Lily, LV and Harry at GH.

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 113707

> Hannah wrote:
> > she does the only thing she 
> > can think of to save her son from torture and a slow death/ being 
> > brought up as an LV 'mini-me' - she AK's him.  At the same time,
LV hits her with the same spell. 

> > But AK is a spell that depends a lot on the intention of the one 
> > casting it.  When Lily's AK hits Harry, it doesn't kill him,
because Lily's intention was to *save* Harry...
> 
> Lora responded:
> Is there anything in canon for the intention idea?  I know when
Harry was trying to Crucio someone...Bellatrix, I think, she just
mocked him
> and told him...*consults book* "You need to MEAN them, Potter!  You
> need to really want to cause pain--to enjoy it..." So perhaps if you
> don't "really want" to cause DEATH with an AK, something else would 
> happen?  
> 
> I like this theory a lot, it's definitely not one of those totally
> out-there ones...I think it has a chance.  Of course, knowing JKR and
> her geniusness...  I do think that day/night at Godric's Hollow will
> come into play later, simply because it's such a grey area, a blank. 
> JR rarely leaves blanks unfilled.
> 

Carol:
Aside from the fact that I have a very different view of things
(protective charm, etc.) I think it's important to point out that
Avada Kedavra is not just an illegal Curse, it's Unforgiveable. It's
almost certainly one of the powers Dumbledore has but is too noble to
use (McGonagall's words from SS/PS, chapter one).

I don't think JKR would have Lily, who is in some sense the heroine of
the whole series (and almost a candidate for sainthood in her view if
I read the Rumours section of her site correctly) use the same curse
that Voldemort uses. It would be like Frodo using the One Ring. The
good guys don't use the weapons of evil. I don't think an
Unforgiveable Curse can be used for a good cause, or that it can be
cast by a good person with a noble intention.

Besides, we're told pretty clearly that the "ancient magic" of her
self-sacrifice (and whatever else it might have entailed) saved Harry.
And Lily, to be sacrificed, must have been without a wand. More
important, it wouldn't have been a sacrifice if Harry died. The whole
point was for him to live. ("No, no, not Harry! Kill me instead!"
quoted from memory, but I'm pretty sure it's in PoA.)

Carol