Physical Harm from an Expelliarmus

[marinafrants]

No: HPFGUIDX 44177

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "erisedstraeh2002" <erisedstraeh2002 at y...>
wrote:

> I assume the Snape knock-out was a result of the combined force of 
> three Expelliarmus-es thrown simultaneously.  But what about when 
> Snape blasts Lockhart in the duelling club?  Is this a sign of 
> Snape's power?  Or of Lockhart's weakness?  Or both?  Or does the 
> physical harm happen when you throw the Expelliarmus in a rage 
> (since "Snape was looking murderous" when he threw it)?  Or can a 
> wizard cast an Expelliarmus with different intentions - to merely 
> disarm, or to both disarm and cause physical harm?  

I think it may be a combination of the wizard's power and intentions.
My guess is that a "normal" Expelliarmus is relatively harmless, but
if the caster really wants to put some extra oomph behind it (as Snape
clearly wanted to with Lockhart), it can be done.  Neither Sirius nor
Remus wanted to harm the kids in the Shrieking Shack, and Harry
probably didn't even know that the spell could be modulated when he
cast it at Draco.

Marina
rusalka at ix.netcom.com