T&A in the DA

Prologue

Disclaimer: I did not create the characters or locations, which belong to JK Rowling and her associates. I gain nothing from this effort, either monetarily or other, except the enjoyment. She built the playground, and I am just playing on the swing set.

Further, I also have no connection with Joss Whedon or any rights to his creations. I only use one quote (or as close as I remember), as it is one of the best distillations of what passes for the 'mind' of an adolescent male that I have ever seen.

I must thank Bobmin for the identification of the wizards' garbage disposal system.

Prologue Part 1: Concerning Magic

Magic is, in essence, the wilful (whether conscious or unconscious) manipulation of the forces of nature to accomplish feats unavailable to the non-magical. This allows the witch or wizard to reshape matter, to fly, to cast spells, and to balance chequebooks.

The second law of Thermo-dynamics applies to the wizarding world as much as to muggles, although in somewhat different ways. For example, the magical disposal of garbage into the magma chambers of volcanoes introduces volatiles into these reservoirs of molten rock, increasing the force of eruptions – it has been surmised that the disastrous eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD was in part exacerbated by the clean-up of Rome after the great fire, having taken the intervening 15 years for the water (used to quench the fire) to build up pressure beyond what was already there in the lava. After this catastrophe, the powers-that-were (ancient organizations of what are now the Powers-That-Be) refocused the cleaning charms to the magma chambers of Mount Etna and Stromboli which, being is states of constant eruption, release the additional pressure gradually. As the populations of the world increased over time, Mt. Arenal in Costa Rica, and in 1983 Mt Kilauea, was added to provide additional disposal capacity.

In most cases, the local decrease in entropy used by the adept to accomplish their magical task is offset by an increase in the global disorder somewhere else, and usually to such a small degree that muggle scientists dismiss it as margins of error in their measurements – this has lead to adjustments in muggle modelling of the natural processes known as the "Finnagle's constants", "Diddle factors", etc., which adjust the predicted outcomes to match the observed phenomena.

One force not commonly mentioned in books about magical folk, intended for younger muggle readers by blonde authors living in cooler parts of island countries, is the sexual force. This force is a primary factor in the continuation of species and the evolutionary rise of new species through mate selection. Its power can be shown by considering slugs, warthogs and gnus which, spite of being very unattractive, seem to propagate in large numbers.

The strength of this force can be compared to that of other natural forces by considering that the gravitational force between an 80 kg mass (nominally male) and a 60 kg mass (nominally female) separated by an average distance of 10 centimetres (specifying the conditions under which positions of this proximity would occur is left as an exercise for the student), is less than the weight of a postage stamp. Obviously, there are more powerful forces at work.

A school teaching and training young wizards and witches would have to address certain factors used in the manipulation of such a powerful natural force. The most obvious example is, of course, the preparation of love potions. However, the second law comes into effect here as well, and it is a very well known fact that dealings with the sexual forces have highly entropic effects, often leading to complete disorder in the lives of those involved. As much as this force messes up the lives of teenage muggles, with the higher levels of magical power and actual manipulation of the natural forces inherent in magic, the extra degree of chaos in the lives of magical teenagers can only be imagined. This may explain the frantic weekend searches at Hogwarts for nooks and crannies, where students can explore each others' nook and crannies (and perhaps discover for themselves that Tab A does indeed fit into Slot B, in all its infinite variations).

It must be noted that Hogwarts castle appears to have an inordinate number of broom closets.

Another facet of magic and the control of natural forces is the enhancement of sensual experiences. The muggle mind can only dream as to the taste of a fresh strawberry, or the feeling of wind in your hair tickling your shoulders, or warm sun on your skin on the beach, with the senses magically enhanced. The more puritanical (often described as old biddies of both sexes) often confuse the sensual and the sexual, figuring that anything that gives pleasure must be bad.

The nature of the forces, and of the magical manipulation of them, is not inherently good or bad. It is the intent of the person or the use of the forces that can be good or bad. Some uses are unforgivably bad, whereas some are very innocent. Whether children playing "Doctor" is bad may depend on whether, in your viewpoint, it is innocent curiosity about natural differences, or children being wickedly promiscuous before they even know how to spell it.

Prologue Part 2: Concerning Parents

"When I was 14, my father knew nothing; when I was 21, I was amazed how much the old man had learned in 7 years" – Mark Twain

It is well known that sub-adult children never see their parents as people, only as "Mum" and "Dad". The children do not see their parents as fallible human beings, with their own histories, and their own strengths and failings. The children gain and/or suffer for this factors, but only after many years do they see that, what they become as people is deeply affected by where and who they came from. A parent's own history can affect how their children are brought up, and what emotional baggage they carry through their lives.