I am in the process of writing a fiction where the idea of maturing magically comes into play in a huge way but then got thinking when realistically would maturity happen for a wizard. Now it is commonly suggested that it would happen around 15-17 years old but the more i thought about it the more this sounds like crap to me. Looks at the facts that a wizard is expected to live alot longer than a muggle, i.e. Dumbledore, a powerful wizard living till he is about 150 years old. Surely if this is the case the maturity wouldnt happen till alot later in life or it would happen in stages, possible one a 11 another 17, 21, 30 for example to allow the body to adapt to the power it will eventually wield. Anyone else have any thoughts on the matter?

 

I like the idea that magic is closely linked to mind: a sophisticated mind will have sophisticated magic to match.

So magical maturity, in my mind, will be linked directly to emotional and mental maturity.

This seems to be backed up, at least partially, by canon, as the people do get stronger as they get older and gain more knowledge.

 

Well, usually I'd suggest throwing the entire idea of Magical Maturity out of the window because it just seems like a way to quickly super-power Harry.

However, if you are going to have it, I'd suggest having the magic mature constantly, but sudden leaps at certain parts of life. For example, the first major leap could be at 11 which is when the person's magic is strong enough to be tracked down. Then, another leap when they hit puberty, and another at 17 and then the magic continues to mature gradually. Then, you could also add that magical maturation can be accelerated under certain circumstances, and that during the leaps the person recieves certain magical gifts/traits.

For example, Tom Marvolo Riddle could have possibly died during his birth. Therefore, his magic strained itself to keep him alive, like exercising a muscle will amke it stronger. During this strain, it became stronger and made him master certain skills or his magic quicker.

Edit: Mine and Taure's ideas are similair, and kind of fit.

 

Meh, the idea of magical maturity was assraped and left to die in a gutter when HBP became a part of the canon. In Dumbledore's memories we saw that Tom Riddle wasn't some ordinary runt, like Harry, until he hit 17 and transformed into a powerhouse. On the contrary, he was using wandless magic before Harry even knew there was a world outside his cupboard. Conclusion? Harry's development was either stunted in some way, or there isn't such thing as magical maturity.

 

I agree with ip82 and Taure, but we can't deny that the age of 17 has some significance in magic, because wards around Privet Drive would fail exactly at the moment of Harry's birthday. So, in other words, magic can recognize the moment when wizard reaches the age of 17 years precisely, and something changes.

 

That could be a very funny parody.

Come to think of it it sounds familiar.

 

Nah, its not the blood wards that make him lucky, its the Bl4nk13 of Luck +239089435647435!!!!!1!!!OEN!!! that he was wrapped in as a child, that's secretly been hidden in the cupboard for 10 years so Harry's absorbed all the luck from that, since it was doused in Felix Felicis when he was born.

In all seriousness though, I don't really agree with magical maturity anymore - not since the idea of a magical connection to a different plane came along. But, if you're going to go with it I'd suggest having important times in peoples' lives when their magic increases exponentially, based on strain and physical capabilities. Say, at birth, 8 years old (Harry would have jumped later due to his physical weakness), 11 years old (again Harry would get this later), 16 years old (step up to silent casting, Harry would have almost caught up due to his numerous scrapes with Voldie), say 20 years old then up and up with increasing intervals between.

Aekiel

 

Aekiel: Actually, that'd make a pretty good comedy fic. Rorschach's "Make a Wish" fic series is based on the premises that Harry is the descendant or champion of Tyche and Nemesis (Goddesses of Luck and Justice), which explains his incredibly green eyes.

Back on topic, I have to agree with ip82. HBP screwed over magical maturity. There'd have to be at least two "maturities" in order to prevent overload from all the power that some of the wizards/witches would take in at their coming of age, so to speak.

 

A possible explanation for Tom's wandless magic and Harry's relative inability to use magic is that, as a youth, Harry feared doing magic because it outraged the society he was living in. He couldn't use it to his advantage, therefore, he never attempted to MAKE things happen, and knew nothing about the strange things that occasionally happened to him when he was angry. He probably feared magic.

Riddle would be the opposite end of the spectrum; he savored his "ability" and thus experimented with it as a young boy, scaring any bullies, controlling the people around him, and of course, talking to snakes.

What does that have to do with magical maturity?

I think that, if you were going to use magical maturity in your story (it would have to be an AU because HBP definitely threw that idea out the window) Psychology would need to play a huge part. Tom wanted to use his magic; Harry didn't - thus, it only came to Harry when he really needed it.

Tom always had ambitions of rising out of the hole he seemed to be trapped in, so he worked hard and was unafraid to be cruel to get what he wanted. His magic reflects that - it's easy for him to use dark magic quickly and concisely.

Harry, of course wanted to get away from the Dursleys as well, but once he had escaped, he didn't want much more for himself. He just wanted to get the fuck out of dodge, and live a normal life. The only time we ever see real power from Harry is when he, or someone else, is in danger. Then his spells are overcharged and powered with (and yes, I know this is lame) "love".

So this could go along with what Taure said (magical maturity is based on emotional and mental maturity), but I think it's more along the lines of your magic reflecting what you use it for. Once again, similar to a muscle - if you build a lot of raw power, you lose something in speed and flexibility, and vice versa.

But I could be way off in a different world. If I am, do tell.

As for increases at different ages, I do think that is super!Harry-esque. I don't think magic would know if you were 11 or 17; it would be more likely to work along with stress levels and your subconscious.

Sorry about the rant. I'll still read your story, though.

 

You all seem to forget some of the accidental magic Harry has had throughout the years, apparating to roof tops, vanishing glass walls and conjuring them back up in just a blink of an eye... I think Harry's magical level is quite high, but he's control is largely attached to his emotions.. Take for example when he blew up aunt Marge, Harry was extremely angry at the time making his control of his magic absolute void.. Besides Harry was raised to believe that magic did not exist, can you imagine how his life would have been had he used magic more actively in his childhood??

I think focusing on different stages isn't a bad idea, but perhaps if you have the final peak at 17, and make it a process... For example the final process of magical maturation starts at 17 but can last for a long period of time in some cases years.. Or something like that

 

Well you have a biological clock that tells you basically what time of day it is, and your body starts to mature once you reach a certain age; why not have a magical clock that starts changes once you reach certain points in your development. Of course these things vary from person to person, the body clock especially.

For example:

Birth - Obviously a traumatic experience for every child, if you can't imagine it, I'm gonna explain it.

8 years old - Generally a mid-chilhood age, could mark a point in your mental of physical maturity that could trigger a jump in your magical power/connection. (I chose this because it was a middle number )

11 years old - Obviously an important age, Hogwarts starts accepting students, so they must be powerful enough to start magical training.

16 years old - Nearing the end of puberty for most children, only minor changes after this. I imagine seventh year would be trying to get a handle on the influx of power, probably not a big influx, but enough to be noticable.

20 years old - Pretty much every stops having growth spurts by this point, so my reasoning is that a last spurt of magical power would be at about this point, maybe a year or two before, or a year or two later.

On a side note, it wouldn't be a magical over-night influx like in some fics; more like a gradual process over a week or more when magical power grows faster than usual, like growth spurts. Of course some external factors would increase or set back magical growth, just like some things can affect your natural growth.

Aekiel

 

I personally think a wizard´s magical core will grow the older the wizard/witch gets , however it sounds plausible that between your, say, ninth year of life and and your twentieth this process speeds up alot.

There is of course also the easy way, through rituals, but I consider the idea of *pop* "Wow my power levels tripled! I am so strong! I can beat a wizard who is 50 years older than me without any help" utterly ridiculous.

Additionally I think that magical people need to use magic, practice it, like a muscle, to be able to have proper control of their reserves and use their power to it´s fullest.

In this context I like the idea of magical channels, and that those are broader or thinner depending on the the wizard/witch, seeing as those are a good explanation for squibs, whose channels would be just too thin.

Neffie