Avada Kedavra

[keith.fraser at st-annes.ox.ac.uk]

No: HPFGUIDX 22577

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Sam Brown" <find_sam at h...> wrote:
> Keith wrote:
> > Mightn't it be possible to hold back the Killing Curse by casting 
> one of your own so that they cancelled each other out?
> 
> It *is* possible, and it doesn't even have to be the same curse - 
at 
> the end of GoF, Voldemort goes to use AK on Harry, who counters by 
> using the disarming spell. You could always argue that this was due 
> to the Priori Incantatum (sp?) effect, though. 

I think it was the Priori Incantatem effect. If a simple Disarming 
Spell could hold back AK, someone would have discovered this a long 
time ago.

> 
> Gwyneth wrote:
> > So we know the Avada Kedavra curse is big-time scary, THE 
> unforgivable curse.  So what's the curse shrimpy little Peter 
> Pettigrew used to blow apart the whole street?
> 
> IMO, the Unforgiveable Curses aren't unforgiveable because they're 
> the most powerful. They obviously *aren't* the most powerful curses 
> if there are other curses which can blow up streets, and the 
Potters' 
> house. Perhaps they're called the Unforgiveable Curses because 
> they're the ultimate acts of cruelty against fellow human beings. 
> These curses cause terrible pain, strip people of their free will, 
> and steal life. That, to me, is quite as unforgiveable thing to do.

I agree. However, you don't need AK to kill someone - you could force 
them to walk off a cliff with the Imperius Curse, Summon their spine 
or other vital body part out of them, use the Reductor Curse to blast 
them (not certain this works except on objects, however), Banish a 
sharp object into their face at high velocity, and associated other 
nastiness. And that's just magic.... Also, it's sometimes necessary 
to kill people, no matter how distasteful it may be. I think one 
reason these curses are Unforgiveable (another being that they have 
no purpose other than to harm) is that they are the Darkest of the 
Dark. This relates to my idea of why good wizards like Dumbledore 
simply won't use more powerful Dark spells to fight Dark Wizards - 
it's like the Dark Side of the Force in Star Wars. Dark magic is 
(according to my theory) fuelled by hatred, anger, pain, suffering, 
etc. That's why it's Dark, and that's why good people shouldn't use 
it. The Unforgiveables are the most intrinsically evil, not just 
because of their purpose, but because of their nature.

> 
> Just another point: Can Harry be killed with Avada Kedavra? This is 
> something I've been pondering quite recently. The Avada Kedavra 
curse 
> is only ever used once on a person, for obvious reasons. But Harry 
> survived it - perhaps Avada Kedavra can only be used on a person 
> once, and, because it's only ever meant to be used once, it won't 
> work on a person a second time. Am I making sense? Because Harry 
has 
> survived it once already, he's immune to it. This would also make 
> Voldemort immune to it as well. What does everyone else think about 
> this?
> 
It's a possibility, but there's no real proof.

Keith