There is Death and then again there is death (was: It's A Wonderful Life?)

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 86710

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboy_mn at y...> wrote:
> bboy_mn:
> I have repeatedly said, 'There is death and then again there is 
death;
> the two not necessarily being the same.
> Death doesn't necessarily have to be stone cold in-your-grave 
dead. 
<snipping>
> Possible way in which Voldemort could cease to exist without 
physical
> death-
> <snipped very good list of possible "death" scenarios>


JenR: I've been thinking about this possibility, symbolic death 
rather than physical death, and the idea of transfer of powers keeps 
coming back to me. We keep seeing evidence of this throughout the 
books:

1) Inital transfer of power from LV to Harry by the failed AK.
2) Link between Ginny and Diary!Tom that caused him to come to life 
as she dies.
3) Brother wands and the literal transfer of power as they battle at 
the graveyard.
4) The merging of LV and Harry in OOTP, the "but in essence divided" 
bit.

We know LV cannot exist in Harry's body as seen at the end of OOTP. 
If this merging continues, or is some way is activated to a greater 
degree, then LV and Harry will literally be duelling internally for 
power as they did externally in the graveyard. We saw LV's 
possession caused great pain for Harry and vice versa. 

And Harry did 'kill' Diary!Tom in a symbolic way, if not literally. 
Very few of us viewed that as murder because he killed an "essence" 
rather than a person (and saved Ginny along the way). His final 
battle with LV could be a similar event, only very intense because 
of the deep connection.

This could also explain the "neither can live while the other 
survives" part of the Prophecy in a very literal way, their 
connection forged by the scar makes it impossible for either to 
truly be independent from the other.

Thanks for your good post, Steve! 

Jen Reese