Harry and Love (Special treatment of Harry )

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 146141

Quick_Silver
> You've wrote several amazing posts. However I disagree with the 
> idea that Harry must let go of habits/traits/whatever else so that
> he can be filled with "love power." I'm not saying that he 
> shouldn't let go of those trait
because he must definitely should.
> It just that I feel that "love" is either Harry's must overrated 
> ability or his most misunderstood one. The problem, from my point
> of view, is that I don't have a handle on what exactly Harry's 
> love ability is supposed to be. 

Jen: Harry's love is what *protects* him from Voldemort. Dumbledore 
said: "You are protected in short by your ability to love! The only 
protection that can possibly work against the lure of power like 
Voldemort's." (Horcrux chap., p. 477, Bloomsbury)

I haven't gotten universal appeal or actually any support <g> for 
the idea that Voldemort will use Harry's hatred of Snape against him 
in Book 7, tempting him into a situation where he must choose 
whether to hurt Snape or show him mercy, but I do think Dumbledore's 
words presage this idea. It's not that Harry has to let go of all 
his negative traits to let the power of his love come forth, rather 
that hatred erodes his protection against Voldemort's manipulations. 

Quick_Silver:
> That is what makes Harry different Voldemort
who can't really love

> not by the definition JK seems to be working with anyway. So 
> basically I don't work on the assumption that Harry's abilities to 
> love is {not} special compared to Hermione's, Ron's, Neville's,
> Draco's, etc but that it is special compared to Voldemort's.

Jen: I agree with this statement wholeheartedly. I think what makes 
Harry different from the rest is the weapons Voldemort keeps handing 
him. But what makes him amazing in Dumbledore's eyes is how he could 
be 'tainted' by Voldemort from the curse that failed and all that 
has happened since, and never lose his ability to love or succumb to 
the lure of the dark arts. Others who started with much more than 
Harry, and who have never had a direct link with the darkest wizard 
in a century, have failed in this respect.

Jen