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We see that the Elder Wand is able to perform magic that would not normally be possible with a regular wand. For example, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry fixes his broken wand with it: (emphasis mine)

He laid the broken wand upon the headmaster’s desk, touched it with the very tip of the Elder Wand, and said, “Reparo.”

As his wand resealed, red sparks flew out of its end. Harry knew that he had succeeded. He picked up the holly and phoenix wand and felt a sudden warmth in his fingers, as though wand and hand were rejoicing at their reunion.

Previously in this novel, the same spell using Hermione's wand (a lesser wand) failed.

Knowing that the Elder Wand can perform magic that other wands cannot (from the above example), would the Elder Wand have been able to destroy the Horcruxes using a simple Bombarda or something like that? I'm not asking about Fiendfyre, because we know that can destroy Horcruxes, but it's also very dangerous and hard to control. We also can't assume that being able to destroy a Horcrux means that it has the ability to repair it once more.

Note for Answerers: Acceptable answers include answers from canon, J.K. Rowling interviews, Pottermore, Wikia with reliable sources (so generally no Wikia), and any speculation based on the prior sources listed.

Note for Closevoters/Downvoters: This is not primarily opinion-based! See the note I left for answerers; I am looking for official answers...

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    No. Dumbledore had used Elder Wand extensively on the Gaunt Ring, but he failed to destroy it. Commented Aug 8, 2019 at 3:30
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    @Lobo - Do you have evidence for that fact? A quote would be welcome! :)
    – user112267
    Commented Aug 8, 2019 at 14:15
  • No. If the Elder wand is powerful enough to Bombarda a certain object then it's also powerful enough to Reparo it back together. To destroy a horcrux, the physical object it's housed in has to be broken beyond all possibility of magical repair.
    – Meelah
    Commented Aug 8, 2019 at 15:08
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    I don't have quote, but it's logical inference. We know that Dumbledore had tried to destroy the Gaunt Ring. We also know that he had Elder Wand at that time. Commented Aug 8, 2019 at 17:03
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    Why would you be not sure when destruction of Horcruxes was Dumbledore's highest priority and he had access to most powerful wand in existence which could be put to that use? Commented Aug 8, 2019 at 17:06

2 Answers 2

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Well, any wand can destroy a Horcrux. Fiendfyre is one of the few substances in the magical world which can destroy a Horcrux.

‘It must have been Fiendfyre!’ whimpered Hermione, her eyes on the broken pieces.

‘Sorry?’

‘Fiendfyre – cursed fire – it’s one of the substances that destroy Horcruxes, but I would never, ever have dared use it, it’s so dangerous. How did Crabbe know how to –?’

As for the Elder Wand, I think that basic destructive curses like Reducto or Incendio would still not be effective since Albus Dumbledore was in the possession of the Gaunt ring for a time and was unable to destroy it with his wand. Instead he used the sword. He was perhaps unwilling to cast such dark and terrible magic as a Fiendfyre.

The same thing happened in the cave where the fake Horcrux was hidden. Dumbledore decided to take it with him instead of just destroying it once and for all right then and there. The Elder Wand, while capable of feats of magic beyond normal wands cannot destroy Horcruxes with simple spells.

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    We don't know for sure that Dumbledore brought the Elder Wand to the cave. He could have just as easily brought the wand that chose him as an 11-year-old instead of the one he won in a duel. In fact, I don't remember where, but I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that Dumbledore regularly used his other wand, not the Elder Wand...
    – user112267
    Commented Aug 8, 2019 at 14:20
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    @Voldemort'sWrath We do know he took it with him, because it's the wand Draco disarms from him (that's the setup for the whole "who controls the wand" thing). They run into Draco right after returning from the cave, so Dumbledore didn't have time to retrieve the Elder Wand from anywhere. (Though I will grant it's been a while since I read the book, so my recollection could be a bit off.)
    – Bloodgain
    Commented Aug 9, 2019 at 0:25
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    @Bloodgain - Nope! Actually, the wand that Draco got from Dumbledore was not the Elder Wand! The owner just has to be defeated, and we know that Dumbledore was entombed with the Elder Wand, so it belonged to Draco, even though he never possessed it. Therefore, Dumbledore did not have the Elder Wand with him on the night that he died...
    – user112267
    Commented Aug 9, 2019 at 1:19
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    ...yeah, you're wrong :) The text is clear that the wand in the tomb is the Elder Wand, and Draco was it's master. It's the wand Harry uses to repair his original broken wand, and it's the wand he discards to never be found again
    – NKCampbell
    Commented Aug 10, 2019 at 4:45
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    @NKCampbell - I didn't say anything which contradicted that...
    – user112267
    Commented Aug 24, 2019 at 13:44
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The answer is simple and direct and with evidence.... As it is stated a wand has a bond with its owner and grows with him... A normal wand pased down would have the growth of the previus owner...a new wand is newborn... An elder wand is an ancient with numerous owners all on top of the world and mastery of magic.. a reparo spell has no uper limit as a spel it can glue a simple split grain of sand and it can fix a pure mehanical clock after being smashed... There are no limits ro it the limit is the user.... A spell to destroy the horcux there is and any wand can do it. To use a fixed stupid and crude spel with the elder wand is not an option the ellder wand doesnt make the spel more powerfull it makes the speler more fluent with its experience..

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    This is very hard to read and understand. Could you edit it to clear it up somewhat?
    – TheLethalCarrot
    Commented Jan 7, 2020 at 22:44

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