix, would be inherently different than either the Dark Lord’s or Harry’s wand with one of Fawkes’s ...
- 105k
41
votes
Accepted
Do muggles react the same way to potions in Harry Potter?
Possibly Yes.
Tom Riddle Senior was a muggle, and according to Dumbledore he could have been affected by a love potion, just like if he were a wizard. Maybe not all potions work exactly the same to ...
- 3,595
38
votes
Accepted
Do the balefired souls get reborn when the Age comes back?
TLDR; Yes a person would be reborn eventually if Balefired.
JOHN NOVAK
[Is balefire the eternal death of the soul?]
ROBERT JORDAN
If someone is balefired, the Dark One can't reincarnate them. ...
- 65.8k
38
votes
Why didn't Dumbledore make a sound when he appeared at Privet Drive?
It's not much, but here's something Dumbledore says a bit later:
"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a
dozen feasts and parties on my way here."
If he had a "way ...
- 18.5k
36
votes
Why didn't Merope Gaunt turn into an Obscurus?
Merope never suppressed her magical abilities
Obscuruses develop under highly specific circumstances, which don't appear to be satisfied by Merope's situation:
Newt: Before wizards went underground, ...
- 162k
36
votes
Would a completely good Muggle be able to use a wand?
No, you've misunderstood the quote.
JKR isn't saying that the result would be violent because violence is what lies inside a Muggle (though it does sound like something the Malfoys might come up with)...
- 17.7k
33
votes
Accepted
Why didn’t Harry’s power from his mother affect others who wanted to hurt him?
The sacrifice only made it so the Dark Lord couldn’t touch Harry.
Lily’s sacrifice only made it so the Dark Lord specifically couldn’t touch Harry - it didn’t work on every person who meant Harry harm,...
- 105k
31
votes
Accepted
What Wording Did Witches and Wizards in Other Cultures Use for Spells?
We don't know for sure, but we know for certain that it was not necessarily Latin based
Ancient Egypt has wizards long before Roman empire. Bill Weasley dealt with the consequences professionally.
...
- 341k
27
votes
Would a completely good Muggle be able to use a wand?
No, Muggles can’t use wands.
Muggles can’t use wands, whatever their moral alignment or personal feelings towards violence. As Dumbledore explains in his notes on “Babbitty Rabbitty and the Cackling ...
- 105k
26
votes
Accepted
How did Harry learn Sectumsempra?
Harry apparently knew the incantation, but possibly not accurate inflection. It's possible that while, yes, the spell was intended 'for enemies' - it was not necessarily meant to be wielded with the ...
- 39.9k
25
votes
Accepted
How did Neville break free of the Full-Body Bind curse (Petrificus Totalus) without using the counter-curse?
If I recall correctly, this is because, having sacrificed himself in the forest, Harry had bestowed the rebels with the same protection that Lily's sacrifice had bestowed upon himself. This meant ...
- 15k
22
votes
Why didn't Dumbledore make a sound when he appeared at Privet Drive?
Maybe he didn't Apparate.
This quote doesn't state that he Apparated or appeared while spinning, only that he appeared:
A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly ...
- 2,398
21
votes
Can house-elves do laundry without being freed?
Yes. House-elves can do laundry for their masters without getting freed.
This is explicitly stated in Deathly Hallows (chapter 12):
“Nothing in the room, however, was more dramatically different ...
- 23.9k
21
votes
Accepted
How can Newt cast Accio on a Niffler when it is only supposed to work on inanimate objects?
Accio has been used on creatures before.
In the Harry Potter series, creatures have been successfully summoned by using Accio before, and aren’t harmed by it. Harry successfully Summoned Neville’s ...
- 105k
20
votes
Is Voldemort a lich?
No, Voldemort is not a lich, and the justification is quoted in your question.
A lich is a type of undead creature
If you continue through the wiki entry for a lich, it is featured in many novels ...
- 19.5k
20
votes
When did wizards and witches first learn that a love-sacrifice protects against the Killing Curse?
It is only said as being ancient magic.
It is never said exactly how wizards know of the type of magic created by a willing sacrifice. Harry is explicitly stated to be the first known survivor of the ...
- 105k
19
votes
Do the Kwikspell courses work?
As I read it, Kwikspell is a borderline scam. It's on the same level as those ads you used to see in magazines, "Draw this [whatever]" to get you to send in for information on a correspondence art ...
- 22.7k
18
votes
Accepted
Suicide by balefire
I think suicide by balefire is impossible.
At the end of The Fires of Heaven,
This proves that being balefired can undo the effects of your recent channelling. This also applies in the case where ...
- 134k
17
votes
Accepted
Why didn't Sirius, and Ron, Harry, Hermione just conjure animals to use as food while they were on the run?
They probably wouldn't have been edible
There are indeed many examples of people conjuring apparently edible things out of thin air. You mention the animals that Hermione and Draco conjured, but there ...
- 114k
17
votes
Is Voldemort a lich?
No, the Dark Lord would not be considered a lich.
There are two main reasons why, despite the description of a lich being similar, he wouldn't be considered a lich.
A lich has to have died but the ...
- 105k
16
votes
Wasn’t Quirrelmort a bit too adept with an intentional wandless magic in PS?
The Africans are known to rely much on wandless magic.
The wand is a European invention, and while African witches and wizards have adopted it as a useful tool in the last century, many spells are ...
- 87.3k
16
votes
Accepted
In Harry Potter, is it only children who can do 'instinctive magic'?
Another example worth noting is that of Ariana Dumbledore. Although she was still young (fourteen) when she died, her magic was described as completely uncontrollable with no sign of improving, so ...
- 5,582
16
votes
The core of Voldemort's wand came from Fawkes, so how could he successfully use a Killing Curse against Fawkes?
The fact that Harry's wand shares a core with Voldemort's does not make him invincible to Voldemort. This is clearly evidenced by the fact that in the graveyard Voldemort was able to perform several ...
- 43.8k
15
votes
Accepted
Does a dead Basilisk's eyes still kill?
It’s hard to know for sure, but I would guess not.
We only really see one basilisk in canon – the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. Although there are descriptions and allusions to others, we don’t ...
- 102k
15
votes
Accepted
Can the Imperius Curse be used to force someone to perform actions the caster would not know how to perform?
Probably
There are several instances that seem to qualify:
The very first time the Imperius Curse is introduced, Moody uses it on a spider:
Moody reached into the jar, caught one of the spiders, ...
- 114k
15
votes
Can Wingardium Leviosa be used as a weapon?
Yes, it can be used in an attack.
Wingardium Leviosa can indeed be used to levitate items to use as weapons. Ron used it to levitate the troll’s club and whack it on the head.
“Hermione had sunk to ...
- 105k
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