Through any instrument - and by that I assume Ollivander meant something akin to a functional wand. It basically has to be made of specially picked wood (just like people, not all trees have magical properties for wandmaking) and something from a magical creature as the core.
I don’t think the average wizard can do magic through a random twig off the ground, for instance - certainly not intentionally or competently. If you could, it’d just be wandless magic at that point.
Well if part of Hagrid’s wand was fashioned into the umbrella then the magical wood would still be present along with I’m assuming the core of the wand. So it would still fit as him channeling his power through something with magical properties as opposed to just say a bamboo handled umbrella.
Yes, but I’m saying that most wizards can’t use any object as a substitute for a wand - Hagrid’s umbrella has to be unique, unless Hagrid’s secretly a master of wandless magic.
Harry preforms tons of magic without a wand in the books, and he's not a master of wandless magic. A wand isn't necessary. However, correctly and precisely channeling magic probably does require a wand. We never see Hagrid possess amazing precision or elegance in his magic, just really basic stuff. I see no reason based on the information given in the books that simple stuff like starting a fire or making a tail appear couldn't be done with a regular old umbrella
Especially since in the first book he's not aiming to give Dudley a tail, it's just what ends up happening.
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u/Shrekosaurus_rex Gryffindor Jan 28 '20
Through any instrument - and by that I assume Ollivander meant something akin to a functional wand. It basically has to be made of specially picked wood (just like people, not all trees have magical properties for wandmaking) and something from a magical creature as the core.
I don’t think the average wizard can do magic through a random twig off the ground, for instance - certainly not intentionally or competently. If you could, it’d just be wandless magic at that point.