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harry potter - Why did Newt need to cross the Atlantic by steamer?


In Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, we see Newt traveling across the Atlantic by muggle steamship. Isn't there some way for wizards to teleport that distance, or for some entrepreneurial wizard to set up an airline?


Edit:


If so, why wouldn't Newt have used it? Why would he still go by muggle steamer?



Answer



Newt was illegally smuggling magical creatures, and so used a muggle method of travel. Additionally, lots of his creatures couldn't take various methods of instantaneous magical transportation.



Pong Maniquiz: Loved the movie. Burning Q from my wife though: How come Newt travels by boat to cross the Atlantic instead of apparating?
J.K. Rowling: There's a limit to how far you can Apparate. Inter-continental Apparition is very dangerous!
Victor: Why couldn't Newt have used a portkey? It can't have been difficult for him to register one since he works at the Ministry.

J.K. Rowling: Consider the effect on the contents of his case...
Vick: Is there some sort of Magical Customs for wizards? Maybe not in the years of the Ellis Island ships, but how about now? :)
J.K. Rowling: Newt went in through the No-Maj customs because wizards wouldn't have been so easy to fool. Transporting those creatures was illegal.


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  1. Why couldn’t Newt just Apparate to the USA? Why did he go by boat?



    Apparition becomes increasingly risky over long distances. As with most magic, much depends on the skill of the spell-caster: Apparition requires knowledge of the terrain to which one is moving, or the ability to visualise it clearly. Cross-continental Apparition would almost certainly result in severe injury or death.


    Moreover, the beasts in Newt’s case had varying magical natures. Some could have Apparated with him, but others could not.




  2. Why did Newt go in through No-Maj customs?


    He was transporting magical creatures at a time when this was illegal. No-Majs were far easier to fool than the wizarding checkpoint would have been.




(J.K. Rowling's new website - FAQ)




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