OOP: The unknown power

[dungrollin]

No: HPFGUIDX 119085


(snipping previous posts)

SSSusan wrote:

There are so many people who remark about wanting the force to *not*
be love. As Geoff pointed out, this has been discussed many times
before, particularly in terms of there being many types of love. My
particular favorite choice for the power is Sacrificial Love, but I
won't go into that right now.

I do have a question for Juli or anyone else who objects to Love
being the power: How did you handle the denouement of SS/PS? DD
explained then the reason Quirrell couldn't touch Harry, and the
reason was the Love which resides in Harry's skin, there because of
his mother's sacrifice. If Love seems so corny, why stick with the
series? And, please, I don't mean the question to be disrespectful!
I truly would like to know! Love and its power have been put forth
in the books JKR before, so if it's so cornball, why wade (and wait)
through the rest of the series?


Dungrollin:

An excellent question, and one that I realise I've wondered about 
without actually putting into words.  

Why did I stick with the series? I suppose it's because it was
only one paragraph at the end that I found slushy, and the rest of 
the book was so much fun.  And it intrigued me.  It didn't quite fit 
with my impression of the rest of the book.  I already had the 
second one at hand, and wanted to find out what happened, and 
probably wondered if it was going to hinge on something slushy 
(though I don't really remember).  And once I'd finished the
second one (slush-free), it seemed completely plausible that there 
was more to it than the paragraph of DD's about Harry being protected
because his mother had loved him so much.

It's the same thing that keeps me reading them now - the hope that 
the denoument of book 7 is going to be something completely 
unexpected.

The thing is, JKR hasn't ever talked about sacrificial love, 
has she?  She's said that the trait she values above all others
is courage.  Which leaves those of us who find the idea a little 
slushy with some hope that what lies behind the door may be 
something more original, (and less overtly religious).

And what was it that foiled Voldy's possession attempt in the
MoM?  Didn't see any *sacrificial* love in the vicinity there... 
Was it the love for Sirius filling Harry's heart that drove Voldy 
out, or was it that Harry had accepted death? 

What's certain is that the power behind the door is important,
and will be an integral part of the final showdown.  She's hardly
likely to make it something easily guessable, is she?  It remains 
possible that the whole love thing is misdirection.  And thus hope 
is alive...