Priori Incantatem/ Prior Incantato (was: Re: prior incantantum... )

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 124260


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "eloise_herisson" 
<eloiseherisson at a...> wrote:

Eloise:
> I think here's a little confusion here: there's no such thing 
> as 'Prior Incantantem'. The names of the two different phenomena 
are 
> so close that they are frequently confused or conflated.
> 
> 'Prior Incantato' is the name of the *spell* that makes a wand 
reveal 
> the most recent spell it performed. It's what Amos Diggory does to 
> Harry's wand at the QWC.
> 
> Priori Incantatem ('the reverse spell effect')is a natural effect 
> occuring when brother wands are forced to do battle and one forces 
> the other 'to regurgitate spells it has performed - in reverse.'

Geoff:
This topic had quite an airing several months ago. In message 100201 
(Re:Priori Incantatem – further thoughts), I wrote:

"My take on this is that there are two modes of operation for the 
Priori Incantatem spell - voluntary and involuntary. In the voluntary 
case, we see the wand being which is being "questioned" being placed 
point to point with an "interrogating" wand and just the last spell 
being shown.

In the involuntary case, this would only seem to operate when, as 
Dumbledore remarks, they share cores. In this case, the results are 
different. It would appear that the command "Priori Incantatem" is 
not needed because neither Harry nor Voldemort used it. The wand then 
apparently goes on producing former spells in reverse order until the 
link is broken - although there does appear to be a time lag between 
the appearances, long enough to allow the emerging figures to say 
something to Harry. An interesting point here is that the figures 
seem to know what is going on and, even more curious, the fact that 
the "echo" of Bertha Jorkins knows Harry's name; is an 
appearing "echo" so aware of the surrounding as to perhaps see 
Harry's scar?

It is also recorded that, in this instance, the wands became hot; is 
this perhaps related to the spells which were spoken when the 
connection occurred? Is the golden cage effect only because the 
shared cores are from a phoenix?

Two other points. In both cases, the "echoes" produced are described 
as grey and smoky. The other is that slightly differing forms of the 
spell wording are mentioned. Amos Diggory uses "Prior Incantato" 
which sounds suspiciously like a genitive whereas "Priori 
Incantatem" - which is not actually heard being used in this book - 
looks like an accusative. I am trying to remember whether any of the 
spells used in the books appear in more than one version and, if so, 
if that affects the result."

In message 124258, Jen wrote:

"Anyway, back to the AK on Harry. It could merely be that the spell
was incomplete, or that the wand can't record a spell done to its
owner. Or it could be a clue to Voldemort's state at the time of the
AK, meaning a wand can't record what it doesn't recognize."

Geoff:
Again, this was discussed around the time of the above message - it 
might be worthwhile following those threads up - and I think the 
point was put forward that since no one was actually killed by that 
Adavra Kedavra spell, there would be no "echo". Voldemort may have 
been disembodied but he was still around as a spirit.