Life Debt

[a_svirn]

No: HPFGUIDX 138131


> Antosha:
<snip> 
>> 
> There is another way of distinguishing among live-saving acts, I 
think, that might explain 
> why, say, Snape owes James (and therefore Harry) but Ginny does 
not. If the act that 
> triggers a debt requires that the life-saver actually risk his/her 
life by stepping between 
> the person in debt and their doom, then that would mean that 
Harry, though he definitely 
> saved Ginny, Arthur and Ron's lives, would not have incurred life 
debts on them. It would 
> explain why Healers at St. Mungo's don't have retinues of 
bodyguards who are bound to 
> them for saving their lives. 
> 
> Harry's father stepped between Snape and Wolf!Lupin. And Harry 
stepped between Peter 
> and a Sirius who was closer to crazy than not, and a Remus who was 
within a half an hour. 
> They are literally on the point of killing Peter when Harry steps 
in the way and stops them. 
> Looking at that scene, Harry is not aware that his life is in 
danger--he's more worried 
> about the moral dilemma--but it seems to me that he definitely 
saves Peter's life, and he 
> definitely risks his own, even if the two men would never choose 
to kill him.
<snip>

a_svirn:
Even if you are right in your premise (personally I don't think so, 
but let's say you are) I still can't agree with your conclusions. 

Because Harry did indeed willingly risked his life to save Ginny. 
Almost lost it, in point of fact. Whereas James Potter risked his in 
the Shack no more than he had risked it running wild with his 
werewolf friend on numerous occasions. I suppose some degree of risk 
had always been there (Lupin himself acknowledged it), but certainly 
not enough to meet the "risking his own life" condition. As for 
Sirius being a danger to Harry
 Well, I am far from being Sirius's 
fan, but surely you are doing him a grave injustice! All Sirius had 
ever wanted, in fact, all he had been obsessed with was Harry's 
safety, Harry's wellbeing and Harry's happiness. In order to ensure 
it he escaped Azkaban, lived in a cave feeding on rats to be closer 
at hand, and when he finally died it was while defending Harry.