More about Snape's "failed" AK.

[solskjaer_crazy]

No: HPFGUIDX 136774

This is a reply to something way back on the 23rd of July and that I 
wanted to deal with because it just kinda bugged me when I read it
but it also adds something "new" I hope.

smartone56441070 wrote:
SNAPE'S AK ATTACK ON DUMBLEDORE WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL. For evidence, I 
recall the deaths we have seen from AKs: Cedric, the three Riddles, 
the Riddle's gardener (GoF), and DD. I exclude the Potters and others 
because we don't have accurate after-the-fact accounts. In the first 
three cases, five deaths, all victims were completely unharmed. In 
fact, the Muggle police examined the Riddles and found nothing wrong 
with them. Cedric and the Gardener (whose name escapes me) instantly 
dropped dead. DD was blasted from the top of the Astronomy tower. 
Wait, excuse me? All the others were completely unharmed by the
spell, except for the simple fact that they died, instantly. DD, on 
the other hand, recieved a massive trauma and was thrown outward, and 
then dropped to the ground. This leads me to believe that Snape was 
unable to form a proper AK spell, because he honestly did not want
to. Since we know that unsuccessful spells usually only make a
partial effect, think about the numerous Transfiguration classes, 
Snape did not have what was required to kill DD. We know that someone 
must hate and want to cause pain for a Crucio spell to work, and I 
believe that the other Unforgivables are similar in nature. One must 
want to control someone else entirely for Impervius to work, and for 
the victim to actually die for the AK. When fake!Moody encouraged the 
class to use AK spells on him, he said he expected no more than a
nose bleed. Since Snape is much more powerful, and NEEDED DD to die 
(even if he didn't want it), he caused considerably more damage.

phoenixgod2000 responded:
I've heard this argument before and I don't buy it. I think you are
overthinking things. Te bolt struck DD and he merely fell backwards
once his body when limp. the muscles relaxed in death and his body
just slipped. Occam's Razor.

I reply: 
Well canon goes explicity against the idea that Dumbledore 
simply slipped over the wall as ontop of continually reminding us 
throughout the conversation with Draco that Dumbledore is sliding
down the wall which is supporting him (which implies he would have to
slide back UP and over the wall) it also explicitly says:

HBP UK edition PG556:
"He (harry) was forced to watch as Dumbledor was blasted into the
air" 

So he didn't slip and we are explicitly told so. On top of this we do 
not actually know when Dumbledore died. Immediately before this quote 
it says:

Same page:
"A jet of green light hit Dumbeldore squarely in the chest. Harry's 
scream of horror never left him, silent and unmoving, he was forced 
to watch" etc

So Harry is still frozen and unable to scream after the spell has hit 
Dumbeldore, this could of course be for one of two reasons:

1: Dumbeldore is not yet dead but by the time the DE's are out the 
door and Harry realises he is able to move again, he has hit the 
ground and is dead.

or

2: The spell did work and Harry simply didn't realise he could move 
again.

We know that Harry says that he realised Dumbledore was dead because 
he was able to move again but we don't actually know at which point
he was able to move again, when the AK hit or when Dumbledore hit the 
ground.

Either way it can't be denied that Dumbledore was blasted over the 
wall by something, whether by the AK (unlikely as pointed out by 
smartone56441070) or by a seperate silent spell by Snape or even by 
Dumbledore himself but certainly didn't just slip over it.

Holly *Who at the end of HBP, after sitting on the fence for 5 books, 
was completely convinced that Snape was working for the good guys but 
is now edging very slowing back towards the fence and is hoping her 
seat hasn't been taken.*