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harry potter - Is the Resurrection Stone (or Any Magical Object) Ever Really Lost?


Just a warning, if you haven't read all of the Harry Potter series, this includes some spoilers. Instead of getting sloppy with large parts in spoiler notation, I'm just warning you here. If you don't want spoilers, stop reading here.



This question about Harry losing the resurrection stone started me thinking about that particular point in the story and it raised a few questions:



  • Did Harry intend to lose the stone for good - so nobody could find it, or did he just want to lose it for himself?

  • Was the stone really lost to all?

  • Was this actually a good way to lose the stone?

  • Can any object in the magical world ever be completely lost or hidden?


My answer to the first question is that Harry does seem to think ahead and think in terms of "fixing" things for everyone (Hermione points this out when she comments that he has a habit of rescuing people). I think he was trying to lose the stone forever, but the only thing I have to back it up is what I just wrote.


Was just dropping the stone a good way to lose it forever?


It seems like all it would take would be some kind of basic location spell to find the stone, or try repeating a summoning charm while focusing on different areas of the forest.



If it's protected from those spells in some way, one could us other spells, such as something to levitate stones, then lower all non-magical stones in an area and look for the one stone still levitating.


With this in mind, was just dropping the stone really a good way to lose it, considering anyone determined to find it would find a way to protect themselves (from the dangers in the forest) and search the area, using spells to find the stone?


That leaves me asking:



  • Was Harry trying to lose the stone forever, for everyone?

  • Would it be able to be located with spells or is it really lost to everyone (barring incredible luck)?

  • Is it really possible to completely lose or hide any object in the magical world?



Answer






  • Did Harry intend to lose the stone for good - so nobody could find it, or did he just want to lose it for himself?



I think when he dropped it, it may not have been intentional, but he did make the conscious decision to let it stay lost:



The Resurrection Stone slipped from between his numb fingers



(Ch.34)




"The thing that was hidden in the Snitch," he began, "I dropped it in the forest. I don't know exactly where, but I'm not going to go looking for it



(Ch.36)





  • Was the stone really lost to all?

  • Was this actually a good way to lose the stone?




Well, no one else knew where he dropped it, only he and Dumbledore knew he ever had it, so I'd say it's fairly well lost. First, consider how many people actually walk around the Forbidden Forest. Then, what are the chances of anyone picking up a seemingly random stone in the Forbidden Forest? And then what are the chances they know what the Resurrection stone is? And then what are the chances they figure out that this particular stone is the Resurrection stone?





  • Can any object in the magical world ever be completely lost or hidden?



I'd say if anything can, it's this.





It seems like all it would take would be some kind of basic location spell to find the stone, or try repeating a summoning charm while focusing on different areas of the forest.


If it's protected from those spells in some way, one could us other spells, such as something to levitate stones, then lower all non-magical stones in an area and look for the one stone still levitating.


...



  • Would it be able to be located with spells or is it really lost to everyone (barring incredible luck)?



I'd say it's likely to be immune to summoning and probably other locating charms, with the possible exception of Harry's, as he was the last owner/user. Other than that, it ought to be subject to other spells, including those that could uniquely identify it as the Resurrection stone once one had it in one's possession.


So, in absolute terms, no, nothing can be lost forever (destroyed, yes; lost, no), someone could (eventually) stumble on it by chance. But in practical terms, the chances of someone finding the stone again are, I would say, at least billions to one.


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