Today while riding in the car, Frinklin and I began discussing Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration which comes up in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. He had mentioned earlier that an article had been written pointing out the terrible economics of the series. Rowling addressing this with a bit with an all encompassing set of laws that apparently covers food (Hermione reminds Ron that one cannot create food out of thin air, only multiply what one already has, according to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration). It is also mentioned earlier that wizards and witches cannot force others to fall in love with others without the use of potions which wear off over time.

Since there is also the use of Gringotts to store riches and wizarding world money, and because one never sees anyone able to do it, it's safe to assume that no one can create money. Thus, the third law under Gamp's appears set.

So the first three laws of Gamp's (assumed) are:

1. One cannot create food, only multiply it once you are in possession.
2. Once cannot force another to fall in love.
3. One cannot create or multiply money through the use of magic.

Now, what would the last two laws be? I have one thought - You cannot change your shape or assume the guise of another person without the use of Polyjuice potion, unless you are a metamorphmagus or animagus.

Let me know what your thoughts are in the comments.

Posted by: Ensie at 04:57 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 Please, save Harry Potter.

Posted by: Pedro Morgado at July 28, 2007 05:16 PM (9H+8H)

2 I would suggest that you can't "vanish" something that is alive... if that were the case, then Vanishing Charms would be as illegal as the killing curse! And... hm, number five... tricky... I'd say a wizard can't magically enhance himself. If that were possible, we'd be looking at a world with weak magic users, and magic users who had learned how to enhance themselves into near-godlike status.

Posted by: Mitschu at November 07, 2007 05:23 AM (SdpqA)

3 Re Gamp's Laws of Elemental Transfigurations. 3) Money. Perhaps one can’t transfigure stuff into Metal, so even having a Philosophers stone you need real metal to change it into gold. ??? (4) Vanishing: That is true the vanishing cupboard is merely a form of translocating an living being to somewhere else I guess in regarding to living matter. I suppose one could suggest that the (5) "Enhancement" though is good as lead me to think... "Altering oneself permanently” is probably the 5th law as it also covers the fact that one can not transfigure Dead matter into living matter, thusly once dead ya stay dead. In a permanent type of manner. What do you think?

Posted by: Silvros at October 30, 2008 11:09 PM (e3Ehr)

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You scored 24% Slytherin, 12% Ravenclaw, 52% Gryffindor, and 36% Hufflepuff!

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart.

Gryffindors are known for their courage, audacity, and devotion to what is good and honest.

Found at So anyway...

Posted by: Ensie at 11:58 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I'm about a week late covering Harry Potter, as I finished the book in one day. Frinklin beat me by speed-reading through it in 5 hours. My Mom was amazed at this, "How can you finish a 750 page book in one day?"

"I have no children." I responded. Although Eden has two little ones and managed the feat as well. My Mom is a big reader and despite having two kids exactly in the HP age range (now 15 and 16) and me pushing them to read the series, it never caught on in their house. I think they'll enjoy them later in life.

Anyway...spoilers below more...

Posted by: Ensie at 09:03 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 Rowling is a great storyteller & her writing is immensely accessible. That's how people read it so quickly. FRED!

Posted by: Eden at July 26, 2007 10:33 AM (BDCWt)

2 Loved the ending, especially the final duel in front of everyone. And the epilogue fit perfectly with the book. ... and they lived happily ever after seems like a pretty good ending to me.

Posted by: Erik Hanberg at July 26, 2007 11:36 AM (7gFSi)

3 Eden, I KNOW! Frinklin totally called it too. We both called Mad Eye and he said he thought one of the Weasley twins was a goner. I thought they might be home free with the ear thing, but swore out loud quite a bit when Fred was killed. Erik, I'm so glad to hear that you liked the ending. I love happily ever afters, and this one with the characters all happy, in love, and with their children was perfect.

Posted by: ensie at July 26, 2007 11:41 AM (6We+3)

4 I, too, loved the epilogue. (I keep reading reviews from people who hate, hate, hated it, so it makes me happy when other people liked it too.) I loved that Harry, Ron and Hermione got to end up actually being family. It was nice...just a little snapshot of the future to let us know that things turned out all right.

Posted by: Erin at July 26, 2007 12:51 PM (wlZTb)

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I've been so careful!

When I heard that the last Harry Potter book had been leaked online I didn't visit anyplace that I thought might be suspect. No Wikipedia or Google for me. And I wasn't going anywhere near the reviews at the New York Times or the Baltimore Sun.

But this morning! This morning! Damn you Publishers Weekly! There was a YouTube video up on a book blog this morning showing a person spoiling the end of HP Book SIX for people waiting in line at a Barnes and Noble at the book release party in 2005. A guy was driving by in a car while screaming out the window "Snape kills Dumbledore!" at the top of his lungs. I realize now that I was damning myself the moment I laughed at this video but I thought, what the hell.

I figured I'd send this to my old boss, she'd think this was funny. I copied the link into my email (which I will not be linking to here, although you can find it under "Snape Kills Dumbledore").

Now pay attention because here is the key moment.

I clicked on the link in my email to confirm that the link worked and immediately up popped the YouTube window. However, before the video showed the comments became clear. And in the comments was THE LIST OF ALL THE CHARACTERS WHO DIE IN THE SEVENTH BOOK!!!

I KNOW!!

Fortunately I only saw two names, and in a discussion yesterday with Frinklin ("name three characters you think are going to die") I had already guessed one of them.

I know this is silly and not a big deal in the grand scheme, but I'd like not to know the ending going into this. I'm not a big mystery reader, in fact, I hate mysteries normally. But I do enjoy the Harry Potter books, and would like to have it be a surprise the first time around.

That will teach me not to laugh at other people's misfortune.

Posted by: Ensie at 09:09 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I'm so ready for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I spent the last several days reading the entire series through volume six. I forgot how enjoyable they are, and how crazy suspenseful the the last 100 pages of Half-Blood Prince are. I couldn't sleep for a good two hours after finishing because I was so amped from those last chapters.

Frinklin and I also saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix last week and I was disappointed. Book five has been my favorite for some time (although up on re-reading, six now tops the list) and to see the story so choppy and without a single subplot included made me feel like the director put no heart into the story at all. Where was the drama about Ron joining the Quiddich team? Or Draco Malfoy? Or Hermione and Ron becoming Prefects? I understand that the director, David Yates, wanted to chop out all references to Kreatcher as well until JK Rowling told him it would be detrimental to the story if he did. Yates feels that all the films have been too long and worked hard to keep the movie shorter, which you can really feel. Hasn't he learned that people will sit through long films if they're good?

And dude - get a better special effects team together. Grawp looked like crap and the thestrals certainly could have been better.

On the upside, the acting is getting better and better. Daniel Radcliffe is the spitting image of the Harry Potter in my mind. I can only hope that the excellent peripheral actors will also sign on the the last two films.

Posted by: Ensie at 05:31 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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