LV asking Lily to step aside & mothers (Re: Lily the popular girl)

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 167934

Dana:
> To be honest what ever the reason, I do not believe that it had 
> anything to do with someone asking LV but that it has everything to 
> do with LV himself and his own relation with his mother.
> I think it is also the reason he tells Harry, not to show him his 
> mother sacrificed herself but that Harry was the cause of his 
> mother's death. He just doesn't understand, it is the greatest act 
>of love a mother could give her child.  

Jen: I agree it could be related to Merope's choice.  JKR spent some 
time on the event and the consequence in HBP, having Riddle reach the 
conclusion that his mother couldn't have been magical if she died and 
then finding out she *was* magical (which also relates very much to 
his quest for immortality).  Harry and Dumbledore discussed what 
happened to Merope and Harry even brought up the comparison with 
Lily.  Plus there are so many mother characters who play a pivotal 
role at crucial moments--Lily of course, Narcissa with the UV, 
Petunia taking Harry in, Barty Crouch Jr's mom taking his place at 
Azkaban--it's a recurring plotline (theme?  A mother's love?  Or in 
Petunia's case, Lily's love). 

Perhaps Merope's choice played out in Riddle's choices and that's the 
last of it.  I used to think there was an elaborate plot going on 
with Voldemort asking Lily to step aside, but more and more I'm 
seeing how JKR's pivotal moments often have to do with history, 
relationships and emotions more than the actions involved.  Or the 
explanation is more meaningful than what occurs is what I'm trying to 
say.  LV may be exempt from this given how little humanity is left.  
I wasn't satisfied with JKR's answer in that MN/TLC chat when she was 
asked the question about Lily stepping aside and diverted her answer 
to James.  It didn't answer the question asked in my opinion, or if 
it did, the answer was more clear to JKR! I think there's a little 
more yet to why LV asked Lily to step aside.

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Here's the quote once again, for reference(2005 MN/TLC interview):

ES: This is one of my burning questions since the third book - why 
did Voldemort offer Lily so many chances to live? Would he actually 
have let her live?

JKR: Mmhm.

ES: Why?

JKR: [silence] Can't tell you. But he did offer, you're absolutely 
right. Don't you want to ask me why James's death didn't protect Lily 
and Harry? There's your answer, you've just answered your own 
question, because she could have lived and chose to die. James was 
going to be killed anyway. Do you see what I mean? I'm not saying 
James wasn't ready to; he died trying to protect his family but he 
was going to be murdered anyway. He had no - he wasn't given a 
choice, so he rushed into it in a kind of animal way, I think there 
are distinctions in courage. James was immensely brave. But the 
caliber of Lily's bravery was, I think in this instance, higher 
because she could have saved herself. Now any mother, any normal 
mother would have done what Lily did. So in that sense her courage 
too was of an animal quality but she was given time to choose. James 
wasn't. It's like an intruder entering your house, isn't it? You 
would instinctively rush them. But if in cold blood you were 
told, "Get out of the way," you know, what would you do? I mean, I 
don't think any mother would stand aside from their child. But does 
that answer it? She did very consciously lay down her life. She had a 
clear choice -

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Jen