Two questions about killing curses

[snorkackcatcher]

(1) Is it reasonable to suppose that an Avada Kedavra cast with insufficient power or determination to kill would nevertheless still have some effect (act as a powerful Stunner, leave a scar, whatever)? Points I can see in favour of this are Fake!Moody's comment that he probably wouldn't even get a nosebleed if the class tried the curse on him, and

Comments

[masterofmystery]

1. Maybe with Harry's case of surviving it, it was a Curse used to its greatest potential in that it was meant to kill and would have had it not been for all the reasons it didn't. I guess we'd need other cases of when the Killing Curse wasn't used proficiently, but I think it's safe to say that, what, if it's done without the greatest amount of power (like Harry's crap attempts at the Cruciatus), then maybe it's not as bad? Still, you're supposed to got Azkaban if caught casting the spell, but does it say whether or not they go if it's done to the most power? If Harry didn't have all his protection and was busted for doing those rubbish attempts at the Cruciatus, could he have gone to prison (even though he's a kid

[snorkackcatcher]

1. That would be the way around it -- but the problem is that it would be hard to tell if someone survived because the curse didn't have enough power. I could probably say something like it can release a blast of magic even if it doesn't work.

2. The colour of the spell concerns me too, but the problem is that JKR does seem to change descriptions of spells from book to book. For example, Expelliarmus when we first see Snape use it In CoS it produces a flash of light, but otherwise doesn't seem to -- it seems suspicious that we have two very similar looking spells and that the first time it's shown, the incantation is carefully not mentioned?

[akissinacrisis]

1. I always though that if you just flipped your wand around and said it, someone would get a bruise. So YES.

2. Hmmm ... I would say that I would guess that the spell was never that widespread, but I would totally think that would be an interesting line to take. So you could get away with it, I think it could be interesting.

[snorkackcatcher]

1. I'd like that to be the case (both for my story and a vague theory that Snape's AK itself didn't kill Dumbledore, the fall from the tower did).

2. With this one I'd like them to be different, so that I can have a Ministry official describing it. :) I can certainly imagine Snape teaching it to the other DEs, and Dolohov wanting to use it, though.

[house_illrepute]

1. I'd like that to be the case (both for my story and a vague theory that Snape's AK itself didn't kill Dumbledore, the fall from the tower did).

i would actually buy that. like if it came out in a trial setting whereby it becomes a technicality. because that makes sense.

snape IS powerful enough that SOMEthing would have happened.

Dumbley was already on the verge of dying... the force of the attack threw him back, the fall did him in...

that actually makes perfect sense.

[house_illrepute]

(1) Is it reasonable to suppose that an Avada Kedavra cast with insufficient power or determination to kill would nevertheless still have some effect (act as a powerful Stunner, leave a scar, whatever)?

i would agree with that statement.

(2) Likewise, is it reasonable to suppose that the curse from Dolohov that knocked Hermione out of the fight in the Department of Mysteries was Sectumsempra? well.... it's reasonable to an extent. i think Rowling gives us the notion that, unless extremely powerful, certain spells cast by certain people would require verbal incantations. we've never been given any indication that Dolohav is or isn't powerful enough to that kind of silent spell-cast (at least for that spell). it would make sense that Snape would have taught other death eaters that spell, but also, considering being a D.E you'd want to be the more powerful of the bunch, it stands to reason he wouldn't

[eriathwen_bob]

Perhaps the AK only works when properly cast, but if it is miscast can still do harm. So you can't do a 'half-spell', but you can release power.