Molly's curse - something other than AK?

[va32h]

No: HPFGUIDX 173184

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "jenanydot" <Jenanydot at ...> 
wrote:
>
> First of all, forgive me if this has been discussed already and I
> missed it - I've tried to look through the list and find mention of
> this specific point, but I haven't found anything yet.
> 
> When Molly defeats Bellatrix (which, by the way, is my new favorite
> moment of the entire series - but I'm a huge fan of Molly's), we
> aren't told specifically what curse she uses.  I've been having a
> discussion about this with some of my coworkers, and no one seems to
> be able to come to an agreement on it.  Some people are saying that
> they believe she DID use Avada Kedavra, and that Rowling simply 
didn't write the curse out because it was implied.  Others are 
arguing that just because AK is The Killing Curse doesn't mean it's 
the ONLY curse that can kill someone; things like where the curse 
hits on the body could have a great deal to do with whether or not 
any particular curse is fatal.
> 
> Personally, I think it's likely that Molly used some other powerful
> curse to finish Bellatrix off.  I think that if she specifically 
used Avada Kedavra, Rowling would have said so.  Also, it's stressed 
that Molly's curse hits Bellatrix in the heart:
> 
> "Molly's curse soared beneath Bellatrix's outstretched arm and hit 
her squarely in the chest, directly over her heart."
> 
> It seems to me that because Rowling is so specific as to WHERE the
> curse hits, Molly may very well have used a different curse, one 
that is only fatal if it hits a fatal mark.  The lack of any mention 
of a green light, which has been so prevalent throughout the series
> whenever a Killing Curse was used, also strikes me as odd if Molly
> indeed used that particular curse.
> 
> It does say that both women were fighting to kill, but...I don't 
know,
> it seems an odd picture in my mind to see them both standing there
> throwing Avada Kedavra's at one another willy-nilly.  They're both
> powerful witches; I'm sure a whole arsenal of curses were at their
> disposal.
> 
Does anyone else find my theories valid, or am I just reading too 
much into the placement of the curse?

va32h:

No, I don't think you are reading too much - I thought the same thing 
myself. When we first met the Unforgivables in GoF, what was stressed 
about the Killing Curse was that it was unblockable. 

I got the impression that it was that quality - unblockableness- that 
made it truly Unforgiveable. That there were other curses that could 
be fatal, but they had countercurses, so at least your opponent had a 
fair chance to defend themselves. 

But having said that - it has always been a feature of JKR's magic 
that you have to aim. So the description of Molly's curse hitting 
Bella's heart may just be a more descriptive way for JKR to say that 
Molly's curse hit her target. (the target being Bella in general). 

va32h