Snape-AK-dueling club - AK in General

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 142138

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "agdisney" <agdisney at m...> wrote:
>
> We keep wondering about the AK at the tower.  To be more specific,
> why was it so much *stronger/different* then other AK's that we've 
> seen.  
> Why did DD fly into the air?
> ...edited...
> Thanks for listening.
> 
> agdisney

bboyminn:

I've been trying to avoid this discussion because I don't think we
have enough info to resolve it to anyone's satisfaction. However,
there is one item I have been dying to point out. Until HBP we have
never seen an AK curse. The best we've had is seeing just before the
curse, and just after the curse, but never the actual curse. 

For example, when Cedric was killed, Harry was on his knees vomiting
and in pain. He understood immediately what happened and knew what he
would see when he opened his eyes, but he never saw the actual curse.
The same is true in Harry's visions of his parents murders, we see
that he has a general idea of what is happening, but we never see that
actual curse. When Voldemort's parents are killed, we see the
aftermath, but not the curse. 

Although, in his dream of the Riddle mansion, we see the curse being
cast, and it is said that Frank Bryce crumbled, the scene quickly
switches to Harry's dream. Frank Bryce's murder is as close as we come
to actually seeing the curse prior to HBP.

So, while we have something to work with, I don't think we have
enough. Spells don't always act the same. When Harry is practicing
stunning on Ron, it seems that Ron just falls over. Yet with other
stunning curses we have seen people literally knocked off their feet.
When Dumbledore stuns fake!Moody/Crouch, the spell manages to blast
through a door and still have enough 'charge' to knock fake!Moody to
the floor.

--- GoF; Am Ed, PB pg 679 ---

There was a blinding flash of red light, and with a great splintering,
the door to Moody's office was blasted apart--

Moody was thrown backward onto the office floor.

- - - end quote - - -

Now in Ron's case, he simply fell over; no indication that he was
thrown anywhere. In Moody's case, he is literally thrown backwards off
his feet and onto the floor.

I don't think it is reasonable to assume our limited knowledge of the
AK curse given us a right or enough information to say what is and
what is not correct.

We see many spells that can simply be cast and have their effect, and
many of the same spells that have great physical impact. When Hermione
casts the 'full body bind' onto Neville, he simply stiffens and falls
over. When Harry cast the same curse against DE's, they are knocked
backward off their feet and thrown to the ground. 

I think the physcial impact is determined by the circumstances and the
level of emotions behind the curse. Voldmort's killing of Frank was
quite calm and dispassionate. Yet, Snape may well have cast the curse
on Dumbledore with great internal emotion to fuel the curse. True, we
don't know what degree of emotion Snape was feeling. Though, while
outwardly calm, he many have been internally furious at himself for
getting into the situation in the first place, and at Dumbledore for,
in a sense, forcing Snape into an action that was greatly repugnant to
him. Snape may have had to summon a great and tremedous fury within
himself to simply bring himself to be able to cast the killing curse
on Dumbledore. 

I think there is plenty of evidence to indicate that the state of mind
and level of emotion behind a curse, can effect the physical aspects
of that curse, whether that curse is a simple jinx or an Unforgivable
Curse.

This may have already been said, as I said, I've been avoiding this
apsect of the discussion, but I just felt I had to say it for myself.

I don't think we can honestly say, that given the full range of
underlying emotions, an AK curse has no physical impact.

Just passing it along.

Steve/bboyminn