What really happened on the tower.

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 155612

DA Jones wrote:
> I always thought both Petrificus Totalus (let's call them PT's) ,
were cast wordlessly. In Harry's head, as he learned to do in he book.
A PT is a rather simple spell. Hermione uses it in PP/SP on Neville,
so prob not a lot of wand movement is required which explains Harry's
ability to PT Fenrir. It is also prob an easy spell to cast
wordlessly. Also the description of Greybacksattack says nothing about
Harry's wand arm being pinned; just that he was suprised and Greyback
almost bit him. . 
> 
>  This reinforces Snapes argument latter that Harry can never defeat
him until he can learn to "....keep his mouth shut and his mind
closed." (HBP-- Scholastic pg. 603) Because when Harry kept his mouth
shut he defeated two wizards. If  Fenrir is a wizard?

Carol responds:
If Harry can cast a nonverbal spell (other than Levicorpus), why is he
shouting his spells at Snape (who wouldn't have to tell him to keep
his mouth shut if he were doing it)? Also, Harry didn't "defeat two
wizards." He hit the Brutal-faced Death Eater *in the back* with the
first Petrificus Totalus. He wasn't fighting him; the DE didn't know
he was there. And we *are* told that Harry didn't have time to raise
his wand before Fenrir Greyback leaped on him, which (along with
Greyback's rancid breath in his face) strongly suggests that Harry was
in no position to cast the spell himself.

JKR has someone shout the spell but she chooses not to identify the
caster. It's most unlikely to be Harry, and certainly you can't state
as fact that he "defeated two wizards" using nonverbal spells when we
don't know any such thing. I do, however, agree with you that Harry
needs to take Snape's advice and cast his spells nonverbally--as snape
has been trying to teach him to do all year.

As for Fenrir Greyback being a wizard, I think he must be considering
that he's a Death Eater. The narrator mentions his DE robes being
tight across his chest, and he must have had the Dark Mark on his arm
to get through the barrier on the tower stairs. I don't think that
Voldemort would allow a Muggle to be a Death Eater no matter how
vicious he was. Certainly Greyback is part of the WW and has been for
a long time, given his attack on child!Remus some thirty or so years
earlier. And if he were a Muggle, he probably wouldn't even be able to
see Hogwarts. granted, he doesn't seem to use a wand, but he wouldn't
have attended Hogwarts (he's apparently older than Lupin), so he
wouldn't be a fully qualified wizard. He may not even have received a
Hogwarts letter, not because he isn't a wizard but because Hogwarts
didn't accept werewolves in his day.

Carol, wondering if Greyback is related to dear Delores since they
both have pointy teeth

Carol