How Alchemy Didn't Work, or The Heinrich Khunrath Wannabe

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 181535

Goddlefrood:

> Oh, sorry, no it wasn't. Despite the build up and the
> many references to love, ultimately it wasn't love
> that led to Voldemort's demise. It was luck, which was
> foreshadowed a long time ago when Harry once said
> something along the line of: "I didn't know what I was
> doing, I got lucky."
> 

Pippin:
Although love did not lead to Lord Voldemort's demise, it
did lead to Harry's survival and the survival of a great many
other people. It was the residue of Lily's loving sacrifice which
enabled Harry to survive Voldemort's AK a second time, and it
was Harry's intended sacrifice that protected him and all
his friends from Voldemort's powers. That time, he did know
what he was doing.


IMO, it would not be much of a message of love and forgiveness
if love led to anyone's demise, even Voldemort's. What leads to
Voldemort's demise and ultimate ruin is his rejection of love
though Harry's blood gave him the option of accepting it. I
wish JKR had made it a little clearer that Voldemort knew this,
but we do have his realization that he is becoming sentimental
in GoF. 

Ultimately, though, I don't think JKR uses alchemical symbolism
in order to illustrate the processes of alchemy, but simply to give
some structure and flavor to the workings of magic in her world.

Pippin