The Art of Love according to Albus Dumbledore (was:Harry left at the Dursleys)

[iris_ft]

No: HPFGUIDX 118253


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "carolynwhite2" 
<carolynwhite2 at a...> wrote:
> 
> But consider this. Could it be that the trial that Dumbledore 
> understands so well is not so much his own, personal experiences, 
but 
> that of a previous failure with Tom Riddle ?
> 
> I keep banging on about this, I know, but it really was no 
accident 
> that the first wand with Fawkes' feather was not only made 
available 
> for selection, but then found such an affinity with Tom. He 
clearly 
> was a very powerful wizard child, that later went through 'many 
> dangerous transformations'. His first quest in PS/SS was, 
> interestingly, for the Philosopher's Stone, not Harry. He was 
taught 
> by DD at school, and undoubtedly found out what DD had been 
working 
> on with Flamel.
> 
> I submit that Dumbledore failed with Tom, big time ('it's our 
> choices'). It's that pain he is re-living, and which makes him 
take 
> such a cool, clinical attitude to Harry. Not only does he have the 
> detachment brought by great age, but probably he is still unsure 
> whether this second child might go off the rails, and therefore by 
> instinct now, trusts no one, and keeps most of his plans to 
himself.
> 
> Carolyn




I agree globally.
As you do, I believe that Tom Riddle was part of Dumbledore's intent 
to transfigure the wizard world. Tom tells Harry in CoS that 
Dumbledore was  keeping an eye on him, and to me it sounds like what 
Harry is told in the "Lost prophecy" chapter. And it's true, Tom 
Riddle, the despised and rejected orphan, had the potential to 
become Dumbledore's Materia Prima.
But I'm not sure Dumbledore failed with him, because he didn't see 
him as a potential "human Philosopher's Stone". I tend to consider 
he rather recognized Tom's potential to become the one who would 
cause such a pain to the wizard world that it would be necessary to 
provide it with a human Philosopher's Stone (Harry) able to heal it. 
He probably detected Tom's evil potential, tried to counter it, and 
finally failed, because letting Tom make his own choices was a 
mistake. However I don't think he considered him the way he 
considers Harry. He probably tried to help him, he certainly loved 
him, or at least, he felt compassion towards him. He made a mistake 
trusting him too much. We can forgive him, because it all came from 
a noble sentiment.
Of course, there's another possibility: Dumbledore knew what would 
happen, but he didn't do anything to counter it, in order to reach 
his goal and transfigure the wizard society.
It's a possibility we can't ignore, but I confess that I feel very 
uncomfortable when I consider it, even trying to do it from "an 
alchemical point of view", because playing with minerals is one 
thing, but playing with a whole society is another one. You can't 
pretend you work for the good of people when it implies terror and 
violence, torture and murder. Unless Dumbledore turns out to be 
actually a heartless cynical manipulator (but I don't think he is) 
he surely wouldn't have been ready to make the society he was living 
in pay such a terrible cost.
Dumbledore doesn't seem to be the kind of man able to misuse the 
power he has been given. He doesn't want to become Minister, and in 
OotP, he's ready to renounce every honorific title he has been 
given. Note by the way that the only thing that would bother him 
would be if they cancel his Chocolate Frog card. It's precisely the 
element that makes the connection between him and Alchemy. He 
couldn't tell better who he is actually. And as an alchemist, he 
doesn't consider he's there to rule, but to serve. Dumbledore is 
Hogwarts headmaster, i.e. the "humble door" welcoming every student 
who wants to learn and improve. There's something wrong with the 
wizard world, maybe he's partly responsible for what happened, but 
it was certainly unintentional. Now, he tries to do his best to 
correct the mistake, and unfortunately, the solution is probably 
lying in the heart of a child.

May as it be, and though it is uncomfortable, it is there: if Harry 
has to become a human Philosopher's Stone, then Tom Riddle/Voldemort 
has a necessary part to play in the process.
It is said that the central operation of the "Art of Love" is the 
union of the contraries. It is also said that this union wouldn't be 
possible without the idea of analogy. In other words, the opposites 
unite because they come actually from the same root, 
because "Everything is in everything". And we can't deny it, we find 
several allusions to that (VERY complicated) notion in the series: 
•in CoS, Tom Riddle underlines the similitude between Harry and  
him        
•there's "a bit of Voldemort" inside Harry, and there's Harry's 
blood in Voldemort's veins. 
•Even the two enigmatic texts we find in the series refer to 
analogy. Snape's puzzle in PS/SS says:
"Second, different are those who stand at either end,
 But if you would move onwards, neither is your friend;"
 And also:
 "Fourth, the second left and the second on the right
  Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight." 
•There's also the lost prophecy, saying "the Dark Lord will mark him 
as an equal".


These elements are probably here on a deliberate purpose.
Alchemy says the opposites combine and give birth to each other, 
because they come from the same root. That's what Harry and 
Voldemort do.
Voldemort went after Harry because he instinctively recognized 
himself in the boy. 
And Harry will probably have to admit he is like Voldemort if he 
wants to fulfil his destiny.
It's not only esoteric, but also human.
We do it without trying to produce a Philosopher's Stone.
We do it when we become mature enough to recognize what our parents 
left inside us, though we are different from them.
We do it every time we admit the others are basically like us, 
though they don't share the same aspect, the same opinions, the same 
culture.
The origin is the same, even if we are, like Harry and 
Voldemort, "in essence divided" (which depends for one part on our 
choices).

Now, if we admit that Harry and Tom share the same root, the same 
origin, and probably not only from a spiritual perspective if we 
consider their physical similitude, we need to face another mystery: 
how is it possible?

That's the matter with Alchemy (especially if you are still in the 
learning process), and with the Harry Potter series (same comment as 
before): you can't try to find an explanation without generating new 
questions. 
Will I tell you something new if I add it's at the same time 
frustrating and exciting?

Just my opinion, but I also confess I feel rather confused,

Amicalement,

Iris

PS: Carolyn, thanks for what you wrote at the beginning of your 
message.