GoF CH 27-29 Post DH look/ Snape and Harry redux

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 182251

> Alla:
> Because I do not remember reading that they defied Voldemort three 
> times, that's why.

Potioncat:
The Longbottoms also defied LV 3 times, yet they were driven to 
madness by lesser wizards than LV. And, defying him, in whatever 
manner, was not the same as defeating him.

> 
> Alla:
> Yeah, I do. I also understand that all it takes to destroy him is 
to destroy his horcruxes one by one and teenagers seem to do quite 
well. 
snip

Potioncat:
Well, no. All the Horcruxes had to be destroyed, then he had to be 
killed, even without an intact Horcrux, he was a powerful wizard. 
And, not just anyone could have let LV AK them with the same results 
Harry achieved.  


> Alla: 
> YES, thank you, that's the one. Sure Dumbledore never says that he 
> understands Parseltongue and still that was my impression that he 
> understands it. Can what you describing be true? Of course, but I 
> submit that there is nothing in the text to negate my speculation.

Potioncat:
I'll vote with you on this one. DD makes a comment that I can't quite 
recall--about even some who speak Parseltongue are good and brave--
that makes me think even more that he spoke it. 


 
> Alla:
snip
> And nothing convinces me that horcruxes cannot be destroyed by 
> somebody else. I say Several people would destroy horcruxes, no 
> matter how  many years it takes and then somebody finish off 
Voldemort - without  Harry battling him. 


Potioncat:
Oh! Oh! Your yahoo name fits you! You are Dumbledore! What is it to 
you if countless others suffer so long as Harry is happy and safe? 
<eg> 

DD seems to have believed the prophecy himself, because many of the 
actions he took seemed to be to help it along. I think his actions--
separate from Snape's or in addition to Snape's--nudged it into 
fruition.


I'm not sure if we're all comparing apples to orange to bananas or if 
we're the blind men examining an elephant. We're coming at the crux 
of the matter from very different viewpoints.

Speaking only for me---because even those of us who agree with each 
other, don't fully agree---Snape's action caused great suffering for 
Harry and caused the death of the Potters. Snape himself would agree. 
That he tried to prevent the consequences, that he atoned for them 
afterwards, does not change that fact.

So, even if you and I agree this much---I don't think changing the 
one thing will give Harry a happy life. More than that has to change 
or to be different. You gave examples of being happy in war, but in 
all fairness, you offered people who are not in the war. They live 
out of the war zone, and their children are not soldiers. Lily and 
James had already joined the fray and I don't think having a child 
would have changed that. On the other hand, Harry could have still 
had a happy life after VaporMort, if Dumbledore had placed him with a 
different family. Assuming none of the DEs went after the Boy Who 
Lived. At least, it could have been happy till LV came back.

Here's question 5 from CM's  DH chapter 16  Discussion
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/182113

5. Harry fantasizes how, if not for Voldemort, he would have grown up
as an ordinary wizard boy in Godric's Hollow. Had that occurred,
it's easy to think of all the ways in which Harry would have been
different – what (if anything) about Harry would have stayed the same?


As angry as Harry is at Snape-justifiably so--he blames LV for his 
situation.  So do I.