Would Lily have been spared?

[jodel at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 42240

This is an issue that canon leaves pretty much in the air, since most of the 
statements regarding it are at least somewhat contradictory.

About the only fairly certain information we have to go by is Harry's 
replaying of his mother's murder while under the influence of Dementors. That 
version we can feel reasonably sure actually happened.

We can NOT take 16-year-old Tom Riddle's word on the matter as given in 
Chamber of Secrets because 1. The diary revenant wasn't there. 2. His 
information, such as it is, has just about all been filtered through Ginny 
Weasley, who wasn't there either. and 3. We can already see that by what he 
has already had to say during the scene that Tom Riddle just plain lies. 
(Werewolf pups, indeed.)

Lord Voldemort's take on the matter in Stone or Goblet is more likely to have 
some truth in it, but this is still Tom Riddle that we're dealing with, and 
we already know that Tom Riddle lies like a rug whenever it suits him. His 
reading on the events under question is also at the very least, heavily 
biased.

But Harry's memories of the events ARE insistent on the fact that LV did NOT 
simply blast Lily and then turn his wand on Harry. He repeatedly told her to 
get out of the way, and her entire end of the dialogue appears to have 
consisted of screaming (over and over) "Not Harry! Kill me instead! But not 
Harry" or words very much to that effect. This, as I said above, I think we 
can take to be true.

Now, the question is not so much WOULD Voldemort have killed her, as why 
didn't he kill her at the outset? The fact that he did not suggests that he 
is not lying (or not completely lying) when he claims that Lily didn't have 
to die. 

Which raises the further question of why not Lily? Here is a Muggle-born 
witch -- a class of person that we have been led to believe that any 
Slytherin worth their salt regards as dust beneath their chariot wheels. And 
which Voldemort and his followers in particular are said to be dedicated to 
exterminating. What would cause him to offer to spare her?

Well, my own interpretation on this is that Voldemort is not above using the 
carrot as well as the stick. Whether or not Snape was in love with Lily Evans 
is neither here nor there, but we have it on Remus Lupin's authority that 
Peter Petigrew almost certainly was. I think that Lily was to have been his 
reward for leading Voldemort to the Potters. Had all gone as intended, I 
think Lily would have been found lightly injured and unconsious (and 
obliviated) in the ruins of the house with the bodies of her husband and son. 
Sirius Black would have been killed in the confrontation between him and 
Petigrew (who would have not been waiting for Sirius alone) and as far as the 
wizarding public knew, Peter would have been a live and grieving hero 
devoting himself to consoling James Potter's widow.

This interpretation might be completely off base, but so far there appears to 
be nothing in canon to absolutely contradict it.

Peter Pettigrew is a LOT cleverer than most interpretatons give him credit 
for being. Framing Sirius and enginering his own disapearance on the spur of 
the moment was not the act of a stupid man. Or of a coward. It showed 
intelligence, resourcefulness a very steady nerve, a very canny understanding 
on manipulating people and a taste for violent mayhem. He also had enough 
personal charm for the other three marauders to enjoy keeping his company. So 
what if he's not a born leader or particularly strong at Trqnsfiguration? I 
think he and Sirius would have constituted a real handful when they were at 
school together and thet they were the two ringleaders on most of the more 
destructive pranks that the four of them got up to.

Something I'd like to know is just who Sirius Black was chewing the fat with 
when he came up with his bright idea to play heroic decoy as the Potter's 
Secret Keeper while the real Secret Keeper was someone less obvious who no 
one would suspect?

Of course none of this explains why Voldemort didn't just get Lily under 
Imperius and force her to hand Harry over.

"Jodel"