Harry's protection

[arrowsmithbt]

No: HPFGUIDX 112113

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, macfotuk at y... wrote:
> 
> Haven't heard from Kneasy in a while, but I'm sure he would agree 
> that this simply shows that LV never learns and has more weaknesses 
> than he should have as an archetypically ESE character. That is, 
> though JKR says he's the baddest - he's actually a completely 
> bungling baddie. He's *still* convinced that little HP is a mere 
> upstart who fluked it first time. Despite knowing half the prophecy 
> he still feels he can snuff (swat) this pesky little Potter (he is, 
> after all, the darkest, mst powerful wizard ever!). Fans of 
> Divination surely will have spotted LV's boast in GoF graveyard 
> scene to his assembled DE's 
> 
> Setting oneself up to fail? hmmmmm JKR loves to show how dumb LV 
> (ESE defined) can be and how HP (we the reader see as good) will 
> prevail - though she may not protect him in book 7 by which time he 
> is as expendable as any other character). It has always struck me 
> that yes, the developments of this scene (Harry's survival despite 
> LV's intent to make an example of him) show that in fact HP is the 
> stronger, for he escapes, against all odds and, notice, without DD's 
> or Lily's obvious protection (excepting that Lily is there during 
> the priori incantatem spell and perhaps DD might be argued to be 
> too, through the pheonix song and the wand cores involved). This 
> scene reemphasises that LV constantly under-estimates whatever it is 
> about Harry that makes him a formidable adversary - a theme returned 
> to in OotP (DD saying HP has powers LV knows little of and/or 
> underestimates - which we all take to mean love and selflessness). 
> LV still hasn't learned this by the end of book 5 (nor I suspect the 
> denoument in book 7).

Did I hear my name invoked?
"For I  can call demons from the vasty deep.."

Generally speaking I do tend to be scathing about Voldy; difficult to
take him seriously when he constantly falls flat on his face. Sad, that.
Down to  my FEATHEROA leanings, I suppose -  similar to the views
of Mr &  Mrs Ramsbotham in "The  Lion and Albert"
"...the waves they was fiddling and small,
No wrecks and nobody drowning,
In fact nowt to laugh at at all." 

But just this once, and as an exercise in lateral thinking, devious 
interpretation and mostly because it's fun, let's assume that there's
some method to his madness.

Four times he's been confronted by Harry and come off worst.
Godric's Hollow
In front of the Mirror of Erised
The graveyard
The Ministry
(I'm not counting the CoS; strictly speaking that wasn't Voldy.)

Harry's protection was emplaced at Godric's Hollow - but protection
against what? 
"Voldy!" you reply, "as ane fule kno." 
"Ah," says I, "does Voldy know  that?"
All Voldy knows is that the particular spell he cast was repelled - and
I have a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't an AK. Most posters will
disagree. 'Twas ever thus. (I first put this one on the board last year,
and it's repeated in a post made yesterday - 112046).

For the sake of argument, let's assume that my suspicions regarding
the spell  are justified. So;  he casts a spell; it doesn't work. OK, next
time  we'll try something different - the "hands on" approach adopted
by Quirrell. (Never did like that one - so unwizardly. What's wrong
with "Accio! Stone?) Never mind, that one didn't work either - but 
now Voldy has learned two facts concerning Harry Potter; the spell
used at GH won't work and neither will a physical assault.

He fixes the latter in the graveyard but instead of utilising it, the
silly bugger has to go  and ponce around playing at duels. Oh dear.
This is where he learns the third brutal fact of life - wand conflict.
Unfortunately (from Voldy's point of view) this wand conflict
prevents Voldy from learning something I'm sure he'd like to know,
namely - is Harry now vulnerable to an AK? He can't tell, the wand
conflict prevents the AK from reaching Harry.

But being a persistent sort of cove, he's willing to give it another
go; this time in less formal circumstances and where Harry might
not be casting an interferring spell at the same time - the Ministry.
He throws an AK at a defenceless Harry, only for an animated
statue to interpose itself. (This should tell him something; if
Harry is invulnerable why did DD block the AK? Yippee! Progress!)

He tries something else during his tactical withdrawl - possession.
This time it doesn't work because of some property inherent in
Harrys personality (according to DD) and therefore unlikely to be
part of the original protective magic.

So if you want to be magnanimous, you can say that Voldy has
been on a learning curve, he's been experimenting and like any
good investigator he's been changing one parameter at a time.

GH - a spell (probably a form of possession  or mental intrusion)
that is repelled by the protection. Is the protection general or
specific to the spell used?

Then the Mirror - try a physical attack; no joy. It's general.

The graveyard - remove protection and try again. Has it worked?
Can't tell, those bloody wands get in the way.

The Ministry - Try an AK - but it's blocked by outside agency 
(promising) and as a bonus he finds out that Harry's mind has 
developed in ways that Voldy can't live with. ("Make a note of that,
Bella.")

If I was Voldy, I'd be sticking to the AK from now on, it could well
do the trick. Mind you, I doubt he will, he'll try to come up with
something 'foolproof' that won't work for one reason or another.
As Hermione observes, wizards aren't renowned for logical thinking.

Kneasy