Why didn't Voldemort die? (long)

[M.Clifford]

No: HPFGUIDX 110202

 <mz_annethrope at y...> wrote:
> What if Snape, being an expert at potions, had helped Voldemort 
become immortal, or at least knew the steps Voldemort had taken to 
protect himself from death? What if his telling DD about what 
Voldemort had done was the reason why DD trusts him? And finally, 
what if DD told Lily about this and her knowledge might have 
factored into her protection of Harry?

Valky:
Bloody Brilliant Anne! I have been quietly reading and wondering 
about this thread lately as to why Dd trusts Snape and I have a very 
strong feeling that this is the better of all theories on the matter.


Anne wrote:
> Here's my husband's suggestion: if the curse simply 
> bounced back on a regular human, he'd be a corpse, but if it 
bounced back on Voldemort, he might be reduced to ashes, phoenix-
like. The ashes would indicate that he was "dead."
> 

Valky:
Notwithstanding my "me too"..(sorry list elves) this is the part of 
your post that most intrigues me. 
JKR has encouraged us to enliven this discussion so I had better do 
my part here. (Aberforth is the HogsHead Bartender!) Where did that 
come from..? hmm hmm ok. 

First and foremost the phoenix analogy is *much* canon supported. 
After all the House at Godrics Hollow 'blew up'! 

I ask you does anyone recall an 'Avada Kedavra' blowing stuff up in 
canon? Uh uh.... It *doesn't* happen. Some type of explosive fire 
producing *thing* went off. And that thing was LV's phoenix 
emulating creature form. Reduced to ashes just as Anne has 
postulated.

We have looked at how the Avada Kedavra rebounded off Harry, by a 
sacrifice. It seems akin, to me, in so many ways to the same magic 
invoked by a wizard debt, but I digress. 

After the curse rebounded, the flames of LV's _death_ devoured a 
house and its contents but left a tiny baby entirely unharmed. 
We know this happened _after_a _transfer_ of LV's powers to Harry. 
So the answer is given there, LV *did* pass an immortal or 
invincible enchantment over to Harry when he proffered up his being 
to rebirth. 

Now maybe this is where the 'power the Dark Lord knows not' comes 
in. Perhaps that is the price LV pays for his rebirth, he passed 
something ancient and hardwon, that he treasured and never guessed 
would seep punitively into one of his intended victims. Now Harry, 
too, has it. But in Harry its in its opposition to its state in LV. 

I might be rambling so I'll add here that what I think will uncover 
finally  _the Power that the Dark Lord knows not_ is a line in OOtP 
which I think is the crucial clue. 

"......and he knew he was Dead." 

That line is loaded with implication. Harry *knew* he was dead? 
Why? Did he die when Voldemort entered him and then come back to 
life? Was he already dead all series and just suddenly realised it? 

Clearly LV *is* as dead as Harry can concieve of, but Harry knew 
that *he* himself was dead. This moves the target for me, I don't 
see this applying to a transferred cognition from Voldemort, it 
applied to Harry in some way shape or form, so why is Harry DEaD 
when LV is inside him? Why is Harry *dead* when he should be alive?

This, I think, is why Voldemort is alive when he should be dead.