Skip to main content

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.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

harry potter - Did Dolores Umbridge Have Any Association with Voldemort (or Death Eaters) before His Return?

I noticed that Dolores Umbridge was born during the first Wizarding War, so it's very likely she wasn't a Death Eater then (but she is pretty evil -- who knows?). After that Voldemort was not around in a way that could affect many people, and most wouldn't know he was planning to rise again. During that time, and up through Voldemort's return (in Goblet of Fire ), did Umbridge have any connection with the Death Eaters or with Voldemort? Was she doing what she did on her own, or was it because of an association with Voldemort or his allies? Answer Dolores Umbridge was definitely not a good person. However, as Sirius points out, "the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters". Remember that he also says that he doesn't believe Umbridge to be a Death Eater, but that she's evil enough (or something like that). I think there are two strong reasons to believe that: Umbridge was proud to do everything according to the law, except when she trie...
Post a Comment
Read more

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

aliens - Interstellar Zoo story

I vaguely remember this story from my childhood: it was about an interstellar zoo that came to Earth with lots of bizarre and unusual species, and humans would file through and gape at all the crazy looking creatures from other planets. The twist came at the end when the perspective shifted to the other side of the bars and we discovered that the "creatures" were traveling through space on a kind of safari. They thought they were the visitors and we were the animals. Neither side knew that the other side thought they were the zoo creatures. Answer Got it. Zoo, by Edward D. Hoch. Published in 1958. Link to Publication History Link to PDF
Post a Comment
Read more

tolkiens legendarium - Did Gandalf wear his Ring of Power throughout the trilogy?

After Gandalf discovered that Sauron was back and sent Frodo on his quest to Rivendell, did he continue to wear Narya (one of the Three Rings)? It seems like a huge risk to continue to wear it after the Nazgûl (Ringwraiths) started to try and reclaim the One Ring; if they managed to get the ring to Sauron, couldn't he be corrupted by his power? Whatever powers Narya bestows upon him couldn't possibly be worth the huge risk, could it? Answer When Sauron forged the one ring and put it on his finger, the other ring bearers were immediately aware of him and his intentions and removed their own rings. There is no reason why they couldn't merely do so again. As soon as Sauron set the One Ring upon his finger they were aware of him; and they knew him, and preceived that he would be master of them, and of all they wrought. Then in anger and fear they took off their rings. "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age," Silmarillion
Post a Comment
Read more