Lily and the deal with the devil

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 58199


> Ali again:
> 
> At this point though, you have to ask why Voldemort didn't taunt 
> Harry with Lily's betrayal when he was doing his evil overlord 
stuff in the graveyard. However, Voldemort did have rather alot on 
his  mind then, and well, it wouldn't suit JKR's purpose to reveal 
that little gem in GoF, would it?
 
Moving away from author intent, V-Mort probably wouldn't reveal that 
one yet because he might not fully trust his DEs AND because he might 
have other spies out there in highly placed positions. If a DE 
leaked -- I don't think Harry escaping was something he thought would 
happen -- and D-Dore got ahold of it, D-Dore would quite reasonably 
go on a full-fledged hunt for other spies.


 
> I can't really see Lily as a spy or a mole though. Perhaps it's 
> because it's so anathema to the way that we - and Harry - wish to 
> his parents, namely as heroes who died for their beliefs and their 
> son. I imagine her sole (and enormous) act of betrayal was in 
> handing over James to Voldemort. Arguably, this would not have been 
> out of cowardice or change in beliefs, but desperation.

For this to work, you have -- it's your theory, not mine, so you do 
the work :) -- to work out how she might have done it. 

We know that Pettigrew gave up the secret. But did Lily as well? Did 
Lily first? Because if Pettigrew already had given up the 
information, V-Mort doesn't need Lily and wouldn't make any deals. 
And how exactly did she contact V-Mort to offer him this deal?

Because for her to be a betrayer, to me, it would have to be 
something that took place before that night in Godric's Hollow. A 
deal would have had to have been made earlier.



> Darrin again:
> 
>  But I think the twist would make it too twisted. Lily's 
>  sacrifice is, I believe, the pivotal event in the story (not 
>  necessarily the books, but the saga itself.) One Muggle born 
woman,  apparently just through love, gave her baby the power to 
defeat the  most evil wizard of modern times. I do hope that is not 
tainted.
> 
> I hope you're right, but the more I think about it, the less "Lilly-
> white", Lily appears to be.

Yeah, but be careful. There is no canon ruling out Lily as the 
traitor, but there is no canon really pointing to her as well. Basing 
a theory on the "canon doesn't rule it out" principle is fine, so lon 
as you know that's your hook. I don't see how she can "appear" to be 
less good after reading the same canon over and over. 

The canon doesn't change. Just thinking about it more doesn't make it 
more damning to Lily.

Darrin