Lily's protection

[va32h]

No: HPFGUIDX 143448

Brotherjib wrote:

> 1. If Voldmeort has overcome Lily's protection by using Harry's 
blood, how can Privet Drive still offer Harry protection?

va32h:
There are two kinds of protection offered by Lily's blood. The first 
was the protection that would not allow Voldemort to physically 
touch Harry. This is why Quirrell could not touch Harry at the end 
of Philosopher's Stone. This is the protection Voldemort overcame at 
the end of GoF. 

The second protection is the "ancient magic" sealed by Dumbledore, 
which kept Harry safe at Privet Drive. Because Harry still resides 
where his mother's blood resides, Voldemort cannot harm Harry AT #4 
Privet Drive. Voldemort can certainly harm him at the Ministry of 
Magic, or in a Little Hangleton graveyard, but Privet Drive itself 
is safe. This protection was meant to keep Harry safe in the years 
before he came to Hogwarts - and during those times when Harry had 
no other magical folk around to protect him. 

This second protection is valid until Harry turns 17, regardless of 
who else is sharing Harry's blood. So on August 1, Voldemort could 
walk right into the Dursley's house and blast them all to 
smithereens, but on July 30, he still could not. Unfortunately, we 
are not told what would happen to Voldemort if he tried to attack 
Harry at Privet Drive, prior to Harry's 17th birthday. 

Brotherjib: 
> 2. If the Dementors can attack Harry as soon as he steps outside 
>of the Dursley's house, is this protection of any use?
> Surely any of Voldemort's followers could have turned up and 
>destroyed Harry whenever he went out/to school etcetc! A squib 
>bodyguard does not  seem enough extra protection.

va32h:

Voldemort's followers don't know where Harry is. For most of Harry's 
life, they don't know where Voldemort is. There would be no reason 
for a Death Eater to come looking for Harry until the period 
following the end of Harry's 4th year - after Voldemort has been 
resurrected. But Voldemort doesn't want Harry dead just yet. He 
wants to hear the prophecy, and eventually he realized he will need 
Harry to hear the prohecy. Furthermore, at the end of Half Blood 
Prince, we hear from Snape that the Death Eaters are under orders 
NOT to kill Harry - to "leave him for the Dark Lord". Presumably, 
having been bested by Harry on so many occasions, it's a matter of 
pride that Voldemort finish him off personally. 

Brotherjib:
> 3. Hagrid pulled Harry out of the rubble of Godric's Hollow. From 
their 
> discussion at the beginning of PS/SS it appears that DD was not at 
> Godric's hollow. Let's presume that DD would not have left Harry 
to sit 
> in a pile of rubble for any length of time. Therefore, precisely 
how 
> does DD know that Lily died to protect Harry?

va32h:
This is a bit of a puzzle. Well, Lily is alive, and Harry is dead - 
so that tells us something. But --- what if Skilled Legilimens 
Dumbledore was able to extract the memory of that night from Baby 
Harry? And if this memory is still stored somewhere... Oh that would 
be cool!

va32h, who now has a whole host of possibilities to consider