The mechanics of possession (Was: The Iron Fist of Will - body/body or body/spir

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 142469

bboyminn wrote:
<snip> 
> In the MoM battle scene, why would Dumbledore pay any attention to
Voldemort(in Harry) at all, other than the fact that Voldemort was
talking. This would have been the perfect opportunity for Dumbledore
to destroy Voldemort's body and send him back to his pre-GoF state of
essential vapor. 
<snip>
> Without his body, Voldemort can't hold a wand and can't perform
magic. True while he is in Harry's body, he can use Harry's body to
carry out acts for him, but Harry isn't really cooperating. Once Harry
drove him out, where would he go, what would he do? Would his Death
Eaters still follow him if he was powerless? <snip>
 
> For one corporeal person to possess another, it makes no sense, if
the possessor leaves his body behind and vulnerable. <snip>

Carol responds:
I agree that it would make no sense for Voldemort to leave a
vulnerable body behind when he possesses someone, not just in that
scene but at any time after he acquires a body. His body would be an
empty shell like the soul-sucked Barty Crouch's, and anyone (even a
disaffected DE like Wormtail) could destroy it, leaving him once again
as Vapor!mort.

I think we've already seen him merging bodies/identities not only with
Harry in the MoM but with a much more willing and cooperative host,
his own living Horcrux, Nagini. Snape says in OoP that apparently
Voldemort was possessing the snake (Snape doesn't identify it as
Nagini, but I'm sure it is). That's why Harry seemed to be inside the
snake (he was in the mind of both the possessed and the possessor) and
why the snake had two conflicting impulses (to bite and to do the job,
which I assume was trying to get the Prophecy). Had Possesssed!Nagini
succeeded in getting to the Prophecy room, LV would have needed to
leave her and use his own body to pick up the Prophecy orb. He could
hardly do it using a snake's body.

It's important that the scene with the pale green smoke becoming a
two-headed snake "in essence divided" comes almost immediately after
this scene. It relates to Voldemort's divided nature but IMO has
nothing to do with Harry. Instead it relates to the snake in Harry's
vision, which is both Voldemort and Nagini, both Dark wizard and
serpent--not just a possessed Nagini (as in the vision) but a Nagini
sharing LV's essence even when she isn't possessed. 

IOW, Dumbledore realizes at exactly that moment that Nagini is a
Horcrux. But of course he doesn't explain that to Harry, who wouldn't
understand and whose concern at the moment is for Mr. Weasley's
endangered life. And of course, time is of the essence in saving Mr.
W. and destroying Voldemort can wait.

Carol, hoping that this evidence supports Steve's view that physical
as well as mental possession is possible (Sorry to disagree with you,
Ceridwen! But it's the WW and the laws of physics are constantly being
violated, right? If a man can transfigure himself into a little rat,
why can't another man merge his body with that of the person he's
possessing?)