Very Large Values of Two - The Resurrection Pact?

[Tammy Rizzo]

No: HPFGUIDX 96475

On 20 Apr 2004 at 11:13, Lilian wrote:

> > Tammy wrote:
> > Someone postulated that Lily's sacrifice was a form of pact 

> Lilian pipes up: that would be me!

Tammy again:
Aaaah!  Glad you spoke up, Lilian, thank you!  I am quite convinced about your pact 
theory.  Looking back on mythology and folktale and all sorts of other sources, 
including religious texts, I seem to recall that pacts, contracts, covenants, and the 
like, carry a LOT of weight in these things -- they're very powerful, they are.  
Frequently, consequences are stated as part of a covenant, but not always; 
sometimes the consequences for breaking the covenant or contract are not stated 
but merely implied.  Such as, 'kill me instead' having the unstated but clearly (to us, 
at least) implied consequence of 'if you break this pact it will backfire on you'.  
Obviously, LV doesn't read the small print.  ;-) 

> > Tammy, from before:
> > The 'ancient magic' doesn't work that way -- it REQUIRES you to honor your
> >  pacts.  Or Else.
> > 
> > LV despises the 'ancient magic' of magical pacts because he can't
> > buck its rules -- it punishes pact-breakers without regard to their
> > power or station, and he just can't stand the fact that there's a
> > FORCE out there that is greater than he is, and that doesn't care
> > about him one way or the other.  
> >
> > When he had to use it to regain his body, he *had* to give Wormtail
> > his reward, or suffer the consequences of breaking another pact.  

> Lilian:
> I like this, very much. Excellent post!
> But if the resurrection of corporeal LV is a pact as well -let's call
> it a resurrection pact- could  there be four parties in this pact: LV,
> his father, Wormtail ... and Harry? Based on my own reasoning (post
> 96236) a pact is only made by willing parties. LV's father is dead,
> Harry resisted so only Wormtail *agreed*. A pact only between him and
> LV, so yep, LV had to do something to keep Wormtail (or the ancient
> magic?) happy.
> 
> But I do wonder ... could that ancient magic have some unexpected side
> effects for LV because he forced Harry to give his blood? Is Harry a
> party after all? If so, will it blow up in LV's face later?

Tammy again:
Well, willing or unwilling (and Harry was definitely UNwilling), he WAS a party to the 
activities, though I doubt his participation has any bearing on any pact formed 
between LV and Wormtail at the resurrection shindig.  Besides which, I figure LV 
giving Wormtail his new hand completes the exchange.  After all, Wormy seemed 
quite happy and satisfied with his shiny new appendage, showing off how strong it 
was and all that.  If both parties are satisfied, then I imagine the pact would also be 
satisfied, and LV could then return to treating Wormtail like something squiggling out 
from under a rock, without fear of any magical reprisals.


> Lilian again:
> 
> As Jen already quoted from a JKR interview: 
> 
> MauraEllen: "Did the debt Wormtail has to Harry carry over to
> Voldemort when he sacrificed his arm to restore his body?"
> 
> JK Rowling replies -> "No. Can't say any more than that!"
> 
> That question was in fact about Wormtails hand. Nothing was asked
> about Harry's hand, but JKR clearly indicates that she won't give any
> further information on this topic (the resurrection pact). Might
> indicate that LV inherited something more through Harry's blood than
> harry's protection through the pact of sacrifice, or that the
> resurrection pact itself leaves LV with a debt to <gasp!> Harry.

Hmmm.  I can *almost* see LV owing a debt to Harry for taking his blood for the 
spell, except for the fact that the blood apparently *had* to be taken from an unwilling 
victim.  Morally, of course, LV owes restitution to Harry, as any violator owes 
restitution to their victim.  Magically, though, I don't know.  Harry, being bound, 
couldn't act to accept or reject LV's actions.  Neither Harry nor LV *offered* anything 
to the other.  No pact was established on their parts, nothing sealed between them 
but further enmity.

No, I don't see LV owing anything, magically, to Harry.  I could be wrong, of course!

***
Tammy
ms-tamany at rcn.com




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