Why didn't Lily have to die?

[greatelderone]

No: HPFGUIDX 93485

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "mad_maxime" <mad_maxime at h...> 
wrote:
> I personally think too much has been made out of Voldemort asking 
Lily
> to stand aside.  I believe he came to Godric's Hollow for one 
reason -
> to kill Harry.  He killed James because he saw him as a possible
> threat to his mission. However, in his arrogance ("silly girl"), I
> don't believe he saw Lily as a threat at all.

How so? She was one of his enemies and one of dumbledore's follower's 
who had successfully survived three adventures against him. I don't 
think he'd be stupid enough to see her as no threat. 

However the fact that PS/SS and POA told us that she died to protect 
her son and the fact that Rowling said that we'd learn something 
significant about her in Book VII just makes one think that there is 
some significance in those last few moments and that Voldemort might 
indeed have had some reluctance to kill her.
 
> I'm not saying he wouldn't have wanted to kill James and Lily anyway
> as they were aurors and his adversaries.  I just believe on that
> particular night, fueled by his knowledge of the Prophecy, he was
> mono-focused on killing Harry.

Yet it would have been easier to AK her and then AK Harry. Yet he 
doesn't and instead he tells her to step aside. Why? He's a dark lord 
and a rather ruthless fellow. Telling a mudblood to step aside so he 
could kill her son instead of killing her and then her son is rather 
uncharacteristic of someone like him.