What was the spell that hit Tonks? (Was: NVBL spell question)

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 147927

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" <justcarol67 at ...>
wrote:
>
> bboyminn wrote:
> ><snip> 
> > The AK Curse is somewhat unique in this sense. Any AK curse 
> > that doesn't kill the person is a failed curse. Further the
> > books seem to imply that if the spell (the AK) is casted and
> > it strikes then it is fatal. <snip> From what we know, there
> > are no powerful and weak AK's; if it hits you, your dead. 
> > <snip>
> 
> Carol responds:
> I'm not sure that I agree. Crouch!Moody told Harry's fourth-year
> DADA class that if all of them together aimed their wands at him
> and yelled "Avada Kedavra," he probably would not suffer so much
> as a nosebleed. Of course, he could have been lying, but I think 
> that both intent and power count in an AK ...edited...
> 

bboyminn:

Well, first I admit that while my point was probably clear, that
wasn't my finest bit of writing. Second I anticipated this argument
and it is irrelavant to my point. In Moody's class, the students could
have pointed their little sticks at Moody and spoken the approriate
words, but the spell wouldn't have worked. It's is not just that the
resulting combined spell would have been too weak to hurt him, it
would be that there would have been no spell cast, just stick pointing
and muttering. At least, that's how I see it. 

I speculate that the AK curse takes a certain threshold of intent and
magical power. If you can't cross that threshold, then no spell is
cast. Again, just stick pointing and mutterning. Once you cross that
threshold, and the curse is cast, if it strikes it's target then that
target is dead (Harry being the noted exception). So, in this sense,
whether weak or powerful, the AK, when on target, is alway fatal
(again, with unique and notable exceptions). 

My main points is that the comment regarding the Purple Slash Curse
can not necessarily be applied universally to all curses. Perhaps it
could, but we lack the information to say that; further, I THINK the
books imply just the oppossite; the verbal/nonverbal aspect of the
Purple Slash Curse are generally unique to that curse. Note that I say
'generally unique'; I'm sure there are a few other curse that it might
apply to, but we simply can not extend that efrfect to absolutely and
universally include all curses and spells. That was the main point I
was trying to illustrate.

> Carol continues:
>
> Certainly there was a lot of green light flashing around the 
> MoM, yet only Sirius Black died (from falling through the Veil,
> ...). So either the fresh-out-of-Azkaban DEs are a hopeless bunch
> of rejects who can't hit the broad side of a barn ..., or those
> unnamed and apparently silent spells weren't AKs despite the jets
> of green light, or the silent AKs failed. At least the one that 
> hit Tonks did. She fell down the stairs unconscious, but she 
> didn't die.
> 
> ...edited..
> 
> Carol, thinking that an AK, like any other spell, would require
> practice to master and wondering what the Durmstrang kids 
> practiced on
>


bboyminn:

On the many green-light curses, we agree. We know from examples in the
books that other curses have a green color, so without a doubt we are
wrong to assume every green-light curse is an AK. Certainly some of
them were, but I think we need to take context into account when we
are guessing which one were the AK and which ones weren't. I think it
is safe to assume green-light curses cast by Voldemort against
Dumbledore were AKs, but I don't think we can assume that any
green-light curse cast by Dumbledore against Voldemort were AKs (if
there were any). Voldemort recognises that Dumbledore is not trying to
kill him implying that he is not trying to AK him.

Also, there are only just so many primary colors. If we use TV as an
example; all colors are made from a combination of Red, Green, and
Blue. I believe printing uses combinations of cyan, magneta, and
yellow. If we use the Rainbow of primary colors then there are seven.
Perhaps by choice or perhaps by chance, JKR seems to favor Red and
Green. We don't see many Blue, Yellow, Indigo, or Orange spell colors.
So, unless the context clearly implies it, I don't think that most
green-light curse are the AK.

Just passing it along.

Steve/bboyminn