Nature of Love

[lealess]

No: HPFGUIDX 133422

Hoping the minds of this group can help me sort this out, as it is a
little deep for me.

What is the nature of love in the HP-verse?  Not romantic "true" love,
which seems to cure all, unless it is obsessive.  Not comradely love,
which is sort-of a Gryffindor given.  Not love of self, because that
is not really given merit in the series over its mirror, unselfish
love, as illustrated by Lily and Dumbledore.  I am more interested in
the love known as agape, a condensed definition from Wikipedia being
"divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing love"
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agape).

In Dumbledore, especially, you have a character who treats all
equally, and invites them into relationship, if not a close one.  His
is the non-differentiated love of a Christian-type god, but even
better, as seemingly devoid of judgment or categorization of others,
ever hopeful and generous.  When he acts, Dumbledore goes after the
violation of natural law in the creation of Horcruxes, but not after
Voldemort/Tom Riddle the man, even though Voldemort is a sociopath. 
In showing Harry the pensieve scenes to enable him to find the
weakness in Voldemort, Dumbledore is also allowing Harry to experience
compassion.

This goes to the question of what Dumbledore is pleading for Snape to
do at the end of HBP.

If he asks Snape to kill him, then he is asking Snape to commit an
Unforgiveable Curse, a tearing of Snape's soul.  Is this an act of
love on Dumbledore's part?  Is the destruction of one man's soul worth
the greater good?  (Leaving aside that choosing to fulfill this
request may be an act of love on Snape's part.)

If he does not ask Snape to kill him, and is pleading for Snape to
save his own soul, does Snape's choice say that he was doing what was
easy over what was right?  Perhaps compassion for Draco and Narcissa
drove his decision.  Perhaps he saw Dumbledore's death as serving a
greater good.  Perhaps, for whatever reason, love has never been able
to reach him.

Of course there are other factors: the whole Unbreakable Vow thing, a
sleight of hand, as it throws the role of choice into suspicion; the
intentional freezing of Harry, whether to prevent him for being
injured or from injuring someone else; the possibility that Snape did
not kill Dumbledore, but made it seem as if he did.

But if the theme of the books is perhaps love and choice, then I am
wondering how these themes are playing out so far.

lealess