Hair and tracking spell (Slight Turn Coat spoiler)

[MijRai]

Also please remember that what Harry 'says' isn't necessarily canon.  He's been horrifically wrong before, and whole plot-points have been wrapped around how wrong he was.  (Blackstaff incident comes to mind)

So it may be that his magical education was a little less than complete in tracking. 

Besides, it's belief that powers magic, so if he believes it, doesn't matter whether it's overarchingly true or not.

How was he wrong about the Blackstaff? And that has never applied to magic. About people, events, etc, sure, but not about magical studies.

That's one of his fortes. I doubt he hasn't done the research into that.

And as for his spell failing if they get rid of the traceable objects, it is most likely true, because Harry did the spell, and it failed all of a sudden. He didn't see Binder shave his head and go skinny dipping in the river and it then went kaput. He couldn't have known Binder ditched the spell then. So it was deactivated, by the shaving and running water.

[Mister]

I'm not sure it contradicts. The piece of hair you have that you are trying to track with isn't attuned to Binders belly or feet, it is attuned to the other hairs on Binder's head. If hairs go in the sink your spell leads you there, if hairs go in the sink and then get washed down the water probably prevents you from finding where they were shaved off.
This is why blood is the preferred method. Can't get rid of all your blood, right?

I don't think it works that way In PG Bob says "Harry, babies are like one big enormous blank slate. Molly has changed quite a bit since that lock was taken. She doesn't have much to do with the person it got snipped from. Naturally the spell couldn't track her."

Note that he did not say anything about the hair that the lock originally connected to no longer being on her head if it even exists at all. So why did Binder shave his head? Ignorance, he's a summoning specialist who probably has limited knowledge of magics he can't perform. And some of what he 'knows' is wrong.

[Salacia]

So,because it is only a minor tracking spell, then it's reasonable that Binder can throw it off by shaving his head and then jumping in a river? Doesn't thaumaturgy work the same on both large and small scales?

What bothers me about Binder being able to throw off the tracking spell is that in principle, it implies that with the use of a razor and a river, Harry wouldn't have had an urgent reason to track down the shadowman in SF.  If a magical lightweight like binder can throw off a thaumaturgical spell that uses hair as a connection, why in the world didn't Harry use the same measures to prevent his heart exploding out of his chest?  Although I have to admit, breaking a chair over Morgan does make for more entertaining reading than hearing about Harry shaving his head.

[Mira]

So,because it is only a minor tracking spell, then it's reasonable that Binder can throw it off by shaving his head and then jumping in a river? Doesn't thaumaturgy work the same on both large and small scales?

What bothers me about Binder being able to throw off the tracking spell is that in principle, it implies that with the use of a razor and a river, Harry wouldn't have had an urgent reason to track down the shadowman in SF.  If a magical lightweight like binder can throw off a thaumaturgical spell that uses hair as a connection, why in the world didn't Harry use the same measures to prevent his heart exploding out of his chest?  Although I have to admit, breaking a chair over Morgan does make for more entertaining reading than hearing about Harry shaving his head.

 Oh, and our whole bodies are covered with hair.. So I'd think merely shaving the head wouldn't be good enough.. Or with things like ears, nose, mouth, other "holes' completely cleaning the body, not possible.

[MijRai]

What bothers me about Binder being able to throw off the tracking spell is that in principle, it implies that with the use of a razor and a river, Harry wouldn't have had an urgent reason to track down the shadowman in SF.  If a magical lightweight like binder can throw off a thaumaturgical spell that uses hair as a connection, why in the world didn't Harry use the same measures to prevent his heart exploding out of his chest?  Although I have to admit, breaking a chair over Morgan does make for more entertaining reading than hearing about Harry shaving his head.

So Harry was stupid back then and didn't know you could ditch magical spells like that. He's learned a lot in the decade or so since then.

[IEatChibi]

What bothers me about Binder being able to throw off the tracking spell is that in principle, it implies that with the use of a razor and a river, Harry wouldn't have had an urgent reason to track down the shadowman in SF.  If a magical lightweight like binder can throw off a thaumaturgical spell that uses hair as a connection, why in the world didn't Harry use the same measures to prevent his heart exploding out of his chest? 

Wasn't it blood, not hair, that stolen from Harry and used by Shadowman in SF? I don't think Harry could have drained his body of vital fluids to save his life from dark magic without suffering some sort of repercussion like, you know, dying of blood loss...it seems it would defeat the purpose, somehow...

[MijRai]

Wasn't it blood, not hair, that stolen from Harry and used by Shadowman in SF? I don't think Harry could have drained his body of vital fluids to save his life from dark magic without suffering some sort of repercussion like, you know, dying of blood loss...it seems it would defeat the purpose, somehow...

No, he had some hair stolen, not blood.

[IEatChibi]

No, he had some hair stolen, not blood.

oh, that's right, Harry had his hair snipped off, and then he used the blood under his nails from Gimpy to track him to the Varsity...whoops! Getting stuff mixed up in the noggin again.  My bad!

[Mira]

Wasn't it blood, not hair, that stolen from Harry and used by Shadowman in SF? I don't think Harry could have drained his body of vital fluids to save his life from dark magic without suffering some sort of repercussion like, you know, dying of blood loss...it seems it would defeat the purpose, somehow...

  Harry shaving his whole body would also be a bit funny.

[IEatChibi]

  Harry shaving his whole body would also be a bit funny.

And you just know that Jim would make that scenario as uncomfortable for Harry as possible...oh, the remarks that could be made at his expense...