Simultaneous Spell Casting (was Re: Snape didn't kill DD with AK!! And here's t

[Matt]

No: HPFGUIDX 139229

--- I previously wrote:

>> When Pettigrew faked his death, we are given to understand 
>> that he did three things almost simultaneously:
>>
>> 1) Cut off his finger,
>> 2) Blasted open the street, and
>> 3) Assumed his rat form.

--- phoenixgod2000 replied: 

> I think you are assuming certain facts. We don't know when 
> wormtail cut off his finger. He could have blasted the street,
> turned into rat and slipped away to chew off his finger later. 
> Or he could have used his wand to cut off his finger at a 
> later point....  And if you're right and he did he is a far 
> better wizard than anyone ever gave him credit for.

I'm assuming that Sirius was correct in saying that Peter cut off his
finger before transforming (see Finwitch's post for the PoA
reference), because (i) Peter doesn't deny it and (ii) it fits the
other facts we know without additional assumptions.  The "chewed off"
theory assumes that a rat could actually chew off its own finger, and
that a digit chewed off while in animagus form would revert to human
form.  The "sneaked back" theory assumes that Peter had time to return
to the scene, transform back to a human, cut off his finger, transform
back to a rat, and disappear again, all without detection either by
the Muggle witnesses or the MoM personnel who supposedly arrived on
the scene shortly thereafter (quickly enough that Sirius had no
opportunity to recover from his shock and depart). 

Even if you dispute the simultaneity of steps (1) and (2) above,
moreover, you cannot seriously disagree that (2) and (3) must have
been essentially simultaneous: If not, the eyewitnesses would not have
believed that the apparent blast from Sirius's wand had killed Peter.
 But Peter's ability to manage the transformation at the same time he
was blowing up the street is itself a sufficient warrant for a
relatively mediocre wizard's ability to perform simultaneous magic
(albeit in one case wandless).  And, given the degree of difficulty we
are told that the animagus transformation entails, it is hardly
inconceivable that a more talented wizard might be able to control an
even greater number of separate magical incidents at one time).

-- Matt