Priori Incantatem

[spaebrun]

No: HPFGUIDX 91816

Sophierom wrote:
> I don't know what the ghost-like figures were hissing, but perhaps 
> Dumbledore, along with LV's many other victims, could actually do 
> something more than just scare LV. Again, in the GOF graveyard 
> scene, JKR writes that the echoes were "closing in" on Voldemort 
> (668). In that scene, the echoes are only strong and numerous enough 
> to provide Harry with the time to escape. If Harry had been healthy 
> and more confident, could the echoes have done something more? If 
> not, why was LV so afraid of them? Could echoes serve a similar role 
> to dementors? 

My first 2, err, 3 cents here on the board :-) :
1) I don't think Harry's condition has an influence on the strength of the priori incantatem figures. After the effort of forcing the 'beads of light' back to Voldemort's wand, he just had to maintain the connection, but the figures acted on their own account. He didn't control them, so he wouldn't have been able to make them stronger if he'd been healthier at that point.

2) As for Voldemort being shocked, I always assumed he was just completely surprised and confused that his easy kill didn't work. But yes, it might well be the case that the effect would be really dangerous for him - for example if Harry had held the connection longer and even more victims would have appeared who together might be powerful enough to overwhelm him. The idea intriguing, as is the thought about a dead Dumbledore reappearing...

...*but*, 3) I don't think we'll see Priori incantatem again - at least not in the final confrontation between Harry and Voldmort. In fact, I *hope* we won't. It was a really brilliant and original idea in GoF, but, honestly, bringing almost exactly the same thing back at the climax of the whole series... not very satisfying... 

Reed