George
07-08-2005, 10:40
Okay.
The most impressive image I have ever had of Dumbledore is that shown on the Bloomsbury cover of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. With a movement of a cowboy's lasso, he created a continuous ring of fire around him and Harry. This is, in my opinion, the epitome of the headmaster's power, and shows his brilliant skill at spellwork. Being so fascinated by this spell, I have decided to post a thread to attempt and figure out how some spells work, in terms of our Muggle world.
Okay, in order to create a flame in a specific shape, one has to provide a high concentration of a flammable material around an area. Since we saw fire erupt out of thin air in Dumbledore's case, I have concluded that it could only be a gas that kicked off the eruption of the flame. There are two major possibilities here:
1) Hydrogen: This is a possibility, as it is the lightest and most flammable gas of all. In theory, it is very easy to gather and light up- I think we all remember what happened to the Hindenburg. However, there is a better competitor for the title "gas of choice" in this spell:
2) Oxygen: Although it is heavier and doesn't burn quite as well as Hydrogen, it is more plentiful in the air we breathe, making up about 16% of all air. As a result, a gathering of Oxygen around the area to be lit is a lot more plausible than Hydrogen.
It is, therefore, my belief, that, in preparation to this spell, Dumbledore summoned a great deal of Oxygen around himself, and then lit it. Now, the next question: How did he produce a flame from a flammable material. Well, quite simple. I think that he concentrated his magical energy in his wand arm, and then forced it up his wand. Now, when a lot of energy reaches a point of small surface area, a temperature rise is recorded and, as a result, a spark is produced. If there is enough Oxygen in the air, then that spark would cause a fire to form. This fire would burn best in the places that the Oxygen is in high amounts. As a result, we have the unique form of the spell: As Dumbledore does the lasso movement with his arm, the spark created on the tip of his wand moves around and around, ensuring a uniform flame on all sides of the circle created.
When he wanted to end the spell, I think that Dumbledore simply waved off the spark, and summoned a lot of Nitrogen to the spot. Since the atmosphere is 78% Nitrogen, the Oxygen and its toxicity levels would be cancelled out by the Nitrogen, leaving the air pretty much as it was before, but adding to the place's overall "magical aura".
After finishing the spell, and getting away from the Inferi, we see that Dumbledore is quite shaky... obviously, the spell took quite a lot out of him. That is due to two reasons: Firstly, a prolonged spell drained considerable amounts of magical energy from his supply, leaving him weak. Second, Oxygen is, in high amounts, a toxic gas. While summoning all of that Oxygen, Dumbledore inhaled vast amounts of it, and hence poisoned himself. That's why he may have wanted to see Snape: an antidote for the liquid he drank, and the Oxygen he took in.
In conclusion, there is not much point to this thread. However, due to the unique movement of the spell, and the way in which it worked, I have decided to link the Muggle and Magic worlds once more, in order to provide an explanation as to how the fire ring that saved Harry's life actually works in our own world. I hope you have enjoyed it, and, if anyone has other explanations that link the Muggle and the Magic, as to how spells work, it would be nice for you to post them here.
The most impressive image I have ever had of Dumbledore is that shown on the Bloomsbury cover of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. With a movement of a cowboy's lasso, he created a continuous ring of fire around him and Harry. This is, in my opinion, the epitome of the headmaster's power, and shows his brilliant skill at spellwork. Being so fascinated by this spell, I have decided to post a thread to attempt and figure out how some spells work, in terms of our Muggle world.
Okay, in order to create a flame in a specific shape, one has to provide a high concentration of a flammable material around an area. Since we saw fire erupt out of thin air in Dumbledore's case, I have concluded that it could only be a gas that kicked off the eruption of the flame. There are two major possibilities here:
1) Hydrogen: This is a possibility, as it is the lightest and most flammable gas of all. In theory, it is very easy to gather and light up- I think we all remember what happened to the Hindenburg. However, there is a better competitor for the title "gas of choice" in this spell:
2) Oxygen: Although it is heavier and doesn't burn quite as well as Hydrogen, it is more plentiful in the air we breathe, making up about 16% of all air. As a result, a gathering of Oxygen around the area to be lit is a lot more plausible than Hydrogen.
It is, therefore, my belief, that, in preparation to this spell, Dumbledore summoned a great deal of Oxygen around himself, and then lit it. Now, the next question: How did he produce a flame from a flammable material. Well, quite simple. I think that he concentrated his magical energy in his wand arm, and then forced it up his wand. Now, when a lot of energy reaches a point of small surface area, a temperature rise is recorded and, as a result, a spark is produced. If there is enough Oxygen in the air, then that spark would cause a fire to form. This fire would burn best in the places that the Oxygen is in high amounts. As a result, we have the unique form of the spell: As Dumbledore does the lasso movement with his arm, the spark created on the tip of his wand moves around and around, ensuring a uniform flame on all sides of the circle created.
When he wanted to end the spell, I think that Dumbledore simply waved off the spark, and summoned a lot of Nitrogen to the spot. Since the atmosphere is 78% Nitrogen, the Oxygen and its toxicity levels would be cancelled out by the Nitrogen, leaving the air pretty much as it was before, but adding to the place's overall "magical aura".
After finishing the spell, and getting away from the Inferi, we see that Dumbledore is quite shaky... obviously, the spell took quite a lot out of him. That is due to two reasons: Firstly, a prolonged spell drained considerable amounts of magical energy from his supply, leaving him weak. Second, Oxygen is, in high amounts, a toxic gas. While summoning all of that Oxygen, Dumbledore inhaled vast amounts of it, and hence poisoned himself. That's why he may have wanted to see Snape: an antidote for the liquid he drank, and the Oxygen he took in.
In conclusion, there is not much point to this thread. However, due to the unique movement of the spell, and the way in which it worked, I have decided to link the Muggle and Magic worlds once more, in order to provide an explanation as to how the fire ring that saved Harry's life actually works in our own world. I hope you have enjoyed it, and, if anyone has other explanations that link the Muggle and the Magic, as to how spells work, it would be nice for you to post them here.