The Death Chamber -How dead is Dead?

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 81695

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "mom31" <mom31 at r...> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
>   digger:
> 
>  ...I hope Harry drags Voldemort through it towards the end of book 
> 7. But Harry being  our hero, and brim full of love, he will get
> spat out again, thus 'dying' and yet living on.
> 
> 
> 
>   now Joj:
> 
> ... Harry sacrifices himself by pulling V through the veil,...  
> After a battle of some sort, Harry is spat back through the veil 
> after defeating V. Lots of hugging ensues. 
> 
> ...
> 
>   Joj 

bboy_mn:

In a similar discussion running in parallel to this one, someone
pointed out that JKR has made a point of saying that once you are dead
you are dead, and there is no return.

But as I have pointed out before, there is death then there is death,
the two not necessarily being the same.

Even in our muggle world there is a very large precident of people
returning from the dead. The way it often occurs is that a person, by
some standard, dies on the operating table or in a car accident, and
goes 'beyond the veil', which is a common expression for death.
Typically, they feel an over powering serenity and peace, then travel
through a tunnel toward a bright white light. When they reach the
light, they frequently meet their deceased loved one, or a benevolent
spirit guide, angel, etc.... Those who return from the dead are
frequently told, after a heartfelt greeting, that it is not their time
and they need to return.  As much as they do not want to leave the
serenity of this place or leave their loved ones, they find themselves
falling back through the tunnel away from the light. Then they feel
themselves re-enter their bodies, and life goes on.

I can see the same thing happening to Harry in one of two ways. 

My most current thought is consistent with this post. Short version,
Harry and Voldemort go through the veil. On the other side, Voldemort
is sent to eternal damnation or is confronted by all the people he has
killed, while Harry is re-united with his parents, family, and with
Sirius. 

He is at peace, he finally has the family he has always wanted, he is
with the people he loves and who love him. He could be content to
remain there in eternal peace and love, but his mother tells him it is
not his time, and that he must go back. After a heartfelt farewell and
upon hearing the sobbing and wailing of those on the living side of
the veil who love him, Harry returns. Fade to black, close the
curtains, bring up the lights.

The alternate return from the dead scenerio, is that with or without
Harry knowledge, Dumbledore has given Harry a daft or potion that will
simulate death as well as protect Harry; Phoenix tears mixed with
Unicorn blood (the unicorn wouldn't be killed for his blood though),
or perhaps, the Draught of the Living Dead that was mentioned in the
first Potions class. 

This is based on the idea that at the moment of Harry's death,
Voldemort become vulnerable to attack. So the sequence of events is
Voldemort attacks Harry, and Harry is sent into a state that
represents death by some definition. At that moment Voldemort is
attacked and killed by someone else, after which Harry is revived.

Since we are dealing with potions perhaps it will be Snape who devised
the plan, ultimately defeats Voldemort and saves Harry.

So it's true dead is dead even in our every day mortal muggle world,
but in that same world, people do return from the dead as I have
described.

It could happen. Then again....?

bboy_mn