Actually, it’s not a drop of blood, it’s a drop of blood for the rest of your life. But under a reasonable interpretation, Quirrel is perhaps being a little paranoid in avoiding use of that spell.
If we interpret the requirement as it frustrates one drop of blood from coming into creation, well, blood lasts ~120 days; if one drop is 0.05 ml and Quirrel is middle-aged and can expect another 40 years of life (the question about wizard lifespans is relevant here, though), then that’s 0.05 * (365/120) * 40 = 6.1 milliliters total loss.
Or if we interpret it as reducing the total capacity of one’s blood, well, adults have ~5 liters or 5000 milliliters, so you could use that spell hundreds of times before appreciably reducing your blood content (200 * 0.05ml = 10ml, so you’d go from 5000 to 4990...).
The latter explanation was my assumption. I am curious whether this capacity loss transfers across bodies when one is possessing someone else or has been resurrected.
Presumably the cursed fire prevents regeneration, means that mundane repairs (magical or mechanical) will not properly integrate, or something like that.
If a drop of blood is all that’s required to summon fire that can burn through the walls of hogwarts, then what can liters of blood do?
Actually, it’s not a drop of blood, it’s a drop of blood for the rest of your life. But under a reasonable interpretation, Quirrel is perhaps being a little paranoid in avoiding use of that spell.
If we interpret the requirement as it frustrates one drop of blood from coming into creation, well, blood lasts ~120 days; if one drop is 0.05 ml and Quirrel is middle-aged and can expect another 40 years of life (the question about wizard lifespans is relevant here, though), then that’s
0.05 * (365/120) * 40 = 6.1milliliters total loss.Or if we interpret it as reducing the total capacity of one’s blood, well, adults have ~5 liters or 5000 milliliters, so you could use that spell hundreds of times before appreciably reducing your blood content (200 * 0.05ml = 10ml, so you’d go from 5000 to 4990...).
The latter explanation was my assumption. I am curious whether this capacity loss transfers across bodies when one is possessing someone else or has been resurrected.
IDK… Hermionie managed to shatter Hogwarts masonry with an explosive spell, and the Troll smashed it with a club.
Good catch. That slipped my mind. :o
Though, apparently the castle will be “scarred”...?
Presumably the cursed fire prevents regeneration, means that mundane repairs (magical or mechanical) will not properly integrate, or something like that.
Sacrificing liters of your own blood is more than enough to kill you.