My question about the Potter Universe - conservation of magic?

[Rabrrrrrr]

I was thinking about this last night.

Where does the energy for the magic come from? Is there a finite amount? Does using magic in one place require a transfer of magical energy, leaving another place void and empty? Is there a kind of magical entropy?

Do wizards, goblins, house-elves all tap into the same magical supply, or different?

Or of all the things in the universe, is "magic" the only thing that exists in infinite abundance? Or will wizards and such eventually spell themselves right out of energy?


And less seriously:

And if magic is the only infinitely available energy, isn't the magical community then ethically bankrupt for not offering their magic to the muggles to solve the muggles' fossil-fuel earth-destroying way of life?

And maybe that's really all Voldemort wanted - to "rule" over the muggles so as to teach them a way that is better than reliance on fossil fuels? Was Voldemort the last chance at salvation that humans had, and is Harry Potter then the most vile and wicked of people?

As liberals, shouldn't we have supported Voldemort's efforts to make a magic-only world?



Okay, I was getting a little tongue in cheek at the end - but the earlier stuff is a serious question. What are the properties of magic?

[liontamer]

1. i've always assumed magical energy was biodynamic in origin

i.e. the energy for spells is a byproduct of your metabolism and that's why some people are stronger than others. Charms are as powerful as the amount of energy you put into them. That being said you can use magic more efficiently by focusing the energy (using wands/spells) to decrease loss through entropy.

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. That would solve the infinite supply problem - kind of like the Force, then

made by all living things.

[kay1864]

3. I think it's more like physical exertion is for Muggles, not tapping into a "source"

i.e., a wizard or witch would tire after a prolonged battle. But everyday magic like levitating and such would be no different than us lifting the TV remote.

[GumboYaYa]

4. Typical muggle question.......

its magic, isn't that good enough? :)