HBP Theories; the potion in the cave

[Jim Ferer]

No: HPFGUIDX 133476

The Other Cheryl wisely said, " I actually thought that that might be
DD's worst memories replayed. I could see him living with regrets
about all he's done and all he's failed to do. Replay Harry's parent's
death? Of course. He must have done so for the last 17 years. and not
just them. How many people in the order have died? DD, I suspect,

blamed himself for each and every one of them. For not spotting
'Sirius the spy', for not insisting the Potters to use him as SK, for
[later] not speaking to Sirius with Legilimancy, thus leaving him
trapped in Askaban for twelve years. And those are just the bits we've
'seen' on camera. Furthermore, I'll bet the potion magnified every
little sin and regret. That might be very well why he didn't bring
Snape. What would Snape have seen?"

Excellent, and this thought ties in perfectly with Dumbledore's remark
to Harry that being so clever leads to greater mistakes as well.  To
be great always carries with it the potential to fail greatly, and to
carry heavier burdens. How would you think Abraham Lincoln felt after
Chancellorsville, for instance? Most people don't want and can't
handle that kind of responsibility.  A lot of people think nobody
should take that kind of responsibility, but that's another issue for
another place.

An interesting thought that goes with this is that LV knew that anyone
who achieved the island would be carrying that kind of burden; the
kind of person most vulnerable to the potion.  LV doesn't carry the
burden of regret; he's a psychopath who doesn't regret anything.  Is
this a potion, then, that targets the great and the caring?

As far as not bringing Snape goes, DD didn't know what was in store in
that cave. Harry is the Chosen One, Harry is DD's  protégé; it's
Harry's burden to carry.

Jim Ferer