[HPforGrownups] Re: Why NOT Lily? (was: Lily, Harry, and Voldemort's demise)

[Richelle Votaw]

No: HPFGUIDX 41990

Catherine writes:

> I don't buy this importance of Lily thing here - I think it's more to do
> with the fact that JKR wanted to draw attention to the fact that there
> was something special about the Potters.  Voldemort wanted to kill James

Well, considering JKR has repeatedly stated that something huge about Lily
would be revealed over the course of the next three books, there's got to be
something about her.

> If this is the case, I think it's a bit clumsy, because from what we've
> heard of Voldemort he is totally ruthless and kills for pleasure, so why
> should he tell Lily to "stand aside"?

Exactly.  He's not the type to waste time telling someone to stand aside.
So there's got to be some reason other than the fact she needed to sacrifice
herself not just die.

> I'm not discounting anything at this point because JKR has a great
> ability to surprise, but I think she's giving us little clues here and
> there that it was the Potters, not Harry, who Voldemort was interested
> in.

Correct again.  He had to kill both James and Harry to eliminate the Potter
line.  Or perhaps the Gryffindor line?  If James was the Heir of Gryffindor
than any child of his would be.  Not just Harry.  He had to kill both or
James could just have another son (with Lily).

Now, speculate with me for a moment, if the whole reason that made him go
after James and Harry was that Harry was the combined heir of Gryffindor and
Slytherin, he had to kill James to prevent him from producing another heir.
If in fact Lily is somehow the heir of Slytherin or carries the line some
way, she was no danger to him.  Only her procreating with James to produce a
combined heir would be a threat.  I could be totally off base here, but it
does make sense.  It's just that Lily is supposedly muggle born.  But then,
there are cases of adoption etc. if JKR wanted she could make it possible
for her to be an heir of Slytherin or whatever.

Richelle