Sparing Lily was Re: JKR's FAQ poll -- Neville's potential as prophecy...

[kempermentor]

No: HPFGUIDX 129051

 
> Carol notes:
> Voldemort would certainly have killed Lily if she had been holding a
> wand or seemed in any way to pose a threat. Instead she was merely a
> hindrance. He had no reason to kill her, whereas he had very good
> reason to kill James--and even more reason, so he thought, to kill 
his
> real target, Harry. So I don't think we're back at square one in 
that
> regard.
> 
... 
 Lily didn't have
> to die in *Voldemort's* view (though he might well have killed her 
for
> good measure after he had murdered Harry), but she did have to die 
in
> her own view. 
> 
> To return to GEO's point, I don't think Voldemort had any ulterior
> motive in originally sparing her.... He just had no reason to kill 
her and every reason (so he
> thought) to kill Harry. I repeat, if she'd been armed with a wand, 
he
> would have considered her dangerous and fought with her just as he 
did
> with James. Without a wand, she was only a "silly girl" who happened
> to be in his way. 

Kemper:
It use to bother me that LV was willing to spare Lily, but I've come 
to believe that he was willing to spare her, wand or no wand, to be a 
mouthpiece to WW and DD that he indeed killed Harry and that he was 
the most powerful, terrible wizard.  
I think LV believed that sparing Lily would be more terrorizing than 
killing her, in the eyes of the WW public, because Lily would have 
witnessed her son being killed and what a horrible story that would 
be for the WW.  It's a bit like Dark Public Relations campaign: Live 
and Fear the Dark Order.