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Velorien comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, part 23, chapter 94 - Less Wrong Discussion

8 Post author: elharo 08 July 2013 12:04PM

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Comment author: Velorien 10 July 2013 03:31:29PM *  1 point [-]

Note that there is also no explanation why Avada Kedavra of all things would produce a burned body. That particular bit of description ("burned husk", "burned to a crisp" etc.) has been repeated often enough to be strong foreshadowing, and burning is a great way to make a corpse unidentifiable, especially if dental records for the supposed victim are unavailable and/or no-one has ever heard of such a form of forensics.

Note also that Harry has no memory of Voldemort actually casting the Killing Curse on him. His memory apparently cuts out right after his mother's death.

Comment author: bogdanb 10 July 2013 11:12:47PM *  2 points [-]

why Avada Kedavra of all things would produce a burned body.

How about Fiendfyre? Does that leave anything behind? I mean, it cut through Hogwarts.

Hey, when was Draco’s mother killed? He should be about the same age as Harry, and yet Harry’s Mum died when he was like a year old, and the war pretty much ended right then. So Narcissa’s burning could not have been long before (well, I guess it could be a few months; but that still leaves Draco a baby; if he were that much older than Harry to have had time to know her, he’d be a second year now).

Comment author: UnclGhost 17 July 2013 05:31:38AM 1 point [-]

New idea: going on the "Dumbledore faked Godric's Hollow" theory, what if "Voldemort's" body that gets found is the unrecognizable, burned body of Narcissa Malfoy?

Comment author: Velorien 13 July 2013 12:38:42PM 1 point [-]

How about Fiendfyre? Does that leave anything behind? I mean, it cut through Hogwarts.

I can't answer that question (though my instinct is to say "no"), but I will point out that Hogwarts isn't particularly indestructible. Haven't we at least seen one of the trolls damage the walls with ordinary brute force? Or am I misremembering?

Comment author: Sheaman3773 28 August 2013 05:21:46PM 0 points [-]

We did see that:

The troll grasped its fallen club in its remaining hand, and gave a huge bellow, smashing the club into the floor and sending marble chips flying.

Also

In one narrow circle the marble tiles were scorched and shattered by some explosive spell that only the most prodigious of first-year witches could have cast, with the last of her strength.