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harry potter - What objects can be used as wand substitutes?


We know that wizards need a wand to focus their magic (wizards can cast spells without a wand, but they are unfocused and weaker). But some wizards aren't known to carry wands. Instead they carry something that works like a wand, but isn't.


Mad-Eye Moody uses a staff as his wand. Hagrid uses his pink umbrella, which was made from pieces of his broken wand.


Are there any other examples of wizards using something other than a normal wand to cast their spells? What are these objects? Do they work like normal wands, and what gives them their power? Would it be possible to use a magical weapon as a substitute for a wand? (Like, say, used the Sword of Gryffindor to channel your spells.)



Answer




A wand is merely a way to focus/concentrate your magic better. A wizard can do magic without a wand (see Harry Potter as a kid doing all sorts of magic from freeing python from glass cage to blowing up Aunt Marge).


Ergo, ANY object can be used to concentrate magic at least as well as your own fingers/mind - it's just that certain objects (wood with cores from magical animals) are better at this focusing; and special wood with special cores are a lot better at this focusing (see the last paragraph of this answer). This is analogous to the fact that you can cut someone with a dull knife - it's just a lot EASIER and requires less strength to do so with a sharp one.



As far as using the Sword: it's possible (again, it won't be any worse than your own fingers, but may possibly be better though there is no canon support for that).


But being metal it's likely to be much worse at focusing than wood (there is no direct canon support; but nobody made metal wands - and if it was feasible I'm sure at least some "metal-charmer" would have tried; to get a unique non-breakable wand. Remember that Harry's main wand broke not from some weird magic but merely from physical impact at Godric's Hollow - ditto for Ron's wand semi-destroyed by Womping Willow. So an unbreakable metal wand would have been worth the effort for wizarding world).



Actually, pre-Ollivander wands used weird not-well-focusing cores and woods (source: Pottermore). Ollivander started using these special cores and woods exclusively over any random "heirloom" materials which were popular before; this is why his wands are so highly valued.


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