Loss of power theory (was Harry's Special Powers)

[Kimberly]

No: HPFGUIDX 10403

In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, "Keith Fraser" <keith.fraser at s...> 


> 
> I like this idea about the infant/unicorn business. However, Harry 
> having no special abilities makes it unlikely he will be able to 
> defend himself against, much less defeat, Voldemort in the near 
> future (which is what must surely happen in book 7, unless JKR 
wants 
> to write more or intends to have the bad guys win), except by 
> trickery/dumb luck. And there's still the fact that he could hold 

off 
> the Imperius Curse when a powerful wizard like Crouch the Elder was 
> kept under control for months...
> 
Keith,

I agree that there are a lot of holes in my theory.  I like it, but it
leaves a lot unexplained.  And I do think that Harry is a strong 
wizard, probably quite a bit above average, but I don't think he 
is 'other'. 
Does that make any sense?  I don't think he's a super-wizard, or has
powers that are beyond those of other great wizards we've seen like
Dumbledore or Voldemort. 

I'm still thinking on that part though.  I have lots of thoughts in my
head that might help explain things without Harry having powers beyond
that of wizards in general, but so far they're rather incoherent, so
first let me address the part that I do have a coherent (if not
particularly well developed) thought on, which is why Harry could 
resist the Imperious Curse and the Crouch men couldn't.  

Granted, I may well be completely off-base, but I think it's because
Harry is a very self-controlled person, and very strong-willed.  He 
had to be in order to survive as a whole person at the Dursley's.  
They told him what to do and what to think and how to act and who to 
be for 10 years, and he still managed to come out of it with a 
personality and a will and even a wit of his own.  I find that 
extraordinary in and of itself, but it's not really a special power.  

Crouch Jr. is a follower.  He may be maniacle about it, but it's not 
his own will he's pursuing.  He chose to give his will over to 
someone else to begin with, and to me that indicates a tendency that 
would make him susceptible to the Imperious Curse.  

And Crouch Sr.  Well, that one's harder.  I'd say here that he was
already a little bit nuts - quite fanatical, and his constant fear of
being exposed as a fraud might have made him like the euphoric feeling
of the curse when he no longer had to make his own decisions.  He's 
been basically gritting his teeth and clenching his every muscle for 
however many years now, and maybe he kinda liked not having any 
control for a change.

Does that make any sense?  Harry has a little voice in his head
basically going 'I don't wanna do that'.  Maybe Crouch Sr. was tired
of being in control and listening to that voice all the time, or 
maybe all Sr's voice says is *don't let anyone know your secret*, in 
which case fighting off the curse to tell the truth was a very 
valiant thing for him to do in the end, even if it took him forever 
to do it.

Ok, let me get back to you on the rest of it if/when I ever can put 
the rest of my thoughts together.
Hope that was at least a little bit coherent.

Kimberly