dbdabc90   
   From: bsusenet@brodpark.no   
      
   On Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:21:20 -0800 (PST), Rats wrote:   
      
   > The Elder wand is supposed to be a wand that cannot lose in duels yet   
   > Dumbledore beat Grindewald in a duel to win the elder wand off him.   
   > How could this be?   
      
   this question puzzled me also now reading h.p.& d.h. a second time...   
      
   even if actually not "unbeatable", one would expect it to be decisive   
   if both had similar powers.   
      
   Otherwise would that mean that Dumbledore was much more powerful than   
   Grindewald, but also that Voldemort was much more powerful than   
   Dumbledore, since he was unable to defeat him at the Ministry of   
   Magic? (it seemed to me that D.D. was also a little overconfident, or   
   maybe it was just some psychological strategy, as he said something to   
   the effect of 'you coming here, that was a big mistake' if i recall it   
   well from h.p.& h.b.p.).   
      
   but you can think also that Dumbledore was very weak by this time with   
   less than 1yr of life remaining with a curse. Also he couldn't achieve   
   any decisive victory with many horcruxes still hidden and 'alive'.   
      
   Also you can think Grindewald didn't actually became its master since   
   he stole it and didn't really confront the old owner.. but here this   
   explanation is flawy since Dumbledore wouldn't become its master   
   either, nor Snape nor Voldemort nor Harry Potter. and Beedle the Bard   
   tale tells that the 1st brother was defeated when someone stole it   
   from him while he was asleep, drunk.   
      
   So concluding, i can only think Dumbledore was either much more   
   powerful than Grindewald, or else he tricked him somehow with   
   something not intrinsically magical, like using his intelligence,   
   words, and managed to spell something when his opponent wasn't ready   
   (even Expelliarmus would work), but that doesn't seem fit for the   
   grandiose description of this duel, neither can i imagine him using   
   Ariana's name in such unworthy way - that is, merely as a   
   psychological-duel strategy to defeat Grindewald.   
      
   i would guess that where Grindewald used the wand's brute force to his   
   advantage, Dumbledore used his own cleverness and perspicacity to   
   spell what was more effective, unusual, creative, unexpected, not   
   necessarily 'stronger' per se.   
      
   Another question comes to my mind. If Snape knew he became the master   
   of the Elder Wand, maybe he stood a chance to defeat Voldemort   
   himself. So, why didn't Dumbledore told Snape to try, didn't tell him   
   to confront the dark lord himself? if he lost it would be just as bad   
   as it actually did happen.   
      
   I suspect Dumbledore realized Snape would be more prone to dark   
   wizardry once he attained too much power, and, after defeating him he   
   could became 'power blind' and start doing things wrong. or just he   
   recognized Snape was powerfull but lastly Harry was the choosen one   
   and thus the only one who had a chance, when he knew about the   
   prophecy.   
   --   
   All the best,   
   Bjorn S.   
   - I only post via  or !   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)