Crimes of Grindelwald – How does the magic work
Ever since the end of Harry Potter the one thing that
always bugged me was how the spells worked. Does every spell
need an incantation to cast? Is there a particular way you have
to swish and flick your wand? How come the spell sometimes comes
out as a beam of light and other time a ball of energy? Does the
stance you take matter? Do you even need a wand? All of these
questions were in my head for the longest time and I refuse to
believe that there are inconsistencies because of technological
advancements allowing for more visually appealing spells.
That’s the easy way out. So I finally think I’ve figured out
how it all works thanks to Fantastic Beasts 2.
The first question I’m going to answer is whether you need
a want to cast spells? Yes and no. My theory is that the most
powerful wizards can cast some spells without wands. For example
Dumbledore casting Homenum Revelio in Hagrids Hut allowing him to
know Ron and Harry are in there even thou they are hidden with the
Invisibility Cloak, but even if a wizard can cast a spell without
a wand it’s not going to be as powerful. Okay, with that covered
we can move on to the next part, incantations. Are they necessary
and what part do they play? I believe they are entirely necessary,
every time a wizard casts a spell, wand or not, there has to be an
incantation. Whether it is spoken or just thought about determines
the power of the spell. I believe every time someone cast a spell
and doesn’t speak the incantation they at least think it. Swishing
and flicking play a similar part in this but I think they are mainly
used to control the way the spell is going to behave, for example will
it be a beam or a bolt. The stance you make when you cast is most
likely the only thing that doesn’t really play a part in the spell
itself but is more of a style thing. To summarize, my theory is that
the weakest form of a spell would be to cast it without a want, only
making an incantation in your mind. Because of this not all spells can
be used like this. After this comes casting a spell with a wand and
just think of the incantation. The final and most powerful way to cast
a spell would be with an incantation out loud. The swishing, flicking
and direction of the want are all used to determine the direction and
way the spells is going to come out. When you think about the wizard
battles we’ve seen this makes sense. Depending on your position and
the position of your enemy you can chose to cast a quick but less
powerful spell or a slower but stronger. We are talking about split
seconds in difference whether you think or say the incantation but
those split seconds are precious when fighting for your life. With
this in mind, wizard dueling seems similar to any other form of
duels and fights. Every wizard develops they’re own style, some
offensive and others defensive. There is an element of strategy
and it requires experience, quick thinking and knowledge with
each spell being another weapon in your arsenal. The last thing
to cover would be the wands themselves, although I think that
there isn’t really much to them, they are simply a tool that
amplifies the wizards magic and helps them focus it. Nothing
more than that, with the Elder Wand obviously amplifying ones
power enormously. Now I know, the wands have a certain sentience
to them and they are the ones that choose the wizard, but goes
along with what I previously said about them. They are still
something used to help focus and amplify a wizards own magical
potential.
All of this is my personal theory and is quite possible wrong
but it’s my own little way of making some sense of the magic
in the world of Harry Potter beyond just saying “they screwed
it up”. Try watching the movies again with all of this in mind
and see it fits.
