"More wonderful and More Terrible than Death"

[Karen]

No: HPFGUIDX 88980

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "sawsan_issa" 
<sawsan_issa at e...> wrote:
> As I was rereading the Sorceror's Stone, I came across a line at 
the
> end that sounded similar to a line at the end of OotP, both
> coincidentally, by Dumbledore.
> In PS/SS, Dumbledore says to Harry ..."The truth." Dumbledore
> sighed. "It is a BEAUTIFUL AND TERRIBLE thing, and should 
therefore be
> treated with great caution..."
> 
> In OotP: "There is a room in the Department of Mysteries," 
interrupted
> Dumbledore, "That is kept locked at all times. It contains a force
> that is at once more WONDERFUL AND MORE TERRIBLE than death, than
> human intelligence, than forces of nature..."
> 
> Ok, yet again, I am making no sense. But the truth, or being true 
are
> similar and word play can be introduced I would suppose. Suppose 
what
> is locked in the Department of Mysteries, is the Truth, and Harry 
is
> very true apparently to his friends and his missions and his will 
to
> stop the dark side? The whole argument with Dumbledore skirts 
around
> the truth, and Dumbledore speaks of the DoM and its little secret.
> 
> The latter line by Dumbledore has always got me thinking as to 
what it
> is, many say love, but I think JKR said that it was very close, 
but no
> cigar, well that's how I interpreted what she said, though I can't
> recall the reference to that right off the bat.
> 

I've asked something similar before... Dumbledore tells Harry that 
it is his HEART... something he has in great amounts that Voldemort 
does not have at all. Everyone takes HEART to be synonymous with 
LOVE, but it has many more meanings!!!! Doesn't it seem significant 
that the word HEART has so many definitions? Even more to the point, 
each of the attributes of Hogwarts Houses can be represented with 
the word HEART when used in different ways. For example:

Gryffindor: HEART = Courage  "He has the heart of a lion." Gee, that 
works pretty well!

Slytherin: HEART = Ambition  "He didn't have the heart to finish the 
race" 

Hufflepuff: HEART = Loyalty, Hard working "His heart is in the right 
place"

Ravenclaw: HEART = Seat of Intellect "He performed the worst 
atrocities the human heart can devise."

I think JKR chose the word HEART because it has so many possible 
definitions beyond just LOVE. Maybe she wasn't trying to align each 
house with the word, but just maybe, the word HEART ultimately sums 
up what unites Hogwarts and what is needed to unite the wizarding 
world. If Harry is a descendent of all the original founders of 
Hogwarts, he could embody HEART in all of its definitions. 

Karen