The AK that was (or wasn't)

[bluesqueak]

Harry hasted hurriedly to the horcrux
Harry hasted hurriedly to the horcrux
Harry hasted hurriedly...

What? Really?

Yay! No more spoiler spaces!

> Trina:
>  
> I have the mental picture of all the dead lying on their backs.   
> Cedric, we know is.  So is the spider.  All we know of the  
> Riddles is that they are "lying there with their eyes wide open"  
> but for  argument's sake they are supine. Frank Bryce merely 
> crumples--we have no  idea how exactly he falls, although 
> by the description I imagine he falls  forward, seeing as how he's 
got a limp 
> and a walking stick.  Sirius arches  backwards through the veil.  
> 
> Pip!Squeak: 
> Nobody *who dies* is blasted off their feet by the AK. They 
> drop/fall  where they're standing/flying.
>  
> Trina:
> Aren't they?  If the AK kills you instantly and you simply fall 
> down  dead (crumpling as Frank Bryce was described) wouldn't you 
> fall  forward, not backward? If the knees buckle, that is.   

Pip!Squeak replies:

Trina, have you ever seen someone faint? Because I have, twice, and 
I assure you - they fall backwards.

To be precise - they go down straight, like a tree being felled, hit 
the ground with an almighty 'thump' and lie on their backs facing 
upwards. 

Generally, the knees only buckle if a) you lose consciousness 
gradually and have time to semi-control the fall or b) you're an 
actor anxious to avoid concussion. Most 'faints' that you see in 
drama show buckling knees - that's because buckling at the knees 
allows you some control over the fall. 

So if you were killed and lost consciousness whilst standing, you 
wouldn't be able to control the fall. You'd fall backwards, as 
described in, say, Cedric's case. And Sirius's body is described 
as 'curving in a graceful arc', which sounds more like the tree-
felling act to me.  

Another way of describing the real faints I've seen would be to say 
that they went down as if they were still standing at attention.

Trina:
>And if you are dead the second it hits you, 
> how could the spider  possibly roll over?  It's already dead.   
> Pretty neat trick to move while dead.  

Pip!Squeak
Anyone know how spider's legs work? That's a serious question...

Because how the spider's legs work probably explain why it rolls 
onto its back when it dies.

Trina:
> I think the force of the AK is what moves the  body. ... And as 
> for Dumbledore..well, he is one of the greatest  wizards of the 
> age, incredibly powerful, and a formidable opponent (at least  
> when not weakened by Horcrux juice).  I say the AK that took him 
> out would  have to have one of amazing strength and power.  Why   
> wouldn't blast him  into the air and over the wall of the tower? 

Pip!Squeak:
Mainly because that theory doesn't agree with the evidence of OOP 
Ch. 36. Despite the Killing Curses being directed at Albus 
Dumbledore, despite their being launched by Lord Voldemort, neither 
the first statue, nor the desk, nor the centaur statue are described 
as being 'blasted into the air'. 

So Lord Voldemort can't make someone/something fly into the air with 
an AK. *Is* Snape a more powerful wizard than Lord Voldemort?

I'd argue not. 

Trina:
>  And he, like Cedric, lies  spread-eagled on the ground.
>

Yeah, well, unlike Cedric Dumbledore fell from a height. Depending 
on whether he turned as he fell, he could have landed on his back, 
front, head, feet...

And he probably bounced, too. Bleah. Glad Harry (and us!) didn't see 
it...  

Pip!Squeak

"Where do you think I would have been all these years, if I had not 
known how to act?" - Severus Snape