Must Harry Die? - sort of....

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 121463


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Andrew" <baseball_07_05 at y...>
wrote:
> 
> I am tired of people saying that Harry must die for LV to die, so I 
> figured we could disect the prophecy. If that has already been done 
> then slap me in the face.
> 

bboyminn:

Oh, it's been done alright, but there is enough 'greyness' to the
Prophecy to leave plenty of room for interpretation and analysis.


> "'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... 
> etc...
> 
> This is the plain and simple part. No arguements hopefully.
> 
> "'...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can 
> live while the other survives...etc...'"
> 
> This is the part that seesm to cause trouble.
> 
> Let us take this apart...
> 
> "'either must die at the hand of the other'"
> either means =  Harry OR Lord Voldemort
> neither means = Not Harry AND Not Lord Voldemort
> 
> Harry OR Lord Voldemort must die becuase Not Harry and Not Lord 
> Voldemort can live.
> 
> Plain and simple. ...
> 
> A-Mac

bboyminn:

Oh, I really wish it were that simple.

"...either must die at the hand of the other..."

True that's simple and straight forward enough, BUT...

"...for neither can live while the other survives..."

Is not so simple. The first and most obvious problem is that they are
both surviving and both living, but the Prophecy says that can't happen.

It seems to imply that if one of doesn't die by some independant
means, then both of them are doomed to death; each, meaning both, of
them are doomed to death as long as his counterpart continues to
survive. Extended further that opens the possibility for both of them
to die.

At this point let me say what I have said (too) many times before...

"There is death, then again, there is death; the two not necessarily
being the same." 

I speculate (once again... and again... and again...) that perhaps in
the moment of the death of one, the other becomes more vulnerable to
death. For a brief period, in the absents of his counterpart, the
remaining wizard become exceptionally susceptible to death. 

Of course, since it is Voldemort who has taken 'steps' to prevent his
death, he is the one who is truly vulnerable in this small window of
succeptablility.

So, I speculate (as I often do) that Harry will die by some technical
definition. Remember that in the real world people die all the time,
every day, and are brought back to life through CPR, through
cardio-electro-shock, etc.... 

Some survivors even recount there experiences with death. They see a
long tunnel with a bright pure white light at the end, and frequently
meet a dead favorite relative, spirit quide, or guardian angle who
tells them it is not their time and that they must go back.

So I further speculate that with or without Harry's knowledge,
Dumbledore will arrange or allow Harry to sustain death by some
technical definition, although he will make provisions to revive
Harry. Naturally, this will be a 'cliff-hanger'; Harry will have be be
revived within a hopelessly short period of time.

During this brief twilight of death while Harry is moving toward the
'light', Voldemort will be at his maximum succeptablity to his own
death. Then Neville will curse Voldemort to death, and someone,
hopefully, will revive Harry. 

Possibilities-

With or without Harry's knowledge, Dumbledore has been feeding Harry
the Elixer of Life. (Not the whole time, just in the 7th book at a
critical part, '...more tea Harry?'.

Remember the Draught of Living Death that Snape told the students
about in their first Potions class. What's up with that?

Other, yet to be introduced, mysteries.


Can't say my position is totally supported, but given the uncertain
interpretation of the Prophecy, it as good as most.

Just a thought.

Steve/bboyminn (was bboy_mn)