Possession: Taking it Further

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 120028


I'm still thinking about your post, Anne, and had a few more 
thoughts to add.

Annemehr:
> * * * * *
> `You flatter me,' said Dumbledore calmly.  `Voldemort had powers I
> will never have.'
> `Only because you're too – well - *noble* to use them.'
> [PS/SS ch. 1]

<snip>
> Furthermore, perhaps the power of possession itself is one of 
> those that Dumbledore has, but is too noble to use.  This suggests 
> scenes of Harry receiving anti-possession lessons with Dumbledore 
> over the summer, evoking parallels, perhaps, to the way Occlumency 
> lessons ought to have gone.

Jen: What powers does Dumbledore possess that he is "too noble" to 
use? One seems to be the AK, from the scene in the DOM with 
Voldemort, when LV realizes DD is not attempting to kill him. 
Certainly DD must also have a working knowledge of the other 
Unforgiveables as well.

Legilimency and Occlumency are practiced by LV and Snape, but DD is 
not 'too noble' to use Legilimency on Kreacher. It seems like 
accessing someone's mind without permission is pretty invasive, but 
DD has no qualms using this power in an emergency.

Dumbledore can make himself invisible, like LV also demonstrated in 
the MOM. But using it to wander around Hogwarts isn't like using it 
to sneak up on someone to kill him/her.

Frankly, I can't think of any power other than possession that we 
see Voldemort use and not Dumbledore. And possibly the AK, although 
just because DD didn't AK Voldemort in the MOM doesn't mean he's 
*never* used the killing curse. Pretty hard to get through all those 
wars and the defeat of Grindelwald without killing someone. 

Annemehr:
> * * * * *
> `You can speak Parseltongue, Harry,' said Dumbledore calmly, 
`because
> Lord Voldemort [...] can speak Parseltongue.  Unless I'm much
> mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to you the night he
> gave you that scar.'
> [CoS ch. 18]
> * * * * *
> 
> I think it's very likely that Harry already has the power of
> possession, that he's had it since the attack at Godric's Hollow.  
I
> believe JKR was hinting in the quote above that Parseltongue was 
not
> the only power Harry received from Voldemort that night, and yet we
> have never had any clear indication of what others there might be. 

Jen: It's so hard to tell from the story if a vague quote like the 
one above holds a treasure trove of information, or is merely a 
point to move the story along. It's like that old medical joke, "it 
could be nothing, it could be a brain tumor."

Like Annemehr said, there seems to be more than one power that LV 
transferred to Harry at GH. But will we ever find out what they 
were, is this even crucial to the story, or is this where we suspend 
analytical thought and take it on faith?!? 

But if Harry did get some other important powers, it seems like 
there would be hints by now. The only possibilty I can think of is 
the wandless magic Harry does occasionally, but we've never seen LV 
do that.

Harry recognizes and Dumbledore agrees that Harry couldn't defeat LV 
in a duel (in OOTP after DD & LV duel in the MOM). Dumbledore makes 
it clear that Harry's heart saved him, not any special ability he 
has to repel Voldemort. Presumably Voldemort could not reside in 
anyone with strong positive emtotions for very long. 

I think I'm talking myself into the possibilty that we won't 
actually see Harry use any other powers he inherited from Voldemort, 
even though it's an unsatisfying thought. 

Jen, still grappling with the possession idea and thinking, "it 
could be nothing, it could be the key to the whole story."