Psy-Kosh comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, part 10 - Less Wrong

11 Post author: Oscar_Cunningham 07 March 2012 04:46PM

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Comment author: Psy-Kosh 13 March 2012 12:11:09AM 0 points [-]

Either Dumbledore or Quirrel took it, or it's long since locked away in the Department of Mysteries.

But yeah, as JoshuaZ points out, just as easily could be a Potion-of-Death. (Or heck, "potion-of-anthropomorphic-personification")

Comment author: aladner 13 March 2012 12:17:16AM 1 point [-]

I guess Harry's got another reason to destroy more dementors. Also, I suspect the cloaks will have more than one use. Dragons blood apparently has twelve uses, after all.

Comment author: pedanterrific 13 March 2012 12:29:48AM *  1 point [-]

Um. It's not like Dementors come with cloaks, you know. If cloaks-that-have-been-worn-by-Dementors were really valuable potions ingredients, there's lots of easier ways to get them than by destroying Dementors. The Aurors manage to get the things to put them on in the first place, after all.

Comment author: Desrtopa 13 March 2012 01:26:24AM 1 point [-]

Dementors are implied to cause their cloaks to rapidly deteriorate, so they probably don't last long. Maybe "living" dementors accept new cloaks, but don't let the people take the ones they're wearing any more than you'd let a stranger make off with your shirt.

Comment author: aladner 13 March 2012 12:51:51AM 1 point [-]

Yes, but the magic that was used to acquire that particular cloak was capable of blinding/destroying dementors, so it should be possible to get that magic back out using the newly revealed rule of potions.

Comment author: Locke 13 March 2012 12:59:30AM 2 points [-]

I'm not so sure obtaining an object is the same as creating it. Using Accio on a potion-ingredient will not allow you to make a summoning Potion.

Comment author: Psy-Kosh 13 March 2012 01:12:47AM 3 points [-]

It's already established that obtaining a crushed ingredient will let you access the strength involved in crushing it. So obtaining an ingredient that had to be taken by invoking extreme powerful magic might let you access that...