What happens to a wand when it is burned?

Question

It is common practice for a wand to be destroyed by burning after the owner of the wand dies according to this answer: https://scifi.stackexchange.com/a/120731/35012

What happens when you burn a wand? Would burning the wand create an explosion, or would the power in the wand fizzle out?

There isn't any canonical answer for this, but there's no reason anything spectacular would happen. — Emma Vega, Mar 01 '16 at 02:41
I see this coming up in the close review as "opinion based". This is not opinion based. Either there's canon information about it, or there isn't (yet) and then that is the answer. — SQB, Mar 01 '16 at 08:39
@sqb http://meta.scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/3014/should-all-questions-without-explicit-canon-answers-be-closed — Mithical, Mar 01 '16 at 09:25
Interesting question. It may depend on what the core is made from. I can imagine a unicorn hair having a different reaction to burning than a phoenix tail feather. — mikeazo, Mar 01 '16 at 12:38
@mikeazo this makes me wonder... does the fact that the phoenix has a strong affinity with fire mean anything in this context? Like, could the phoenix feather regenerate from its ashes just as a phoenix does? (I'm probably overthinking it, but I think it is an interesting issue) — A. Darwin, Mar 01 '16 at 12:40

score 4 · Answer 1 · edited Jun 16 '20 at 09:31

4

We don't know.

Literally the only thing that we know about wands being burned is what you already said: They get burned with their owner.

My assumption, however, would be that they just... burn. They're wood, after all. Why would the fact that it was used to channel magic affect that?

edited Jun 16 '20 at 09:31

Community

answered Mar 01 '16 at 07:52

Mithical

I think you would get a small effect similar to in @Richard's answer, but I certainly doubt that it would be spectacular. When Lucius Malfoy's wand is destroyed we also see a sort of sparking and smoking I think. – ThruGog Mar 01 '16 at 20:01

score 4 · Answer 2 · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:43

4

When (in the film Deathly Hallows, Part II) Harry snaps the Elder Wand, there is a slight flash and some sparks along with a small puff of smoke.

Since we know that wands contain residual magic, it's reasonable to assume that much the same would happen if one was destroyed by burning.

edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:43

Community

answered Mar 01 '16 at 08:15

Valorum

There is a similar effect when Lucius Malfoy's wand is destroyed. – ThruGog Mar 01 '16 at 20:01