I found something else...

[SinisterSimpson]

I wonder..... would wizards eventually get to be like house elves (somehow doing all their magic without wands) if suddenly all the wands in the world disappeared. Young wizards can obviously do it a little, but maybe if they worked at it, all wizards could do some simple spells without wands. And another thing- have you ever noticed how sometimes older and very powerful wizards (I know Dumbledore does this) can just wave their arm or flick their wand without saying anything and perform a spell? Like if there's a mess on the floor or something they just flick their wand at it and suddenly the floor is sparkling clean. I've never quite understood how that works.

[pallas artemis]

have you ever noticed how sometimes older and very powerful wizards (I know Dumbledore does this) can just wave their arm or flick their wand without saying anything and perform a spell? Like if there's a mess on the floor or something they just flick their wand at it and suddenly the floor is sparkling clean. I've never quite understood how that works.

I think this is partly to do with power and partly to do with subconcious will/action.

Dumbledore can do several things with out saying the spell or without a wand because he is very powerful and has great control over his abilities. Young wizards can do magic accidentally. But when learning to control their ability they use wands as a kind of focal point for their power. I've always thought that wands weren't necessary for magic but that they were more like a conductor for magic. Wands help but they aren't required. If a wizard, like Dumbledore, wanted to do magic but didn't have a wand they can but it is harder to control and may possibly wear them out more than if they had a wand.

Now, on the other hand Mrs. Weasley can casually wave her wand at a mess on the table and not say an incantation because this is something that she probably does four or five times a day and in her minds eye she nows exactly what she wants to happen and therefore doesn't need the assistance of words. It is like a driving to work. I drive here everyday and more often than not find myself here without a clear memory of turning down a specific road, I sometimes find myself here on a day off because while on my way somewhere near by I unconciously turned down this road instead of the other. Does that make sence

These are my opinions. Questions, coments, and proofs that they are right or wrong are as always very welcome

[Nightcrawler]

That is an excellent theory Pallas.

[TDM]

It just becomes habit. I believe magic is described as this in one of the books: "Magic is nothing more than knowing what you want, and finding a way to get it." Or something along those lines. Maybe I'm thinking of a completely different thing, but it appears to work here, nonetheless.

[Centaur Lord]

Sorry if someone has already posted this, but im in a hurry and i dont have time to look...This whole "magic without wands thing"...i noticed that they use this a lot in the third movie. I also remember that JKR said that something Alfonso inadvertantly did in the movie would hint at something in upcoming books. Most people have been thinking along the lines of the Ron/Hermione relationship, but what if it is this? Could this be a major part of the last two books? does this make any sense at all ?

[Athena Appleton]

Well, wandless magic is used in the third movie, but it's also used in the books. Apparently some kinds of magic require wands (Lumos, defense spells, various charms and things) and others (the transformation of an animagus, for example) don't. There are threads in here, I believe there's something in the Theories board, actually, that are about this.

In the DVD extras for Chamber of Secrets, Rowling says that the director (at that time, Chris Columbus) is able to hint at things that will happen that she really can't do as subtly in the books. When she mentions this, it is at a point when she is most likely talking about the relationships between the characters, particularly Ron and Hermione. I haven't heard any other comments to this effect.

[Meg Boyd]

It just as why electricity won't work in a magical area...i think each wizard person has rather an aura of magic around them...and from that aura each person taps into to control their magical abilities...people who are more intune with the eb and flow of their aura (ie DD and even Molly) are more apt to do wandless magic