CHAPDISC: DH36, THE FLAW IN THE PLAN

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 185301

Carol responds:
>  > If he had attempted some extraordinary magic, say Nagini's
bubble, and the wand had failed him, that would be one thing. But we
never see it fail him. We never see him doubting its performance. 
> 
> Geoff:
> But that doesn't prove that it didn't. There are lots of activities
which occur "off stage" throughout the books.
> 
> We do know that Voldemort, possibly for differing reasons, has had a
bad track record on occasions with this wand.... Godric's Hollow in
1981, Little Hangleton graveyard in 1994 and his last, irreversible
misfire Hogwarts Great Hall 1997.
> 
> So his spellwork hasn't always got him an OWL "E".
> :-)
>
Carol responds:

But we have explanations for those misfires--Voldemort's broken
promise to Snape, which turns Lily's death into a magical
self-sacrifice and causes the AK intended for Harry to rebound; the
Priori Incantatem which occurs because of the Brother Wands; the
"irreversible misfire" in which the Elder Wand sends the AK aimed at
its master back on Voldemort.

None of those incidents had anything to do with spellwork, and only
one involved the Elder Wand. Not one gives any evidence of the Elder
Wand's failing him before that fatal switch in loyalties. (Hint,
Voldemort: You're not its master. If you have the yew wand with you,
take it out and use it. Harry's using Draco's wand, which will not
cause a Priori Incantatem!)

LV never blamed the wand (or his spell casting) for his initial
failure to kill Harry (nor was there any reason to do so). He knew
perfectly well that the reason was Lily's accidental Love magic. Nor
did he stop using his own wand or consider that it had failed him
after the Priori Incantatem incident or even after his defeat by
Dumbledore at the DoM (or, rather, his failure to possess Harry). Only
when he went after Harry in the first chapters of DH did he think he
(temporarily) needed another wand (note that he doesn't even consider
trading the powerful wand that created his Horcruxes for what DD calls
"Lucius's poor stick"--a wand that has cast several quite successful
Imperius Curses at the least and was quite sufficient to scare the
Hogwarts governors into doing Lucius's bidding).

At any rate, I'm talking about evidence that the Elder Wand failed LV,
which is entirely lacking. Take it on faith as something that happened
off page if you want to, but Harry has an active connection to LV's
mind at this point and would *know* if one of LV's spells had failed
or had disappointed LV in any way. It does not happen. He uses it to
make the potion transparent. No problem. He uses it to fly. No
problem. He uses it create Nagini's bubble. No problem. Oops. I've
already said this. Sorry.

Carol, who thought that Voldemort's death scene occurred in May 1998,
not 1997