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

[Bex]

No: HPFGUIDX 181537

> 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. 
<SNIP>

Bex:
Hear, hear - well said. Love didn't defeat LV - it saved Harry.

Granted, luck played a pretty good role too. Without some good luck,
Harry would have been toast years ago.
 
Pippin: 
> 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.

Bex:
Agreed. I think she may have borrowed some general imagery from the
science of alchemy, but I don't think she was *trying* to imitate the
three stages of alchemy. And I'm not compaining, either. I like Hagrid.

~Bex