Why Can't Harry and LV live while the other survives?

[Beatrice23]

No: HPFGUIDX 142271

> Snorky :
> I know what the prophesy in Book 5 says, but I don't see any reason
> why LV and Harry  can't go on living their separate lives. What in 
the books, other than The prophesy, indicates that they can't?  Has 
JKR given us any reasons so far? > 
> 
> I would greatly appreciate the favor of sticking to the books and 
to logic to find your reasons. If you want to SPEW about something 
else, please start up your own separate thread. Thanks!
> 
> Snorky



Dear Snorky:

The quote is: "and either must die at the hand of the other for 
neither can live while the other survives"  (OotP 841 - American 
Edition). There is more of course.  Let me know and I can put the 
whole quote here.
 
Initially, I thought this meant that either Harry must kill LV or LV
must kill Harry. After reading HBP, I suspected that this actually
means something different. I believe that the prophesy means
that Harry must die inorder for LV to live and thus be killed by
someone else.  I do base my reading on the text and I would be happy 
to share a couple of points.  (Please know that I have many more, 
but for the sake of the elves will keep it as brief as possible)

In HBP, Fudge tells the PM this about LV: "'Yes, alive,' said
Fudge. 'That is - I don't know - is a man alive if he can't be
killed? I don't really understand it, and Dumbledore won't explain
it properly...'" There are other references to the fact that LV is
not really alive and this is the reason he cannot be killed. This
is of course explained to the reader by Dumbledore when he tells
Harry about the horcruxes: [Harry asked] "'So if all of his
Horcruxes are destroyed, Voldemort could be killed?' 'Yes, I think
so,' said Dumbledore."

We know that LV is not really alive, but he would be "alive" if his
horcruxes are destroyed and capable of dying. So Harry's mission of
course becomes destroying the Horcruxes. However, as DD tells us,
there is one horcrux that is an unknown object, I believe that that
horcrux is Harry. (I can go into my reasoning here, but I have
already completely gone over the "couple of lines" you requested and
my thoughts are long and complicated here - let me know and I will
post it elsewhere.) Remember, "NEITHER can LIVE while the other
SURVIVES." Voldemort cannot LIVE while Harry survives. Thus he
cannot be killed unless Harry dies. I hope that JKR has some kind
of loop hole for this, but I think it follows along too nicely with
her theme of self-sacrifice for the good of others.

It is totally possible of course that it is as simple as one must 
kill the other; however JKR usually complicates her ideas to keep us 
guessing.  Which could also mean that this idea is too simple and 
she may have something more in mind.  

I love that you are more optomistic about the prophecy than some of 
us here, but how about a little respect for different opinions.  We 
can quote the canon at each other all day long, but at the end of 
the day we will probably still have different readings of the same 
text.  That is the beauty of literature.

Sending warm wishes your way,

Beatrice