prior incantantum... Mistake / Clue? I'm confused!

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 124246


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "bleckybecs" <bleckybecs at y...>
wrote:
> 
> I was just reading the thread about 'prior incantantum'.
> 
> The thing I'm confused about (now that I've just thought of it), is 
> what happened to the AK that LV aimed at Harry? It was a spell cast 
> by LV's wand, why is there no prior incantantum of any sort for this 
> spell? ...edited..
> 
> Thank you
> 
> Becky :)

bboyminn:

Well, know one really knows the answer to that, but this is the way
I've always explained it to myself.

Not all spells have a visual representation when drawn back out of a
wand using the 'reverse spell effect' (Prior Incantatum). For example,
we don't see anything when the Cruciatus Pain Curse is expelled from
the wand, we hear Harry scream. 

So, we can now extend that to other spells. For example, what would
you expect to see from a Stunning Curse? What would you expect to see
from a Reparo Mending Charm? What would you expect to see from Twitchy
Ears or Jelly Legs? These aren't charms or spells that would
necessarily produce obvious visual results.

Now to the one specific AK curse you asked about. The AK Killing Curse
that Voldemort cast against Harry, was a one of a kind in that it
rebounded from the person upon whom it was cast (Harry) and bounced
back and hit Voldemort. Voldemort was ripped from his body, but
neither he nor Harry were killed. Under that unusual and unlikely
first-time-ever in recorded history circumstance, it's entirely
unpredicatable as to what we would expect to see. 

No one has ever survived that curse, equally likely, no one has ever
had the curse rebound upon them and also not kill them. The Standard
result of the Reverse Spell effect is to show the person who was
killed. Since no one was killed, there was no one to show, and
therefore nothing to see.

That said, I think if someone other than Harry had witnessed the event
in the graveyard, say an experienced wizard like Kingsley Shacklebolt
(the Auror), they may have had sufficient knowledge and experience to
interpret what they saw. But Harry can only interpret the most obvious
signs. Again, an experience trained Auror can probably interpret what
ever clues are given by spells that don't typically have an obvious
form, and determine which spell they are seeing.

Summary
Point 1 - The AK against Harry that rebounded on Voldemort was a once
in the entire history of the wizard world event. It would not act like
a standard AK, and the results would not be predictable or obvious.
So, it was probably there but Harry missed it.

Point 2- There are probably lots of spells that don't give clearcut
obvious unambiguous signs when they are drawn from a wand by the
Reverse Spell effect, but an Auror and other experienced wizard, like
Mr Diggory, are probably able to interpret the more subtle sign sthose
spells would produce.

Make it all up, but I think it's a good quess.

Steve/bboyminn