Julia answers “If successfully using Expelliarmus causes...”

Ashley asked this question about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7):

If successfully using Expelliarmus causes a wand to change ownership and no longer work against anyone but its rightful user, then why did everyone's wand still work for them after learning it and practicing in DA classes? Why does anyone's wand still work if they help someone learn the spell?

Julia There is a difference between using Expelliarmus and truly overpowering someone by disarming them. Disarming a person does not mean you have "defeated…moreThere is a difference between using Expelliarmus and truly overpowering someone by disarming them. Disarming a person does not mean you have "defeated them"; like you said, they were just practicing. But when Draco disarmed Dumbledore, he had actually "defeated" him; he orchestrated to bring the Death Eaters into the castle and left Dumbledore defenseless. Wands know the difference between simply Disarming vs. defeat.

In contrast, Harry gets ownership of the Elder Wand from Draco, even without disarming him. He simply ripped Draco's own Hawthorn wand out of his hand while escaping Malfoy Manor. The Hawthorn wand saw this as Draco being defeated by Harry. Remember too, that wands have "minds" of their own. When Harry confronts Voldemort, Harry is master of Draco's Hawthorn wand. Voldemort is trying to use the Elder Wand, but the Elder Wand recognizes that its possession was upon Draco, who was since defeated by Harry. That leaves the Elder Wand as Harry's.

Does that help? Some of the "wands can change ownership" thing does get a little fuzzy though... sometimes it seems like a last-minute addition by J.K. Rowling. Technically, I think Harry should have been the owner of Voldemort's wand from at least one of the previous times he defeated/escaped from him (the graveyard scene comes to mind), but as Dumbledore predicts in King's Cross, perhaps that is why Harry's wand is able to act on its own during the Battle of the Seven Potters... it knows that some part of Voldemort's wand allegiance is to Harry.

The section on "Wands" on Pottermore is useful, too; some wands are more susceptible to change ownership based on core and wood type. https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by...(less)

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

by J.K. Rowling

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