Why spare Lily? (was: Why were the sacrifices different? )

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 95385

Carol wrote:
>As for why LV didn't just kill her, she wasn't threatening him.
>She was just standing in his way. There was, in his view, no need 
> to waste time and energy fighting or killing a "silly girl." 
 
Susan responded:
> > We simply do not agree on this part of it.  She wasn't 
> > threatening him?  She was just a silly girl?  Yes, he used those 
> > words when telling Harry the story, but I'm not convinced that's 
> > what he felt or believed!  ...I still believe there was 
> > **something else** going on in his mind, some other reason 
> > for his planning to spare Lily's life. <snip>
 
Carol:
> Those aren't Voldemort's words to Harry. They're the words Harry 
> hears Voldemort say when the Dementor shows up at the Quidditch 
> match:
> 
> "Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"
> "Stand aside, you silly girl. . . stand aside, now. . . ."
> "Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead---" (PoA Am. ed. 
179)


SSSusan again:
Yes, you're right.  He didn't say those exact words then.  He did, 
however, say she didn't have to die.


Carol: 
> I'm sure that when she was "defying him thrice," he didn't consider
> her a silly girl, but at this point, she was just in his way, an
> obstacle, not a threat. As for the *something else* going on in his
> mind, what could it be except his desire to thwart the prophecy by
> killing Harry? In his mind, Lily didn't matter *at that moment*. 
> IMO, he wasn't "planning" to spare Lily's life. He was just trying 
> to get her out of the way. There's no compassion involved, only 
> cold practicality.
> 
> My point is, at that moment, Lily *didn't matter* to LV. All that
> mattered to him was Harry. She had to *make* herself matter, make 
> him understand that she was not going to move, make him kill her 
> before he got to Harry. And she succeeded. Her death was her 
> victory.
 
SSSusan:
I do agree with you about Lily's role, knowing she had to die first, 
but on the other matter, I'm still thinking about that "she didn't 
have to die" remark.  Why SAY that?  

You see?  You're reading it one way; I'm reading it another way.  
You say that Lily didn't matter, that he had no reason to avoid 
killing her other than his desire to thwart the prophecy, that he 
might have killed her in cold blood after he'd killed Harry.  And I 
say it is also possible that there is *something else* going on in 
Voldy's mind with regard to Lily that JKR hasn't told us yet.  I 
don't know what that is, but the fact that he actually stated that 
she didn't have to die seems *shocking* to me; I wouldn't have 
expected Voldy to have ever considered someone not having to die(!) 
because I think he tends to see everyone as expendable and not 
really think about letting someone live.  WHY LILY, is what I'm 
saying.

Anyway, coming up w/ theories or suppositions based upon limited 
information--because we've got two books to go and know there's lots 
of revelation coming!--is a big part of the fun of this group.  I 
don't see why this scene & the information we have *precludes* 
Voldy's having had some REASON for having considered sparing Lily.   

Siriusly Snapey Susan