Power of the Elder Wand

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 179012

Carol earlier:
> > At any rate, Grindelwald was certainly wielding the wand or DD
could not have become master of it.
> 
Geoff responde:
> I don't think that is necessarily true... Looking at canon:
> 
> '"And Grindelwald used the Elder wand to become powerful. At the
height of his power, when Dumbledore knew he was the only one who
could stop him, he duelled Grindelwald and beat him and he took the
Elder wand."
><snip>
> 
> The Elder wand was in Dumbledore's tomb. Harry overpowered Draco 
and took his*own* wand but the Elder wand still recognised him as its
master, having disarmed Draco.
>

Carol responds:
I think I understand your argument, but I'm not sure. Are you saying
that DD could have taken some other wand from Grindelwald and become
the master of the Elder Wand that way, as Harry became its master by
taking the hawthorn wand from Draco? I think that's most unlikely. It
could only be true if both the other, unmentioned wand *and* the Elder
Wand had been taken from GG (as the other wand was taken from Draco
and the Elder Wand was never in his possession). And there's no need
for another wand since "he beat him and took the Elder Wand."

Here's what we know:

Grindelwald was the master of the Elder Wand.

Dumbledore dueled him and defeated him, not only according to legend
but according to DD himself in "King's Cross." (I don't believe Rita
Skeeter's insinuations).

Dumbledore became the master of the Elder Wand.

Now it stands to reason that Grindelwald, wanting to win the duel
(though not, apparently, to kill DD) would have used the Elder Wand,
especially is he shared DD's view that DD was a shade more skilled. I
can't see him allowing DD to disarm him or otherwise take a wand from
him by force if he had the Elder Wand. That's the wand he would have
used. (Draco, of course, didn't have the Elder Wand or know that he
was master of it. He had his own wand and the others he was holding
but was not master of. So Harry, by snatching the three wands from
Draco, became the master of the hawthorn wand and the Elder Wand,
which he would *not* have become master of if Draco still retained it
and it chose to continue to serve him, but not of Bellatrix's wand,
which was not taken from her by force, or Wormtail's, which Ron was
already master of.)

Anyway, I don't know whether I'm making any sense, but I can't see
Grindelwald, who knew he was master of the Elder Wand and knew wand
lore, using any other wand or allowing DD to take some other wand from
him. Nor do I think that the Elder Wand, which had served him so long,
would willingly change its allegiance to him under such circumstances.
It had no great allegiance to Draco, whose hand had never touched it
and who had no bond with it (like the one between Harry and his wand),
so it was perfectly willing to switch its allegiance to Harry, who
knew its powers.

At any rate, I know I'm not arguing clearly, but I think we're
needlessly complicating matters by suggesting that some other wand and
an incident like the one involving Draco was involved. I think a
straightforward (but unexpected) disarming spell (Expelliarmus) is the
best explanation for DD's victory over Grindelwald.

Carol, who needs to be doing something else and can't go back to
clarify her argument