TBAY: Stoned Harry/Mother's Love

[abigailnus]

No: HPFGUIDX 38583

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Katze <jdumas at k...> wrote:

> I'm also a believer that there's more to Harry surviving the AK curse
> than the excuse that Lily saved him with her love. Why would it only
> work for her, and never anyone else? It's ancient magic, that apparently
> one of the most ruthless wizards has forgotten. Wouldn't you think that
> with all of V's killing people would do anything to protect their love
> ones - like learning ancient magic? I just think that if this were
> really the case, many more people would've survived the AK curse.
 
My understanding was that it wasn't exactly the fact that Lily died shielding 
Harry from Voldemort, but the fact that she had a choice in the matter that 
protects Harry.  We know that Voldemort specifically offerred Lily her life if 
she stepped away and let him kill the child.  I don't imagine he often offered 
that kind of "mercy", so while there might have been many people who died 
shielding their children or other loved ones, they were only hastening the 
inevitable, as they were going to die anyway.  None of them actively chose 
death rather than standing aside and watching their loved ones die.  It's this 
extra level of sacrifise that protected Harry from AK, not simply the fact that 
his mother died before him.  After all, if that were the case, Harry would also 
be protected by his father's death - James stayed behind and died in order to 
try and give Lily time to escape with Harry.  However, since Voldemort was 
apparently going to kill James anyway (remember, he was there to kill "the 
last Potter"), his sacrifise doesn't protect Harry.

I'm not sure exactly where I stand on Stoned!Harry (apart from the fact that 
it's a cool name - who needs an acronym?)  I agree with, I think it was Cindy, 
who said that in this case the only possible resolution would be for Harry to die 
at the end of the series, and I just don't see that happening - it's not even a 
matter of JKR being lynched by fans, I just don't think she'd be so cruel to the 
children who love her books.  I personally have always wondered if at the end 
of the series Harry would find himself unable to live in the WW - he's too famous, 
or maybe he'll step on the wrong toes at the MoM.  I see him going off to see 
the elephant, maybe with Ron and Hermione at his side.  Yes, I know, how LOTR 
can you get, but there's something very satisfying in the hero who saves the 
world but not for himself, and Tolkein managed to do it without killing Frodo off.

Abigail