[HPforGrownups] Re: The magic power of love. Was: BANG! You're dead!

Sun Sep 7 14:43:05 UTC 2003

No: HPFGUIDX 80113

 --- Golly (feetmadeofclay) wrote in message 76803 (Aug. 12th): 
>>we didn't see Harry show a great deal of magical skill in DADA either. 
Sure he's battled Voldemort a few times and he has a kick ass patronus, but
most of it is either his untapped talent (the Imperious) or just luck (the 
sister wand thing).<<

Hans:
Sorry about the long delay. Busy life!

It's really amazing how different people can read HP and end up with totally
different conclusions. For example I don't think Harry's victories are due
to luck at all. I think it's due to his refulgent inner qualities, his
supernal spiritual assets. I wish I had them!

Golly:
>>Harry's got intuition but he's never been shown to be a great 
strategist beyond the Patronus he's never really honed any skill - 
not even Occulumency. He is pretty much lucky most of the time. Book 
1 he barely did anything. Hermione was the smart one and Ron the 
stragegist.  Harry just had the Mum Gaurd on.<< 

Hans:
I'm just a tiny bit flabbergasted when I read this. Are you serious?

The only reason Voldemort was interested in Harry was because he had
extracted the Philosopher's Stone from the mirror. That, in my opinion is
the whole point of Book 1. Harry was able to do what Quirrel/Voldemort would
have been unable to do in a thousand years of looking at the mirror. And
Harry was able to get the Stone because he DIDN'T want to use it! 

This Stone is able to bring an unlimited healthy life amongst undreamed of
wealth and luxury. It can guarantee absolute and total power, fame, esteem.
Money ("gold") can buy all these things. Yet Harry wanted none of these. His
divine inner quality was beyond wanting any of that. He was more interested
in saving the world - you and me!

This is going to earn me a rap on the knuckles - but do you remember that
brilliant scene in the movie where Harry holds the Stone in his hands and
Voldemort tempts him? Did you see the longing in his eyes? But nothing
stopped him from his determination to stop Voldemort getting the Stone. 

How many of us can truly say we could pass that test? You never have to see
a doctor again, you can buy the best palace in the best spot, you can help
your poor grandmother who's dying of cancer by paying for the best doctor in
the world, and so on - without limit.

You call that "He barely did anything"?

By making THAT choice Harry invoked the wrath of Voldemort, and it was only
THEN that his mother's love-guard was needed.

Harry here shows supreme selflessness and courage.

Golly:
>>Fawkes saved him in book 2 and he got a a sword (though he succeeded in
using it).<<

Hans:
Yes Fawkes saved him. But why did Fawkes COME? Because Harry invoked him!
How? By showing his loyalty to Dumbledore. Have you forgotten what Harry
said to Tom Riddle?
'Youre not, he said, his quiet voice full of hatred.
Not what? snapped Riddle.
'Not the greatest sorcerer in the world, said Harry, breathing fast. Sorry
to disappoint you, and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is
Albus Dumbledore.'
THEY were the magic words that brought Fawkes to Harry's aid. Dumbledore
even comliments Harry afterwards. He says, 'You must have shown me real
loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to
you.'

So it's Harry's own action that invoke Fawkes' help. This of course totally
leaving aside the fact that Harry was there to save Ginny, whom he didn't
even particularly know very well.

Harry's superb inner qualities shown here are compassion, loyalty, bravery.

Golly:
>>Book 3 he never showed any action because in the end he didn't need to.  
What we saw instead was compassion.<<

Hans: 
You're joking, aren't you! You're having us all on just to be provocative,
aren't you!

Oh yes, ONLY compassion. Are we talking about Harry Potter and the Prisoner
of Azkaban? In my copy Harry wins the battle against fear. Not just fear of
something, but the fear of fear itself (as Lupin says). In my copy Harry
summons a patronus that drives off 100 dementors! I don't want to get into
time travel; let's keep it simple. Harry summons the patronus because of the
practice he's had with Lupin. If he hadn't had that practice he wouldn't
have been able to do it. And why is the patronus a stag? As I've said in
several posts, the stag is the symbol for the soul's longing for God, as
expressed so powerfully in Psalm 42. You may not accept a Judeo-Christian
symbol, but he still summoned that Patronus. He still vanquished fear. 

Golly:
>>In book 4 he cheated his way through the tournament when it was clear 
that Barty expected him to be able to win of his own accord. Afterall 
he was Harry Potter...  Even after cheating Cedric nearly beat him.  
Really it wasn't expelleramus alone that saved him.  Harry had a big 
helping hand from fate with that wand thing.<<

With that wand thing? That wand thing!? If you or I or anyone else had faced
Voldemort with Harry's wand we would have been cinders in a nanosecond.
There was no luck there at all. It was a matter of will-power. 
I quote:"As the closest bead of light moved nearer to Harrys wand tip, the
wood beneath his fingers grew so hot he feared it would burst into flame.
The closer that bead moved, the harder Harry's wand vibrated; he was sure
his wand would not survive contact with it; it felt as though it was about
to shatter under his fingers - He concentrated every last particle of his
mind upon forcing the bead back toward Voldemort, his ears full of phoenix
song, his eyes furious, fixed . . . and slowly, very slowly, the beads
quivered to a halt, and then, just as slowly, they began to move the other
way . . . and it was Voldemort's wand that was vibrating extra-hard now . .
. Voldemort who looked astonished, and almost fearful. . . .
One of the beads of light was quivering, inches from the tip of Voldemorts
wand. Harry didn't understand why he was doing it, didn't know what it might
achieve . . . but he now concentrated as he had never done in his life on
forcing that bead of light right back into Voldemort s wand . . . and slowly
. . . very slowly ... it moved along the golden thread ... it trembled for a
moment. . . and then it connected. . . ." 

It's only AFTER Harry's will-power forces the bead into Voldemort's wand
that the Priori Incantatem begins to work. If Harry hadn't had that
extraordinary determination and will-power it would have all ended with book
4. Wand thing indeed!

Golly:
>>What is to stop her from saying that pushing Voldemort out of his 
mind is a kind of mental discipline?  Afterall he did succeed mildly 
with Snape in the end...  Perhaps that will be enough.  Lame I'll 
grant you. But I haven't your faith that the story has to have any 
internal logic.<<

Hans:
She (JKR) won't say that because Harry didn't push Voldemort out by mental
discipline. The whole point of book 5 is that the liberation of the mental
ego is NOT achieved by mental discipline but by Love. I really can't believe
you're serious. 

To sum up Harry's inner qualities:
Book 1: selflessness, courage.
Book 2: compassion, loyalty, bravery
Book 3: (as well as the above things:) victory over fear
Book 4: a will-power greater than Voldemort's
Book 5: a Love which is greater than any power one person can have over
another (my conclusion)

It's amazing how, what I consider the main point of each book, actually
takes only a line or two in each book. Is there just a chance of one in a
trillion that you're serious in what you're saying? That you missed those
vital few lines in each book?

Golly:
>>So ... I have a couple of packs of chocolate frogs.  I'll take that 
bet. I could use a decent cauldron. Mine current one's bottom is too 
thin.  Keeps leaking my draught of peace all over the floor.<<

Hans:
Right Golly, you're on. Three chocolate frogs (Aussie ones. is that
alright?)

Hans in Holland

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