Where did the wards come from?

[dipsas]

I've been wondering for a while now - where did all the wards come from?

In HP fanfic, one sees a lot of wards. They're preferably used as defences for larger areas, buildings etc. No. 4 Privet Drive and Hogwarts have been protected by wards in many a fic, in early and widespread ones like After the End (where they're turn up for the first time in

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[dipsas]

Arthur Weasley goes to work by Floo, and not be Apparating, which indicates that there are a lot of places you cannot just materialise in.

Mm, and another hint at that would be that at the Ministry, everyone seems to Apparate to the Atrium, not directly into their offices, so that there's a 'designated arrival' area..

[straussmonster]

It's such a generic fantasy concept that it seems never to have occurred to people: Can you DO that with magic in the Potterverse? Does it work that way? But no, with a flick of a wand Snape wards his door, Hogwarts is 'warded'...

Jack for evidence or thinking through the mechanics of it; it's one of the more insidious cases of fanon, but can get pretty obnoxious (IMO) pretty fast.

[dipsas]

But no, with a flick of a wand Snape wards his door, Hogwarts is 'warded'...

He, he...That's exactly what I meant. It was actually thanks to rather a rabid plotbunny (a heavily warded one) that I started thinking about it at all.

[straussmonster]

One of the many things that makes me go "buh?" reading fic. There are *worse* things. Take your pick of:

Tolkienesque elves
Large and humanoid fairies or ANY concept of 'the fae' (please, no)
Demons
Magic that varies in effects by blood status (SO uncanonical and anti-theme)
Wiccan-esque magic, pseudo- or not
Elemental magic
Grand Ceremonial Magic
Superhuman abilities of werewolves (senses, thinking like a wolf, etc.)

None of it is there...

(off the soapbox)

[dipsas]

I caught a bad headache already at the words 'Tolkienesque elves'...
*hurries back to her sheltered life*

[dipsas]

Hey, you wear librarian glasses and stripper shoes! I'm adding you right back.

[flossums]

Sorry...I friends-hopped from maple_clef (mainly because I liked the kitten icon)

Personally, I think the wards in Harry Potter are a cross-over from the Chrestomanci series. 'Raising the wards' are frequently in that series, and I've noticed that a fair few people that have read Harry Potter have also read Chrestomanci.

It's a theory anyway :)

[dipsas]

Hi there,
friendshopping is fun, isn't it? :) Mmm, since I wrote that post, I've also realised wards and warding is an important concept in LeGuin's Earthsea books as well. I had a hunch we had all seen it in writing somewhere...

[flossums]

Mm...heaps of books use wards, tis no wonder the harry potter fandom borrowed them. It made me feel like a bit of an idiot though because I'm pretty sure I've slipped a mention of 'wards' into my stories without even thinking on it.

On an unrelated note - LeGuin's Earthsea books? I don't think I've heard of them, are they any good?

[dipsas]

It made me feel like a bit of an idiot though because I'm pretty sure I've slipped a mention of 'wards' into my stories without even thinking on it.

...does it feel better if I tell you that was exactly how I got thinking about it - I had used the idea of wards extensively for a fic (and ever more for various plotbunnies that never hopped anywhere) and suddenly realised uh-uh... ...in the end, I left them where they were, though, so you're in good company.

And speaking of good company, I hope you won't mind that I'm now off to friend you?