I love tragic endings

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 85720

"Helen R. Granberry" wrote:
>  
> > In OotP, Dumbledore talks about this pain that is worse than death. 
> > I don't think that pain is losing what you love; I think what is 
> > worse than death is never knowing love at all -- or perhaps getting 
> > a glimpse, and knowing it is too late for you, knowing it is 
> > something you can never have because you made the wrong choices. 
> > Voldemort has chosen mere existence over truly living. He has 
> > forsaken all values in pursuit of this non-value – living a life 
> > that is really not a life at all. Voldemort can never know 
> > happiness because he holds no values other than merely continuing 
> >  to exist. He can never know love. This is worse than death – it is 
> > a living death. 
> > 

Siriusly Snapey Susan wrote:
  While I agree with you 
> that he has chosen a mere existence over truly living, I do have to 
> ask, are we SURE he has never known love or can never know love?  
> Maybe I'm reading too much into things, but I get the feeling 
> Bellatrix loves Voldy.  Could it be a reciprocal thing--if not now, 
> then possibly in the future if Voldy were to win? <snip>
> 

Bellatrix, though she's some twenty-five years younger than Voldemort,
may be in love with him, or at least fascinated by him, in some weird
way, but she can never have seen him in his (handsome) human form. He
left at about age eighteen (before she was born) to seek out dark
wizards, and when he came back had transformed himself so frequently
that he was barely recognizable. (Presumably any resemblance to Tom
Riddle is now completely gone.) Her husband and brother-in-law also
joined Voldemort, so whatever the attraction was (revenge for the pure
bloods?), they shared it with her. Presumably it wasn't physical
attraction in their case, at least. 

As for Voldemort himself being in love with anyone but himself, young
Tom murdered his father and grandparents at seventeen and coolly went
back to school as Head Boy (one more reason I hope that position is
automatically granted based on marks and not awarded based on
perceived merit). At the end of his seventh year he went off to
explore the dark arts, returned many years later to collect followers
(including the Lestranges), was vaporized, prowled the forests of
Albania looking for animals to possess as temporary hosts for his
body, took over Quirrell, etc. No time in that busy and admirable
career to look for love.

To return to Bellatrix, she seems to regard Voldemort as some sort of
mentor or teacher who taught her much of what she knows of the Dark
Arts. I could cite some passages from OoP to back this up if anyone
wants them. Maybe Voldemort is her Dumbledore, and her fierce loyalty
to LV parallels Harry's to DD?

Carol