The Ring and the Hand - The Living and the Dead

[kiricat4001]

No: HPFGUIDX 142417

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboyminn at y...> wrote:
>
> For example, if Dumbledore had tossed the Ring into the Veil, it 
would
> have simply fallen to the floor on the otherside. True the Ring 
does
> contain a soul-piece, but the Ring itself is not alive. Only living
> things can make the connection to the 'great beyond'. 
 So, the only way Dumbledore could make the connection to the 
spiritual
> 'great beyond' aspect of the Archway, and thereby release the 
trapped
> soul-piece, was if the Ring passed into the Veil as part of a 
living
> thing. 
 
> Perhaps Dumbledore knew, guess, suspected, hoped that there was a
> slight time delay that would give him the opportunity to pass his
> living hand into the Veil, drop the Ring, and snatch his hand back
> before the 'realm beyond the Veil' claimed him too. This could tie 
in
> nicely with comments about Dumbledore's reactions times and 
reflexes
> not being what they once were. 

Marianne:
I can buy that reasoning, and I like how you've connected it with 
Dumbledore's supposed decreased reaction times/reflexes. My comment 
regarding sticking one's head through the veil was somewhat tongue-
in-cheek.  By your reasoning, one could perhaps hold the locket in 
one's hand and try to do the same thing.

Not that I'm asking you to provide answers but, like most ideas on 
this board, thoughts always lead to other questions, such as why is 
the release of a soul bit so destructive? Is it because it was 
delivered by an entirely different person, ie, not the "owner" of 
the soul?  Is it because it is only part of someone's soul? Does the 
Great Beyond behind the Veil know that what is in the ring is only 
part of a soul, and that the remaining soul is still on the mortal 
side of the Veil?  That gives me a picture of a Supreme Being having 
a fit of pique - "What is this soul shred that just arrived?  
Where's the rest of it?"  It's like getting mad at the FedEx guy for 
not delivery everything you ordered.

Marianne