Lucius Renouncing Voldie and Harry Resisting Imperio (WAS: Snape, Malfoy)

[Phyllis]

No: HPFGUIDX 111124

Becki wrote:
 
> During LV's speech in Gof in the graveyard scene, where LV is going 
> around to his DE's, when he reaches LM, he says, "Lucius,  my 
> slippery friend, I am told that you have not renounced the old 
> ways, though to the world you present a respectable face..."
> 
> If he claimed "Imperius Curse", wouldn't that be considered 
> renouncing?

I interpreted "not renouncing the old ways" as meaning that Lucius 
still supports Voldemort's hatred of non-pure blood wizards and 
Muggles.  The "I am told" part probably means that Wormtail has 
filled Voldemort in on Lucius' attempts to rid Hogwarts of half-
bloods by planting Riddle's diary on Ginny and his engaging in Muggle 
torture at the Quidditch World Cup.  Voldemort's reference to Lucius 
as "slippery" follows Voldemort's chastisement of all of the DEs 
as "claiming bewitchment," which to me signifies that Voldemort knows 
full well that Lucius and others claimed to be put under the Imperius 
Curse to avoid being sent to Azkaban.  I don't think Voldemort sees 
this as renouncing him, because Voldemort has no ethics and probably 
regards deceit as a way of life.  I think Voldemort excuses Lucius' 
claim of Imperio because Lucius attempted to continue Voldemort's 
work when Voldemort couldn't do it himself.

Becki:

> And since we are on the subject of the Imperius Curse, I have 
> always wondered, why is it that Harry is able to fight off the IC, 
> but experts, (ie: Aurors, like Madeye and Crouch) can not?  Is 
> Harry really that powerful?  

I believe Harry really is that powerful.  I also believe that 
resisting the Imperius Curse cannot be learned.  I think it's one of 
those things that you're either born with the ability to resist it, 
or you're not.  Or, in Harry's case, it could be yet another 
attribute that he received from Voldemort when he survived 
Voldemort's AK curse as a baby.  We have yet to see whether Voldemort 
can resist the Imperius Curse, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if 
he could.  It could be that Voldemort, who would presumably have been 
told by Wormtail that Harry can speak Parseltongue because Voldemort 
transferred this power to him, might have asked Crouch Jr. to test 
the Imperius Curse on Harry to see if he could resist it in the same 
way Voldemort can.

However, I prefer to think that Harry is alone in his ability to 
resist the Imperius Curse because he is an extraordinarily powerful 
wizard whose abilities have yet to be fully demonstrated.

~Phyllis