Voldemort's Reluctance to Kill Lily (WAS Summaries: PS chapters 4 and 5)

[Cindy C.]

No: HPFGUIDX 27912

punkieshazam at y... wrote:
> 
> > 
> > In response to Petunia's hostility to Lily:
> > 
> > When Tom Riddle killed his father and grandparents, he claimed 
his 
> > inheritance. He then lived in both the Muggle and Wizarding 
worlds. He 
> > used the Riddle money to finance his growing evil empire. He used 
the 
> > name Evans in the Muggle world, married a Muggle woman and they 
had 
> > two daughters--Petunia and Lily. Petunia is a squib, and just 
like 
> > Argus Filch, she is very antagonistic to those who can. This is 
why 
> > Tom/Voldemort was so reluctant to kill his own daughter. He spoke 
very 
> > familiarly to her "Lily, you foolish girl" or something like that.
> > 
> > So Voldemort is Harry's grandfather, thus the physical 
resemblance. Am 
> > clueless as to why Voldie wanted to kill Harry. Maybe he didn't 
come 
> > to kill him, just take him away to make him a truly evil Wizard 
and 
> > Lily and James were apalled and resisted.  
> > 
> > Punkie
> > 
> > 
I love a good wild theory, and this is pretty darn good.  But I'm not 
sure it explains everything about Voldemort's "Stand aside, silly 
girl" dialogue.

No matter how you slice it, Voldemort does not have to kill Lily to 
get to Harry.  A well-placed "Accio Harry" ought to do it.  Or he 
could just Stun Lily or do that paralyzing charm Hermione performs on 
Neville.  If he kills Lily without trying these other things first, 
it is because he doesn't care much if she dies, IMHO.  Even a poor 
father figure like Voldemort probably cares enough for his own 
daughter to try to kill her son without killing her unnecessarily.  
(I can't believe I just wrote that sentence.)

So why would Voldemort be reluctant to kill Lily?  Maybe he needed 
her alive for some reason, like she had some information he needed.  
The information was valuable, but not so valuable so as to distract 
Voldemort from his main mission, which was to kill Harry.

I have no idea what that information might be, though.

Cindy (who has always been puzzled that Voldemort calls Lily, a grown 
woman with a child, "silly girl")