Wand and Death Order Controversy

[Steve <bboy_mn@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 53179

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Meliss9900 at a... wrote:
> In a message dated 3/4/2003 8:32:20 AM Central Standard Time, 
> karenkyla3 at a... writes:
> 
> > So, while I understand that at the end of GoF, when Voldemort's 
> > wand and Harry's wand lock and we see the spells come out of 
> > Voldemort's wand in the incorrect order, I  don't understand why 
> > this is not just a flint.  I guess I don't understand logically 
> > how if Harry broke Voldemort's power and Lily immediately  came 
> > before him, how it could be any other order.  I think there's 
> > just something I'm not getting.  help!  =)
> > 
> > Stacey
> > 
> 
> It was a continuity error that wasn't caught in the editing process.
> It was corrected in later editions of the book.  
> 
> Melissa 


bboy_mn:

The mistake, and it was a mistake, in the orginal book was that James
came out before Lily. In the corrected version, Lily comes out first
because she died last, the James comes out next because he died
previous to Lily. Everything in reverse order. 

Yes, it was a mistake, and yes, it has been fixed.

Now to the other 'mistake' question. Why didn't the Harry/Voldemort
Backfire spell come out???? Well how do we know it didn't? With the
death curses the dead people come out. With the pain curse (Cruciatus)
the pain, actually the screems of the victims comes out. 

But what is there to come out from the failed curse? The is no dead
person's shadow to come out because there is no dead person. So
conceivably something did occur that wasn't as dramatic as a head
person's shadow or a tortured person's scream. We don't know; we don't
know either way, but it's possible.

ALso, there is no precedent for what a failed death curse should do,
because up until Harry, no death curse had ever failed. So we can't
truly call this mistake because we have no way of knowing what was
suppost to happen. It's possible the rebounding spell neutralized
itself as in +1-1=0.

So, until JKR acknowledges it as a mistake and corrects it, it can
never truly be more than a mystery.

That's my story  and I'm sticking to it.

bboy_mn