Emergency/Portable Communication

[mzap]

I'm not sure if this has been asked before, but I have a scene where some of my characters need to make an emergency call to St. Mungo's since they cannot merely move the body there. I was wondering if there were ways other than using a Patronus to make a fast call when there is no fireplace nearby. Also, the year is 2025 in my fic, if that makes any difference.

- Mercy

[Tim the Enchanter]

I'm not sure if this has been asked before, but I have a scene where some of my characters need to make an emergency call to St. Mungo's since they cannot merely move the body there. I was wondering if there were ways other than using a Patronus to make a fast call when there is no fireplace nearby. Also, the year is 2025 in my fic, if that makes any difference.

- Mercy

Hmm... this is difficult. Obviously, not many people can cast a talking Patronus, as you said. Neither do they carry owls in cages with them wherever they go.

Therefore, I think the simplest way to contact St. Mungos would be to go there personally - Apparate to the hospital, run to the Welcome Witch, and do a side-along Apparation with a Healer back to the injured person.

Tim the Enchanter

[Halgy]

One idea that springs to mind is that by that time, the Wizardry World has adopted something resembling cell phone technology. An enchanted wall phone (or one of those candlestick ones) pulled out of a bag would provide some comedy as well.

Lets face it, wizards can hardly consider magic better than technology if they can't even think of a decent way to replace the cell phone; by 2025, muggles will be able to communicate with the hospital via thought-waves; let's hope that wizards have come to at least 1980's technology.

Or just use a cell phone. I imagine a conversation to be like

1: We need to contact St. Mungos now!
[2 pulls out her cell phone]
1: What the bloody hell is that?
2: A cell phone, dungbrain. 
[1 gives 2 a doubtful look]
2: Well do you have a better way, Mister Wizard?
[1 looks ashamed at his inferiority to muggles]

[OliveOil_Med]

Ha ha! In some ways, I think Muggles today are becoming more advanced than wizards.


But as far as communications go, here are ways we know of that people can use.


1) Patronus Forms - though this is a highly difficult spell that most witches and wizards can't use.

2) Floo Network - most places in the wizarding world have fireplaces.


Maybe instead what you can do is create your own invention, a small bowl-like creation that can spout sponatious flames. It could be connected to the Floo Network and people would be able to communicate that way.

Although it probably wouldn't be a good idea to keep such an invention in your robe pockets...

[Tim the Enchanter]

Maybe instead what you can do is create your own invention, a small bowl-like creation that can spout sponatious flames. It could be connected to the Floo Network and people would be able to communicate that way.

Although it probably wouldn't be a good idea to keep such an invention in your robe pockets...

Such a bowl probably wouldn't fit in your robe pockets to begin with - remember, the bowl would have to be big enough to stick your head through. However, I think such a device wouldn't work anyway - as Inverarity said in another thread about just this subject, "Floo" strongly suggests that an actual fireplace has to be used.

However, I have two suggestions for rapid (and portable) communication.

First, you can use Two-way mirrors like the kind used by Sirius and James. You can make some credit card-sized mirrors and keep them in your pocket, so they'd be pretty easy to carry.

Another method is to have two pieces of parchment with a Protean Charm on them (like Hermione's enchanted Galleons). When you write on the parchment, the text is duplicated exactly on the other parchment, sort of like a wizarding version of instant messaging.

Tim the Enchanter

[mzap]

First, you can use Two-way mirrors like the kind used by Sirius and James. You can make some credit card-sized mirrors and keep them in your pocket, so they'd be pretty easy to carry.

I was actually thinking about using those, but I wasn't sure if it was some sort of rare antique. Maybe by 2025, though, it would be mass produced and everyone might have one....

[Tim the Enchanter]

I was actually thinking about using those, but I wasn't sure if it was some sort of rare antique. Maybe by 2025, though, it would be mass produced and everyone might have one....

Well, remember that the wizarding world tends to be slow to innovate and progress technologically. I wouldn't expect any radical changes in the wizarding world in the next sixteen years.

And personally, I think giving wizards an equivalent of Muggle mobile phones would make the wizarding world too much like our own. Part of the charm of Harry Potter is how different and quaint everything is, and having mass, instant magical communication would spoil much of that charm, in my opinion.

Tim the Enchanter