Of essence divided?

[Tonks]

No: HPFGUIDX 154428

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "annemehr" <annemehr at ...> 
wrote:
>
> I don't understand your objection to the plain reading of Snape's 
> statement in itself: "Have you forgotten our orders?  Potter 
belongs to the Dark Lord -- we are to leave him!"  I agree with 
Peggy's original conclusion that for Snape to phrase it that way 
implies that there is indeed such an order for the DEs to remember.
> 
(snip
> I believe he stopped the DE torturing Harry because he's actually 
on Harry's side.  

Tonks:
I agree that LV probably did have a long standing order that Harry 
was his and his alone. Here is my reason:

I think the whole point of LV being the *one* to kill Harry is to 
reinstate LV as being the most powerful wizard.  Harry took away 
LV's political power and LV must regain that.  But if someone else 
kills Harry that person will be the top dog and LV will not. That is 
why LV needs to keep Harry for himself.

It is also the reason, IMO, why Draco was sent to kill DD.  If he 
had succeeded the message it would have sent is that DD is not 
really a powerful wizard, "why even a child can kill him".

The idea here in both cases is that if a child can kill wizard X, 
then X was not very powerful to begin with.  It would mean that X 
was not as powerful as everyone thought.  And a person in LV's 
political position can not afford to have a child get the best of 
him. This is exactly what it seems that Harry has done on more than 
one occasion. 

It would be political suicide for LV to have anyone else kill Harry. 
It is bad enough that Snape killed DD instead of Draco.  That is not 
according to plan, I think.  It makes Snape look like a real rival 
for LV.  I suspect that LV might not be as happy about this as we 
think he will be.  On the other hand if LV can kill Harry then that 
still makes LV king of the hill.  He will have to kill off Snape 
too, since Snape will be seen as the #1 potential threat to LV's 
position. (Politics
  it is all about politics. A very dirty 
business.)

And since Snape is DDM, I agree that his main reason for reminding 
them was to protect Harry.

Tonks_op