[HPforGrownups] Ghosts

[Kathryn Cawte]

No: HPFGUIDX 53189

Greicy wrote-

*If* ghosts have unfinished business, like Moaning Myrtle bothering 
Olivia Hornby, then why aren't James and Lily ghosts?  Did they 
assume Harry would die?  Did they know that everything would turn 
out right?  That Sirius, or Dumbledore, would take care of Harry for 
them?  
 
Do the souls of Avada Kedavra victims get sucked into the wand of 
the person committing the murder?  Now that Priori Incantem was done 
those souls are freed and James and Lily could help Harry defeat 
Voldemort.  JKR did say that Harry wouldn't see a live James and 
Lily (can't remember where I read that, Mugglenet.com?), which is 
obvious, so maybe he'll have their ghosts around.  Imagine Lily and 
James hanging out with him at home.  I'd love to see the Dursley's 
face! =)
 
Now I know there's no canon evidence to this Avada Kedavra theory, 
but there could be something more to Avada Kedavra that we don't 
know about.
 
Now me -

Could that be why Avada Kedavra is one of the Unforgiveables. I always
assumed (so forgive me if I missed something) that it was illegal to perform
these curses *no matter what the circumstances*. So surely there must be
something kore to it than it simply killing the victim or wouldn't it be
allowed in self-defence?
Take this possible scenario for example - Voldemort (and one or more
minions) turns up at Godric's Hollow and confronts James, instead of yelling
at Lily to get away with Harry, James uses that time to raise his wand,
point it at Voldemort and cast Avada Kedavra. Surely that would be
acceptable if all the curse did was kill. There could be no doubt that
Voldemort hadn't just popped in for a cup of tea but was instead a real and
present threat to James' life and the lives of his wife and child. When
facing an evil dark wizard intent on killing you and your family the killing
Curse could surely be seen as self-defence. 

If there were circumstances when the curse was allowable then I doubt it
would be on the Unforgivables list. It's use for other reasons would simply
be covered under the homicide laws (which i assume there are because I
assume that's what Sirius was convicted for). Whatever spell Peter used to
kill those muggles and fake his death isn't on the list of Unforgivables so
surely there must be *something* about Avada Kedavra other than the fact
that it kills people.

The other Unforgivables are there for obvious reasons. Cruciatus has no
practical use other than torture (afaik), Imperio just freaks me out on so
many levels, it's a total infringement of human rights - taking away the
free will of its subject. It actually scares me more than the others because
 presumably, the person in question knows exactly what they are doing but is
unable to prevent it happening. *shudder* Anyway, my personal feelings about
Imperio aside, I can understand why they are Unforgivable curses, but Avada
Kedavra is supposedly the worst of these. How is it any worse than blowing
someone up (in the Pettigrew manner not the Aunt Marge effect) to kill them?
In fact snce it's a nice clean and, by the looks of it, painless death
surely it's a better fate than that? Some might even argue a better fate
than what happened to the Longbottoms. And yet the WW sees it as the worst
of the curses - nonsensical. Unless as Greicy suggests it somehow steals the
spirits/souls/whatever yo want to call them of its victims. Wouldn't a WW
that *knows* of the existance of a spirit/soul/whatever that can exist
beyond the physical death of the body (because after all ghosts are a pretty
good example of that) consider that to not only kill your enemies but
forever trap their essence within your wand to be a fate far worse than
death. A fate worth the designation as the worst of the Unforgiveables?

And on that note I think the apparitions were sucked back into the wand, but
I don't remember exactly and don't have my book to hane, in which case I
would assume they could only be finally freed by the destruction of
Voldemort's wand. If so I forsee a moving end to book 7 where Harry
(possibly accompanied by Remus and Sirius) destroys Voldemort's wand and is
able to say a final goodbye to James and lily (and of course all the other
souls trapped in the wand) - possibly with James letting Sirius know that he
isn't to blame for what happened at godric's Hollow and allieviating his
guilt. It would be a nice end, providing some measure of closure for Harry
(James telling him he's proud of him/Lily saying she loves him perhaps) and
Sirius, allowing them to entrust a nearly adult Harry admittedly but still
their child, to the care of Sirius and remus and reducing a large chunk of
the readership (well me certainly) to tears.

K