Professor Mitchell

Lesson 3) The Five Exceptions

The Five Principal Exceptions to Gamp’s Law

-magical law: the laws that are created by the Ministry of Magic that limit what we are legally allowed to do

-laws of magic: the natural laws of the universe that physically prevent us from being able to do certain things

-They are food, magical energy, love, life, and knowledge.

-These exceptions tell us what we are unable to do within the science of transfiguration, particularly conjuration

Food: 

-Can’t be conjured or transformed into existence.

-Can be summoned or duplicated

-conjured food will disappear

-if you eat and digest conjured food, it could cause extreme harm to the body

-some spells allow things to become food-like, but not actual food

Ex: desk to pig (transforms desk into “pig”, you shouldn’t try to create food out of the pig because you will be left with the nutritional value of the desk when you eat it)

Magical Energy:

-magical energy/power cannot be created or destroyed

-can’t conjure any material, plants, or animals that contain natural magical ability

-magical objects are merely charmed to have some effect, charms will fade eventually

Love:

-abstract concept

-love cannot be created falsely

-love potions cannot create love, only a strong attraction that seems like love (ex: amortentia)

-theory: people created under the effects of a love potion can’t feel love         (ex: tom riddle)

Life:

-can’t be created in any form

-soul cannot be conjured back to life

-conjured plants and animals aren’t really alive

-^^ for transformed animals

Knowledge:

-Knowledge is the information and memories that reside in your brain.

-cannot create knowledge you don’t have

-knowledge can be stored and shared

-ex: pensieve (a device in which one can put their memories in to be viewed. )