What would a successful AK mean?

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 143030



Valky wrote:
> Assuming that this is an established fact then it follows that a
> succesful Avada Kedavra demands that Snape possess this psyche/emote
> in order to cast it. I fail to see this unambiguously established. 
In
> fact I see deliberate overtones of it being weighed *against*
> throughout HBP. Specifically they are: Bella's accusation that Snape
> slithers out of action, and Dumbledore insisting that Snape left the
> Death Eaters because he felt remorse for putting *both* Harry's
> parents in the line of fire. There is huge ambiguity in this 
statement
> but it reaches all the way to the edges where Snape can't even 
stomach
> being involved in the death of his *sworn Nemesis*. IOW Snape might
> not even have been able to stomach James dying as a result of his
> actions. It's a slim chance but it wasn't left out, and that makes 
it
> impossible to say that Snape possesses the psyhce/emote for a
> successful AK. 
> 
> So my second point is that a successful AK demands that Snape was
> disimpassioned? to human life (and possibly even split his soul).
> Ultimately impossible to determine.
> 
> These are the two things that a successful AK means IMO. 
> 
> Valky

zgirnius:

I took the weekend off-but I'm really glad I went back to look at the 
older messages today! I would have thought by now that Snape, 
Dumbledore, and the events of the Astronomy Tower have been dissected 
and hashed over until there was nothing left, but the way you wrote 
up the idea of an unsuccessful AK just turned on a light bulb for me. 
Murder (which tears the soul) is a crime of intent. The AK spell 
requires murderous intent to work, a failed one indicates lack of 
intent. Even though this particular AK (failed or not) led to the 
death of its target.

I snipped the entire portion about the events of that evening and how 
DD ought to have been thining about them and reacting to them. 
Because all I have to say about it is, me too!