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In the Harry Potter movies, especially The Deathly Hallows, dueling spells that miss their targets almost always cause a building or other inanimate objects to explode rather violently, but that doesn't seem to happen when the spells hits the other wizards.

What is the reason for this?

Gallifreyan
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Bernard the Bear
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    ...because magic. – Adamant Feb 13 '17 at 01:18
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    I mean, the energy has to go somewhere right? Wait, never mind, magic. – ApproachingDarknessFish Feb 13 '17 at 02:10
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    The spells are designed to work on living organic beings (e.g.: humans, trolls, giant spiders, etc.) Without organics and DNA and such, they're just energy. Pour enough energy into something and it tends to go bang. – Tim Feb 13 '17 at 03:00
  • It's not just the films either. It does happen in the books and there are many times the spells are described as going off with 'a loud bang' or even 'a bang like a gunshot.' – ThruGog Feb 13 '17 at 07:20
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    I just finished reading the 5th book with my 7 year old son. And there I realized that in the duel between Voldemort and Dumbledore the same speel even caused different damage to things: One time it explodes a statue, the second time it is used, it sets something to flames... quite inconsistent in the book either... – Tode Feb 13 '17 at 07:34
  • @Torsten Link - Is it as inconsistent as it seems? If I applied a match to a range of household items, it would have a different effect too. – ThruGog Feb 13 '17 at 07:38
  • You are right, but still it was strange, as e.g. the first Avada kedavra bounces of the golden statue that it hits, the second one totally destroys the other golden statue by blowing it up, both are from the fountain and for sure the same material... – Tode Feb 13 '17 at 07:40
  • in the answer for this question the effects are described with quotes... – Tode Feb 13 '17 at 07:42
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    In the quoted sections, it describes the first blast against a statue that bounces off as "glancing" off it's chest, so maybe the one that explodes is a direct hit and the one that bounces off hits at an angle and is deflected (curvature of the statue may also be a factor). – delinear Feb 13 '17 at 10:47

1 Answers1

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This is speculation but I think it's accurate. Spells carry a certain energy which will do something specific on impact with a target. For example, Avada Kedavra has the potential to silently and immediately kill a creature it hits. This is curious, unusual and very powerful. Now, if there is nothing to kill and it collides with something else, it stands to reason that that energy or magical potential (or whatever you might want to call it) needs to be expended. It also stands to reason that this spell should be quite destructive.

I think the reason that they are destructive/explosive against inanimate objects but less obviously violent when they hit a designated human target is that when hitting a human a specific effect is unleashed - which may just be being magically forced to laugh or fall over. But, if this magical effect literally cannot happen because it is trying to, for example with Riktusempra, cause laughter but there is no mouth, no brain, no vocal cords - then that energy is expended as bangs, light and explosions.

So, send a specific spell at a human or animal and get the specific outcome, but send it at a wall or table and it cannot do its job and a violent outburst of magic is the effect.

ThruGog
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