Little Questions Answered v.20

[RemusLupinFan]

Originally Posted by Lprdgecko

Are Hogwarts acceptance letters sent on a person's 11th birthday? If so, what happens if your birthday is on September 1 or August 31?

Also, is your year in Hogwarts determined by your age on September 1? For example, Hermione's birthday is later in September, so on September 1 of her first year she was 11, but turned 12 a few weeks later.

I think it depends when the cut-off date for Hogwarts is. It seems likely that it would be December, given that Hermione is still in Harry and Ron's year with a birthday later than Sept 1. Remember, a person doesn't get their letter exactly on their 11th birthday (Harry would have gotten his letter earlier had the Dursleys not tried to interfere). He happened to be allowed to read his on his birthday. So my guess is that the letters come around the middle of July to give students enough time to prepare.

[BurrowGhoul]

Originally Posted by RemusLupinFan

I think it depends when the cut-off date for Hogwarts is. It seems likely that it would be December, given that Hermione is still in Harry and Ron's year with a birthday later than Sept 1. Remember, a person doesn't get their letter exactly on their 11th birthday (Harry would have gotten his letter earlier had the Dursleys not tried to interfere). He happened to be allowed to read his on his birthday. So my guess is that the letters come around the middle of July to give students enough time to prepare.

Hermione is 10 months older than Harry, though, which would indicate a September 1/August 31 cutoff.

[willfitz]

Originally Posted by Saawan

In The deathly hallows, when the trio is at the Malfoy mansion it says Harry can feel Voldemort flying over dark water, soon be close enough to apperate. Does apperition only work for short distanses? For how long? Is it the same with Port keys? And what about the flunetwork? I thought you could apperate to any place that wasn't protected like Hogwarths?

The suggested passage indicates exactly that- that Apparition only works over certain distances (though it is never specified exactly what the range is). As for portkeys, it is a matter of being connected to the same network. I doubt that different ministry jurisdictions' Floo networks are connected, except maybe in rare cases. Portkeys were used to bring in spectators for the Quidditch World Cup, so I'd say that they'd certainly work for long-distance travel.

[Arcus]

This question is in reference to book 7.

In Deathly Hallows, when Harry and Hermione encounter Bathilda Bagshot (or what's left of her), it was my understanding that "she" could only talk to Harry because she was controlled by Nagini and he was the only one who could understand parseltounge. This was the motivation for luring Harry away from Hermione before conversing.

However, on pages 335 and 336 of the American version, we observe this scene:

“Harry, I’m not sure about this,” breathed Hermione.
“Look at the size of her; I think we could overpower her if we had to,” said Harry. “Listen, I should have told you, I knew she wasn’t all there. Muriel called her ‘gaga.’ ”
“Come!” called Bathilda from the next room.
Hermione jumped and clutched Harry’s arm.
“It’s okay,” said Harry reassuringly, and he led the way into the sitting room.

Hermione clearly reacts to "Bathilda's" voice, which should have been in parseltounge. Wouldn't she have mentioned that once she heard it? Or is this a mistake from the author, forgetting momentarily that Hermione wasn't supposed to understand her?

[Ravenclaw797]

Originally Posted by Saawan

In The deathly hallows, when the trio is at the Malfoy mansion it says Harry can feel Voldemort flying over dark water, soon be close enough to apperate. Does apperition only work for short distanses? For how long? Is it the same with Port keys? And what about the flunetwork? I thought you could apperate to any place that wasn't protected like Hogwarths?

Apparition can only be done for short distances. I'm not sure if there is a defined limit, or if it is simply more difficult the farther you go to not Splinch yourself, but I think I heard somewhere people generally Apparate cross-COUNTY. Not sure if that's correct though, but definitely not much further. To Apparate somewhere far, you'd have to take it in steps and Apparate to points along the way.

Portkeys can go as far as you want... that would be the primary method of traveling long distances.

I'm pretty sure you can Floo to anywhere connected to the Floo network, though a long Floo ride might be unpleasant.

Originally Posted by Lprdgecko

Are Hogwarts acceptance letters sent on a person's 11th birthday? If so, what happens if your birthday is on September 1 or August 31?

Also, is your year in Hogwarts determined by your age on September 1? For example, Hermione's birthday is later in September, so on September 1 of her first year she was 11, but turned 12 a few weeks later.

No, they're sent the summer you turn 11. They sent Harry's letter before his birthday, but because he obviously wasn't getting them, Hagrid was sent on his birthday. The cutoff date is August 31, since the Hogwarts Express leaves on the first, and you have to be 11 by then, just as there are cutoff dates for schools now.

[Saawan]

Originally Posted by willfitz

The suggested passage indicates exactly that- that Apparition only works over certain distances (though it is never specified exactly what the range is). As for portkeys, it is a matter of being connected to the same network. I doubt that different ministry jurisdictions' Floo networks are connected, except maybe in rare cases. Portkeys were used to bring in spectators for the Quidditch World Cup, so I'd say that they'd certainly work for long-distance travel.

Thanks! So if a wizard would like to go abroad he would have to use a portkey?

And another question, how fast are broomsticks? I know flying on a thestral is fast as Harry and the other made it to the ministry in like no time but they suggested they would go on broomsticks (of they'd had any at the time), would that have taken long time? From Hogwarths to the ministry? How far can you travel on a broomstick?

[willfitz]

Originally Posted by Arcus

Hermione clearly reacts to "Bathilda's" voice, which should have been in parseltounge. Wouldn't she have mentioned that once she heard it? Or is this a mistake from the author, forgetting momentarily that Hermione wasn't supposed to understand her?

It's a little misunderstanding there between Harry and Hermione, and it's subtly written. Nagini says 'come,' but what Hermione hears is a small snake noise (we know that non-Parseltongues don't hear snakes speaking very loudly, if at all). It makes her jump, but Harry, who only heard a normal voice, thought that she was just reacting to the fact that it was the first thing which Bathilda said.

[Saawan]

And sorry, another question, if I wanted to apperate very far could I do it in like three or four steps? Like when you have a few hours layover when you travel by plane?

[Aksu]

Originally Posted by Saawan

And sorry, another question, if I wanted to apperate very far could I do it in like three or four steps? Like when you have a few hours layover when you travel by plane?

I have thought of this too. Why doesn't Voldemort just apperate to a place close enough to be able to apperate to the Malfoys mansion? Why does he fly there instead? Is there some kind of a cooldown for spells like apperating?

[crmdy1023]

Apparition sounds kind of unpleasant. DD says he is surprised that Harry didn't vomit his first time apparating. I wonder if repeated apparition, i.e. to get to a place a long distance a way, one apparation followed directly by another and then another and so on, would make a wizard sick or put them at greater risk to splinch. This makes sense to me, and perhaps that is why Voldemort and other characters in the series did not apparate to their chosen destinations in certain instances. It also seems that wizards who are injured cannot apparate, as we see with Ron after he is badly splinched. Harry asks Hermione when Ron will be well enough to Apparate, doesn't he? He could just be talking about traveling in general though, I guess. Whatever the case, this is the only explaination I can think of that works.

[willfitz]

Originally Posted by Aksu

I have thought of this too. Why doesn't Voldemort just apperate to a place close enough to be able to apperate to the Malfoys mansion? Why does he fly there instead? Is there some kind of a cooldown for spells like apperating?

I think that the issue would be that if Voldemort was, say, trying to get from Bulgaria to Hogwarts, he would need to know and be able to picture several locations between the two points in order to apparate to them.

[Aksu]

Originally Posted by willfitz

I think that the issue would be that if Voldemort was, say, trying to get from Bulgaria to Hogwarts, he would need to know and be able to picture several locations between the two points in order to apparate to them.

Well, he had already travelled to the prison hadn't he? So Voldy knew where the prison was, and probably knew places to apparate to between the distance. And doesn't it say in the book that Voldemort knew where the line of "being able to apperate to Malfoy's mansion" was? So it seems odd to me that he doesn't apperate to that point.

Originally Posted by crmdy1023

Apparition sounds kind of unpleasant. DD says he is surprised that Harry didn't vomit his first time apparating. I wonder if repeated apparition, i.e. to get to a place a long distance a way, one apparation followed directly by another and then another and so on, would make a wizard sick or put them at greater risk to splinch. This makes sense to me, and perhaps that is why Voldemort and other characters in the series did not apparate to their chosen destinations in certain instances. It also seems that wizards who are injured cannot apparate, as we see with Ron after he is badly splinched. Harry asks Hermione when Ron will be well enough to Apparate, doesn't he? He could just be talking about traveling in general though, I guess. Whatever the case, this is the only explaination I can think of that works.

That is true, but would Voldemort be afraid of splinching or feeling sick? I'm pretty sure he can handle the unpleasency of apparation, especially when he needs to hurry (like he had to in DH), I mean the stakes were so high; he couldve captured Harry, so it still is a mystery to me why he didn't make haste. Maybe he thought that the situation was under control though, and he didn't have to risk splinching or the exhaustion caused by the two apparations.

[willfitz]

Originally Posted by Aksu

Well, he had already travelled to the prison hadn't he? So Voldy knew where the prison was, and probably knew places to apparate to between the distance. And doesn't it say in the book that Voldemort knew where the line of "being able to apperate to Malfoy's mansion" was? So it seems odd to me that he doesn't apperate to that point.

I'm not sure I was very clear. He knew how to apparate to Malfoy's Mansion, but it seems that he was not close enough to be able to do so safely, for whatever reason.

If he had memorized different places along the way which he could focus on enough to manage to apparate there, then I'm sure he would have been able to, assuming of course that the English Channel is narrow enough to apparate across; however, this would have taken a great deal of foresight on Voldemort's part.

[ShaunaSnape]

Harry was protected by a ancient magic, he got from his mom and by being at his Aunt Petunia's house once a year. So why didn't Voldy kill her instead, so that Harry's protection would be broken. Voldy could have even imperio'd a muggle and had him set fire to the Dursleys house with a Bic lighter, if he wanted too. So why wasn't she attacked.

[willfitz]

Originally Posted by ShaunaSnape

Harry was protected by a ancient magic, he got from his mom and by being at his Aunt Petunia's house once a year. So why didn't Voldy kill her instead, so that Harry's protection would be broken. Voldy could have even imperio'd a muggle and had him set fire to the Dursleys house with a Bic lighter, if he wanted too. So why wasn't she attacked.

Probably for the same reason Harry himself wasn't attacked. It seems that the enchantment set up by Dumbledore protected not just Harry from Voldemort, but the entire house from anyone working for Voldemort. The best way to read it is simply 'he (and they) was untouchable there.'

[tuxedocat]

Originally Posted by ShaunaSnape

Harry was protected by a ancient magic, he got from his mom and by being at his Aunt Petunia's house once a year. So why didn't Voldy kill her instead, so that Harry's protection would be broken. Voldy could have even imperio'd a muggle and had him set fire to the Dursleys house with a Bic lighter, if he wanted too. So why wasn't she attacked.

Technically wouldn't have Voldermort had to kill both Aunt Petunia & Dudley, as Dudley & Harry are also related by blood?

[crmdy1023]

Originally Posted by willfitz

Probably for the same reason Harry himself wasn't attacked. It seems that the enchantment set up by Dumbledore protected not just Harry from Voldemort, but the entire house from anyone working for Voldemort. The best way to read it is simply 'he (and they) was untouchable there.'

I agree with this I think the magic/ protection worked both ways. I think DD explains this to Petunia in his letter to her years ago.... and reminds her of it in OOTP with that Howler that suddenly makes her come to her senses and insist that Harry not leave the house.. and also why the Dursleys must go into hiding after harry comes of age and leaves. The protection ends when Harry turns 17.

[Nnylarak]

A topic in the Elder Wand thread made me wonder...
Dumbledore planned for Harry to be killed by Voldemort. But did he expect Harry to stay dead?

It seems that he either
a) expected Harry to come back to life because of the blood tether, or
b) expected Harry to stay dead, because he didn't know Harry would be master of the Elder Wand.

[willfitz]

Originally Posted by Nnylarak

A topic in the Elder Wand thread made me wonder...
Dumbledore planned for Harry to be killed by Voldemort. But did he expect Harry to stay dead?

It seems that he either
a) expected Harry to come back to life because of the blood tether, or
b) expected Harry to stay dead, because he didn't know Harry would be master of the Elder Wand.

I don't think that the Elder Wand had anything to do with it, really. I think it was c) he expected Harry to give up his life willingly and die, and hoped that his mother's protection would be able to bring him back. What he expected is really a bit of a mystery.

[HarryPotter911]

Is butterbeer actually beer/alcohol?

When I was younger and would read a part about Harry or one of the other younger characters having a butterbeer I never thought much of it,but now that i'm older and i read i find it a bit odd.I know that in a thought of places other than America the drinking age is a lot younger but 13 is still really young to be drinking.