DanArmak comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, February 2015, chapter 111 - Less Wrong
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Comments (173)
I don't expect the gun to work; it seems to me that if Voldemort had a ritual to give people properties of magical creatures, he would have given them to himself, and firing a gun at a troll three times would not be terribly effective. But would his body recreated from his blood through this ritual have those features? Uncertain. But shooting a troll three times would still give you enough time to close the distance, or cast a spell on him before he could fly away, or so on.
[edit] As people pointed out below, I forgot about the temporary nature of the spell without the stone.
It is also interesting that the horcrux spell can be cast for others (or is he doing other mind magic at the same time?).
Voldemort would not have given the properties to his body before now, because he had not had the Stone, and without its permanence effect, after a few hours the transferred properties would wear off.
He was overconfident in giving them to Hermione now, instead of to himself.
Hermione needed them immediately, due to fears of Transfiguration sickness. Voldemort did not.
Voldemort also says that the subject sometimes dies when the properties wear off, so he has very good reason not to give them to his body earlier.
He should have brought two trolls and two unicorns. Or maybe three, just to be safe.