Horse Feathers

[p_implies_q]

No: HPFGUIDX 93821

Kneasy wrote:
> The odds of the coincidence that we are presented with in 
PS/SS are 
> enormous, almost incalculable, even given that Harry has 
been at 
the 
> receiving end of one of the wands before. To think that Voldys 
attack 
> would influence Harry's choice ten years later is to argue that 
wands 
> can impart 'personality' to persons other than their users. I 
suppose 
> that some may say that it's the Voldy part of Harry that is 
influenced. 
> To do so is to presume that  Harry is more Voldy than Harry - 
now 
> there's a pleasant thought!

Alice, chiming in very late:
One thing I've seen advanced a lot in this debate that I don't 
understand is the assumption that there *must* be a part of 
Harry that is very like Voldemort, or even Tom Riddle.  The wands 
have the same core, and the same core only; likewise, Mr 
Ollivander, talking to Harry, only suggests greatness -- quite a 
big concept, without much moral shading on it (as it's used) -- as 
a likely parallel between him and Tom.  These wands are 
referred to as 'brothers', but are probably very different: none of 
their other attributes match up.  Furthermore, we don't even know 
how much difference there may be between one of Fawkes's 
feathers and another (properties may be identical, but there's no 
reason to assume this).

Long point short, the matched wands seem to suggest at least 
*one* property of soul in common between Harry and Tom 
Riddle/Voldemort, but not necessarily more.  And a similar, 
morally neutral 'property of soul' like greatness may not translate 
into a similarity of 'personality' (which seems a more 
psychological term) at all.

Alice