Now, normally I'm not one to get excited about anyone's homework. But Hermione, she tends to do her homework right quick. The essay that Professor Flitwick gave her, that was supposed to be given to him in the first week? she's asked for extensions for it. At LEAST two now.
Here it is, October fifteenth, and she's FINALLY ready to present her findings. And it is a doozy.
I asked her after if I could copy it down in my research book, and she actually blushed!
I think she needs more friends.
Here it is!
The history of wandlore is a wide and many varied story. There are tips and tricks, how swishing a wand does this, and flicking it does that, and poking does another.
Wand movements, swishes flicks twirls and all the others, are nothing more than a mnemonic device to help with learning a spell.
There was also the question of the wand creation method, and how it helps with casting.
The wand core itself depends entirely on the attitude of the creature it is harvested from, at the time it is harvested. The material of the wand matters little to the end effect of spells. The shape has some effect, but more on spell control than potency or functionality.
Again, not very much information. But then I started looking at the deeper histories of magic.
The oldest histories of human magic tell of 'the Will and the Word'. And even looking at our magic right now, it seems to be the exact same thing. For the Will, you focus your intent and desire into what you want. The more detailed the better. The word, is what sums up what you want. Things like Fire, and Burn, would cause fire to burst out. Water, and Extinguish would reverse the fire. Very simple words, very simple thoughts. But it is the will itself that matters.
Soon after that point, wizards started using staves and rings to focus their power. With different results. A staff is an entire tree, formed into the shape of the staff, and then often adorned with a gem. As a tree is a living thing, it forms a core without adding bits from magical creatures. The type of gem is entirely psychological to the wizard making the staff. Where one would see a sapphire as a focus for water, another might see it as movement, and another might see it as something to absorb water. Another still might see the bright blue of extremely hot fire as well. Each of these staves was very good at increasing the power of spells in general, and psychologically increased specific spells much more.
For rings, earrings, necklaces, and all other types of focus, those do not increase the power of any spell, but they did assist in narrowing down the focus and increasing range. Where with no focus, a light spell would be a simple ball close to hand, with a focus the light spell could be sent across rooms, shaped, and even be made to move.
Now we move on to modern wizards. We of course use wands, but something is missing from the profile. Wands act as both a staff and focus. As mentioned, the core matters most, and is dependant in the creature it is harvested from. This means that the core is most likely the essence, similar to staves. As many have noticed, wands tend to be intricately detailed or have runes etched in them. Runes are used most often as a focus more than they are used as a way of increasing power. So that means that the wood itself, its shape, and any runes in it, are the focus.
In conclusion, the wand is a mix of ideas. The idea of essence, that of a staff, and the idea of a focus.
Unfortunately for many would be wandmakers, gems of all kind have no essence to speak of, and therefore are only good as foci.
Going back to our origins, the essence in the core provides an alternative to the requirement of an indomitable will, and the focus is an alternative to the word of power.
Hermione showed me the last bit of her essay that she didn't say out loud. I'm not surprised AT ALL.
It is because of the wands of today that wizards continue to be, as without them, we would be as powerless as muggles.
About those time extensions; Hermione just told me that the reason that it took so long was because she had to borrow a dictaquill in order to expand it as much as she did. And because she had to borrow it on the sly, it took even longer still.
I am so glad I don't have that problem.
