Mid-Air Collision Required for Priori Incantatem? (WAS: Meaning of OotP

[bluesqueak <pipdowns@etchells0.demon.co.uk>]

No: HPFGUIDX 48901

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Potter Hermione forever 
<nj13guy at y...>" <nj13guy at y...> wrote:
> Why was Voldemort not able to 
> kill Harry when he was a baby. He did not have a wand then?
> I agree that Lily sacrificed herself for Harry. But, what does  
> that mean? Does that mean she came between the 'Avada Kedavra' 
> curse meant for Harry & got killed instead or was it something 
> else?D'dore said something about LOVE. That is so corny. I was 
> looking for something more logical.
> 
> jmho

Pip replies:

Logical? Sorry, but the Potterverse is a world of magic, not of 
logic. [grin]

Seriously, the Potterverse is one where the emotions are important 
as the *source* of magic. One of the first things Hagrid says to 
Harry is `not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was 
scared, or angry?' [PS/SS p. 47,Ch. 4 UK paperback.]

Magic in the Potterverse is to some extent the emotions refined and 
made pure. A curse is hate put in the form of a spell. Accio is the 
desire for something put into a spell. I don't think this follows 
throughout; I have some difficulty working out what emotion is 
connected with Transfiguration or Potions. But the emotions are 
extremely real and powerful in the Potterverse.

Love is the most powerful of all the emotions. In a world where the 
emotion of hate can come flying at you in the form of a curse, can 
even kill you, it is `not logical Captain' to expect that the 
emotion of love is incapable of producing magic. Magic that is 
ultimately more powerful.

Pip
(who currently is trying to write on a keyboard with a wobbly `O' 
and `P', which makes things a little difficult. Especially when 
you're called `Pip')