Why were the sacrifices different? (was: A moral theory of Magic )

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 95413

> > Carol:
> > If it helps any, a Prophecy has to be ambiguous so that it can be
> > fulfilled in various ways and still be true, at the same time 
> allowing
> > for the element of choice or free will. As I see it, Harry was not
> > born with any more power than any other wizard child; he was merely
> > one of two possible candidates who could fulfill the Prophecy. He 
> was
> > "destined" to be the one who could defeat Voldemort only *after*
> > Voldemort *chose* him (and transferred some of his powers to him,
> > thanks to the backfired AK, which also temporarily rendered 
> Voldemort
> > powerless). 
> 
> Jen: Where's Harry's free choice in this matter? Does it really 
> matter if he was born with the power or LV chooses him? Either way 
> there's certain ring of predestination that Harry has no control 
> over. As he grows up and faces the reality of the situation, that's 
> when Harry is able to make choices about his role in the Prophecy. 
> While I totally agree with you that a Prophecy has an element of 
> choice involved, I don't see how LV choosing Harry gives Harry any 
> more free will than if he was born with a special power.

Carol responds:

Sorry to be unclear. I wasn't talking about Harry's free will at that
point. I was talking about LV's and Lily's choices shaping his
destiny, as opposed to his having simply been born to defeat
Voldemort. The Prophecy is malleable--it will come about, but only
because it has been shaped by human actions that are not in themselves
predetermined. Harry's free will has yet to come into play. How,
where, when, and whether he confronts Voldemort, and especially how he
chooses to deal with him in the end are all, to some degree, dependent
on his own free will, just as the position he's in now (defender of
the WW) was to some degree brought about by the choices of others.

My main point is simply that a prophecy has to be ambiguous because
there are many ways to bring it about and the fates of the persons
involved in the Prophecy are not predetermined even though the
Prophecy is true.

Carol