By: Alissa A.
There have been a few instances where Harry and
Hermione use each other's wand. In the books it is explained that a wizard or
witch cannot use just any wand to produce a successful spell. In the event of
the Midnight Duel, (book 1), Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Neville must hide from
Filch. When they come to the door of the Forbidden Corridor, they find that
their last ideal hiding spot is not a possibility. The door is locked.
"Oh move over," Hermione snarled. She grabbed Harry's wand, tapped the lock, and whispered , "Alohomora!" --chapter 9, page 160, Sorcerer's Stone, USA paperback version. The door does open, and then the group encounters Fluffy.
So Harry's wand worked for Hermione. Hermione's wand works for Harry too, as you see in the PoA movie. While the trio is in the Shrieking Shack, Harry is deprived of his own wand so he uses Hermione's. He sneaks his arm around her back, and grabs her wand from her jean pocket. Then he is able to use it successfully, pulling off a great Expelliarmus on Snape (You can see this particular scene in the video clips section). I't's possible that this means that Harry and Hermione have a special connection that allows them to use the other's wand, indicating some sort of bond in between the two of them.
Here's an input from Shiara Kazikal. I was left with a lot of time on my hands and decided to peruse through my HP books for a quote that can be added to this theory.
"No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand." (American Edition, Page 84)
We are shown through the third corridor instance that Hermione is able to use Harry's wand and produce admirable effects. While this may be simply attributed to the fact that she is an extraordinarily brilliant witch, there is also a chance that the connection lies much deeper than that. In the POA movie we are shown that Harry can also make use of Hermione's wand, should the need arise. While the movie is by no means "canon proof", you'd think Rowling would notice and protest such a detail should it really conflict with her ideas about wand usage. So there you have it. While Harry and Hermione are as different from each other as night and day when it comes to obligations and morals (besides the whole "defeat Voldemort, save the world" fixation both share), somewhere deep inside they must share a kindred spirit for their spells to work at full potency when being performed by a wand other than their own. Thanks, Shiara Kazikal!
* There may be more instances supporting my theory, so feel free to add to it!