Do any of you think that there is any logic in when a cast spell shows any form of light? Most charms don't seem to, most curses do. Do transfiguration spells show any light when cast? It seems to me that the darker the spell, the more pronounced the light show. The age line in GOF could be classified as an enchantment, therefore jet another form of lightshow.

That would make charms duelling very dangerous, because noone would actually notice anything if it was cast silently...

I'd be thankful for any input.
Olfrik

 

I think it is possible that either the more directly active the spell is the brighter it is (which falls down in the case of transfiguration), or the more emotionally charged the spell is, the brighter it is. Its possible that the colour is either determined by the emotions required, the intent required or the purpose of the spell.

Indeed, charms duelling would be highly dangerous, one reason I think Flitwick is so underrated by most people. However, I do feel that either more powerful, more sensitive or even more experienced wizards would be able to "sense" a spell approaching them, or thats about to affect them. It is certainly a fanon concept that, but I think it makes sense if you relate to human biology. The human body is aware when something tries to change its physical condition, be it cut, insertion or whatever, it gives a warning, in the form of pain. It stands to reason (though reason can rarely be applied to magic) that a persons magic would be the same.

Thats also my theory about how most spells that affect others work. They carry a minimum charge of magic within themselves, and forcefully utilise the targets own magic to affect them. That could be a reasonable classification for the Dark Arts, and could also explain why certain spells are unblockable, if either they are solely powered by the casters magic and are thus on different wave length of magic or something that allows them to ignore defensive spells, or if they are totally minimally charged, and absorb any magic that hit rather than being stopped or deflected by it.

Another possibility to that is that spells have a limited sentience to them, and shields work from the point of view of convincing the spells that their purpose is fullfilled. If unblockable curses either have no sentience and only stop when they strike a physical object, or they have more sentience than normal and thus ignore the prompting of shields telling them that their purpose is fullfilled.

That further leads to the idea that perhaps some curses can be blocked, but only by specific shields that project a very specific message or command to the spell hitting it, rather than a more general one like Protego might.

Just my thoughts when Im exceedingly tired.

 

I honestly don't think J.K. put that much thought behind it. I think it is just that some spells have lights and some just don't. I think she was going for the whole jet of light thing as in the spell comes out of the wand like a laser would come out of a gun from Star Wars and it gives some one a chance to dodge.

 

The whole beam of light thing coming out of the wand is pretty weird. Most other witchcraft/wizardry is more so, cast the spell at someone, it's effects are immidiate and can't be blocked, kind of like the dueling in the second movie.

Yet, in the forth movie, the killing curse and disarming curse look more like lightning, like some kind of energy which makes a little bit of sense, it in that magic is a form of energy which only certain people are capable of producing and the focus etc of the wand.

I still think the whole "Saw the spell coming at them and had the time to cast a shield" thing is still pretty hard to visualize, it seems like it's all extremely fast paced and accuracy would be a big issue anyone thats fired a hand gun would know what I'm talking about.
The gun moves so much out-stretched when trying to aim, even if you think you have a steady arm.

Lots of thoughts could be had behind the subject, yet it still remains a bit of unknown.

 

I think canon kinda supports this as well. Didn't Dumbledore "feel" Voldemort's magic at the cave in HBP? Granted, he had to look for it, but you could claim that warding magic is more difficult to detect than the kind of spell one would tend to use in a duel.

 

Use Miranda Flairgold's idea. The spell's light is just power leaking out from it.

 

We know you can 'feel' spells that don't have have a visiual counterpart. In OOTP, when Harry is sitting in Umbridges officr after getting busted with the DA, he feels Shacklebolts' Obliviate spell brush past.

As to why some spells have jets of light and other don't, I'm gonna chalk it up to the spell creator. I figure that when Mr. Wizard X created the Stunning spell, he needed a visual counterpart to help his research.

 

Good point, I'd forgotten it was actually a canon thing rather than just a fanon.

 

It seems like most of the spells used in dueling come with a nice light show. In OoTP, when Dumbledore and Voldemort fight, they were shooting out bright lights of blue and white. Also, when it was describing the duel with Bellatrix Lestrange and Sirius, he was ducking under her spells and dodging them with ease. Makes me think that it's possible to dodge spells like that and that most of them come with a bolt of light.