In Harry Potter Fanfiction, it is not out of the realm of possibility for a man to commute to London for his job, and sleep every night in Scotland, and there are many examples of men and women that do. Also, in Harry Potter Fanfiction, owls are magical creatures capable of carrying messages from one end of the island of Britain to the other. In fact, they do quite often, and may be used to send parcels through the air.

So, here's a word problem. An owl leaves London heading towards Albus Dumbledore at Hogwarts, in Scotland. It is 4 P.M. It will take the owl a matter of hours to fly to Scotland. But Albus needs to be in London at 5 to see Cornelius Fudge about a problem involving goats. So, he apparates there at 4.45. Now the owl has already been traveling from London for 45 minutes, but finds (apparently) that Dumbledore is now in London. Does the owl return to London, only to find that Dumbledore is back at Hogwarts by 5.30, or does the owl continue to Hogwarts, where Dumbledore is no longer present.

So, what are your thoughts about owls? It seems to me to be a waste of time when a wizard can Apparate or Floo. Also, what is keeping wizards from developing a way to send the package with magic? If a person can Summon a broomstick from more than a mile away, why can't a letter be sent through magic to a certain location? It must be more quick than having an owl fly for many hours...

You know I get high and go off on tangents about these sorts of things, but I'd like to know what some of you think. Maybe you can use the ideas in one of your fanfics, because, though owls (Hedwig) play a part in almost every Harry Potter fanfic, they are rarely ever discussed in detail.

Now, talk amongst yourselves...

 

Why does the Muggle world use normal mail at all when we have email? More secure, has a traceable physical presence, tradition, and other reasons besides. Speed of transmission isn't the only concern.

We already know that wizards have methods of communicating faster than owl.

Also, another theory: it may not be possible to impart information via magic. Otherwise you'd think they'd use some sort of knowledge imparting spells to teach magic.

 

That is an interesting thought. I think that unless the owl has been told a specific place to go or to find the recipient as fast as possible, it will just go to an office or home, otherwise it is just too complicated. In your word problem, I think the owl would continue on to Hogwarts, unless it is an extremely urgent letter.

EDIT: Taure also has a valid point. For short, urgent messages, a skilled light wizard could send a Patronus, and I am sure there is a comparable dark communication method. Teaching by magic would also make sense if it was possible to transfer knowledge quickly through magic. However, I disagree with his "more secure" statement. Owls are easily intercepted, whereas it would be difficult to stop or interfere with other forms of magical communication

 

It is perfectly possible to transmit information by magic; virtually every spell seen in the books could be used as at least a primitive morse-code like signaling system. Possilbe reason magic isn't used to teach could be tradition, horrid difficulty meaning that the people who spend their entire lifetimes doing it become too jealous (i.e., they had to study so much, so why should they make it easier for others), belief that study 'builds character', etc.

 

I think what he means is that you can't tap someone on the head and give them the ability to speak Chinese.

 

Not sure about Taure, but that's what I meant. They could communicate with a Patronus or enchanted mirrors, but it still takes time to impart that knowledge, and it is not implanted directly into someone's head. Since you brought up languages, I prefer fics where, if they have to use magic to eliminate the language barrier, they use some sort of temporary translation spell rather than learn an entire language overnight.

 

I'm willing to bet there is some way to make people learn fast (given the number of languages...Crouch, was it? knows) but I doubt it's possible to just make people know shit. Otherwise, why do they even have schools?

 

We could just chalk it up to another plot hole. It takes seven years of hard study to learn magic, but Crouch and Dumbledore know over 150 languages, many of which are totally incomprehensible to humans? It doesn't make sense. Of course, this has probably been said before.

 

Remember, not every witch and wizard can summon a Patronus. It's extremely difficult, and requires a lot of practice (as we can see in PoA). Therefore, it's use as a message sending tool is only limited to the talented wizards, so widespread use would be unlikely. The same goes for enchanted mirrors--first of all, who carries a mirror with them every where they go, no matter how small; secondly, it must take a lot of effort to make a magical artifact that reaches people clearly and quickly even from long distances.

I don't see why the transfer of memories wouldn't be harmful; if you can use a memory in a jar and see it all around you, why can't you receive the memory directly into your head? The difference is that once the memory is removed, the person no longer remembers it because it's no longer in his mind.
Then Harry could speak fluent Japanese, or Mermish, or Troll, but only as long as Dumbledore allows him to have that knowledge. I imagine it wouldn't work as stop, point and click method, but it could do wonders, especially if a person is on the verge of death. Imagine Grindelwald is forced to transfer some of his most precious memories to a young Tom Riddle, and is left with a defunct mind--these could also be a reason that Dumbledore feels guilty for putting him in jail.

I'm seeing some good ideas in here so far.

 

To be fair, in my first post I said a skilled wizard. As for enchanted mirrors, that is much easier to carry than a freaking owl.

In regards to memories, in the Pensieve, a person is actually living the memory from the third person, like being inside a movie. However, to actually transfer that memory to the person would make it like it was his own memory, and having memories of things you never experienced would be rather confusing and complicated. Take, for example, Mat in WoT.

And why would that make Dumbledore guilty for putting Grindelwald in jail? I don't get it.

 

Because at one time Grindelwald was his best friend, and he basically sent his best friend to a life where he is brain damaged and imprisoned where no one can find him. Not that he would have done it any differently, but compound the fact that he basically spawned Tom Riddle and there's end to the amount of grief he must feel about the situation. Not to mention the romantic situation involved...

I don't know anything about WoT, but it seems to me that if you're actively aware someone has given you a new memory, you'll know that you never experienced it. Therefore, Harry's not going to freak out when he realizes he speaks Mermish because he knows he received that knowledge from Dumbledore, or whatever the example may be. Think of the Matrix, with limits. He's not going to be able to do many things physically that Dumbledore can do, or things that come with practice, like spell-casting, for example, but he'll be able to remember all sorts of things about the spell that will teach him to cast it. Anyway, it's a thought--inside of JK Rowling's Universe there is little evidence that says that can happen, but the whole point of fanfiction is to write it your way. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to see something like this happen, but I might just be me.

And obviously you don't carry an owl with you wherever you go. There are owlerys and cages. Can you tell me it wouldn't be easier for them to invent a spell that sends a message through the air, rather than using owls which require a lot of upkeep--feeding, cleaning their shit up, etc. Owls are beautiful creatures, but I'm sure you don't want mouse carcasses and owl droppings on your magic carpet. Or something like that.

 

I certainly agree that owls are cumbersome and unnecessary, I was just pointing out that maybe you could carry a magic mirror around like muggles carry cell phones.

Now that you said it I see your point about the memories, I suppose it could be possible. But it would have to be kept strictly to facts and information, I think, not full memories.

 

Magic mirrors as cell phones would be a good alternative... maybe they drain a wizard's magic like a cell phone battery? So it would make sense to only use it when you need quick face to face conversation. There's no mention of that when Harry uses the mirror with Sirius, though. So, maybe not.

I was going to say the reason magic mirrors wouldn't work is because they are exceedingly rare, like invisibility cloaks. They take loads of effort to create, sustain, and would only be found in the possession of either very powerful wizards, like the Dumbledores, Fudges and Malfoys of the world, or people who have had them passed down from a family's estate, like Sirius. Or someone who has been on a quest into the Dark World so that they can move forward a few steps and then switch back into Hyrule and then go in the castle. You know, that scenario.

 

Anything you see where the mirrors are actually used are fanon, though. They were never actually used in the books, so we don't know how they work or how rare they really are. But if you wanted you could incorporate that into a fic, and people probably have.

 

I winced.

filler

 

The Ministry of Magic sent an owl to the Dursley residence right after Dobby used magic, which in the time frame shown, appeared to arrive almost right after the incident. In the fifth book, the broom ride from the Dursley's house to Grimmauld place took quite a bit of time. It seems very unrealistic that an owl could arrive in such a short period of time when brooms can travel at speeds of 100+ mph. Moody and co. did take detours, but it still seems improbable in my mind. Either owls have the ability to apparate, or they could carry portkeys with them set up by wizards.

Owls in my mind are kept as a system of communication because of the close tie between wizards and the species. With magic they can easily make the communication much more faster and efficient, so it's not like it's costing them or anything. As owl droppings are easily gotten rid of with vanishing charms, where the only effort required is to flick one's hand. It's also more than possible to have a house elf take care of hundreds, if not thousands of owls at a single time. This is all assuming however that it's not just possible to put a spell on the floor of cages, that would automatically vanish owl droppings. And a spell on the container filled with food and water, which will make it refill when needed (like the plate with sandwiches in the second book).

There is also no spell (or rather no spell that is used by the masses) to send messages through the air because wizards don't need that particular form of communication. The main form of communication besides the owl system is literally face to face talking. With apparition and the floo network it's possible to journey from Scotland to England in a manner of seconds. The period of time where a phone rings and the recipient is about to pick it up, is roughly the same amount of time needed to apparate to a friend's house across the country.

Face to face conversations are much more satisfying than text messages. For this reason, wizards don't need an advanced form of communication because they can quite literally transport themselves hundreds of miles in less than a second, if not instantly.

 

Okay, so they can Apparate, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the correct form of communication in every circumstance. Harry's gotta be at Hannah and Susan's for the Annual Strip Off at 7, but it's 6.55 and he needs to get a simple, but very important message regarding pubic hair regrowth potion to Ron. So, would he Apparate there? No, and especially not when he has to force himself through what, basically, amounts to a tube. JK describes Apparation as an unpleasant experience.

I think of owls as the Postal Service, and Apparation as driving (there's even a license for it). Owls apparating just seems strange when you think of it that way, and I don't know if it is fact, but it seems to me that Portkey creation isn't widespread knowledge. If it was, nearly everything could have potential to send you flailing through the air halfway across the globe. Imagine picking up a drink can and finding yourself in the Australian Outback.

 

1. Owl use: I think it's just one of the many things that wizards are comfortable with, i.e. they don't think about how much faster it would be to apparate a message themselves, or develop another method of transportation. It stands to reason that if there's a Summoning spell, a Transmission spell can be created as well.

Perhaps it's a matter of manners and pride. For example, the CEO of a company has to drop off something from his office on the top floor to the front desk on the main floor before he goes to lunch. Could he simply drop it off himself on his way to lunch? Probably. Be he'll most likely get some grunt to do it - because he's the fucking CEO and doesn't do peon shit like deliver packages *shrug* Or, apparating to deliver a message instead of sending an owl is equated to...I dunno...the act of a commoner - something within wizarding culture that dictates self-delivery as poor manners. I don't know, but given the fact that owls are still used, it's not out of the realm of possibility.

As polarized on the issue of tradition vs. advancement that the wizarding world is, they all seem to hold on to similar views. They don't exercise; they wear cumbersome robes (made more comfortable by charms then by *gasp* changing the design); they'd rather expose their ass and stick their head in a fireplace to communicate than find something more reasonable; quills and parchment instead of paper and pens (incidentally, what is the daily prophet printed on? Isn't it paper?), etc etc und so weiter.

Wizards like their traditions; if they were all about change, they wouldn't stay hidden. The fact that they don't simply obliviate muggleborns and ingratiate them with wizarding families boggles the mind, as muggleborn wizards would have to recognize how ass-backwards some of the wizarding customs are.

But largely, how owls 'work' wasn't critical to the story, and Rowling left it alone. If she could do it again, I bet she would make owls a ceremonial method of sending messages (like how my bank statement, for example, doesn't come on the same paper/envelope combination as a wedding invitation), or define it as a wealthy pureblood-only custom (like house elves).

2.

That's exactly why it's ministry regulated; as far as canon, the only non-ministry person who knew the spell was Dumbledore. And given that we now know his wand could do damn near anything, that might have been a case of intent over detailed knowledge.

 

Hmm, I wonder if you can send items through the floo. It would certainly eliminate problems like that. If that can't be used as a solution, Harry merely has to find the nearest owl to send to Ron. And considering the evidence shown in the books, owls in the Harry Potter series have an uncanny ability to reach their targets far faster than normal owls ever could. As for apparition amounting to an unpleasant sensation, I'm pretty sure wizards would get used to it. There are no long term after effects and it lasts hardly any time at all.

Also correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that portkeys worked on a timer. And that when the time is up, the portkey automatically transports itself to it's destination along with whatever is touching it. So Harry could be walking around touching portkeys all the time and still not be transported. It would take an unlikely set of circumstances for him to touch a portkey at the exact same time the timer goes off.

Nevertheless, the Ministry of Magic regulates portkey usage, (as we can see when Fudge gasps as Dumbledore creates an unregulated one) so it stands to reason that they would prohibit portkeys in public places, like a doorknob for example. And I'm pretty sure most wizards would know to avoid out of place random piles of trash. In any case, for specific purposes I think it's possible to hire trained wizards to make them for owls. Maybe the duplicating charm can be used on a portkey, without the spell becoming interrupted. If not, then I still think it's a viable option, as we can see the owl system plays a large part in the wizarding lifestyle.

And owls having the ability to apparate is no more different than threstrals becoming invisible to all except those who have seen death. And certainly no more plausible than phoenix's having the ability to heal anything and transport themselves through anti-apparition wards. It would certainly make sense if owl's have the ability to apparate, since if they didn't wizards would most likely use other birds (because owls in this case would not be anything special), whereas the great majority of them do not. Given the surreal climate we often find ourselves in while reading about the Harry Potter universe, I don't think owls having the ability to apparate is out of the ordinary at all.

EDIT: Also this is magic we are talking about, there has to be nearly infinite solutions to the problem of communication. Rowling merely limits what we see. I am sure wizards summon mail and use transmission charms. But because of tradition like Blaise said, wizards use owls instead. Again with magic, owls can arrive at their destination at unnatural speeds.

Asking why wizards use owls instead of spells, is like asking why muggles use cars instead of pneumatic tubes. Yeah if mass produced, pneumatic tubes with carriages could actually work at a fast efficient pace, but the idea simply hasn't caught on. We have pneumatic tubes in some banks, which are used to transport mail at a fast speed. Yet people still use the mail system instead of pneumatic tubes to transport mail (which can be a possibility), despite the fact that it would probably be faster to use the latter.

It all depends on who is the better at advertising their style. In this case wizards are most likely reluctant to give up owls because of their ties to the species. And it's ridiculous to claim that owls take hours to reach their destinations. If need be, one can just stick an owl into the fireplace.

 

Lol. Triwizard Cup, bro'.

This I agree with. Fawkes could've apparated out of the Chamber, but choose to fly them up. Maybe owls will fly for a certain distance - say, outside of anti-apparation wards ? - before popping away. Or they just like flying - owls are portrayed as sentient, after all.