Did Harry Notice?

[Beatrice23]

No: HPFGUIDX 182947


> 
> Carol responds:

snip
> But, again, just stepping in front of your child and choosing to 
die
> (like the German woman in DH) is not enough. You have to be given a
> chance to live in the first place and forfeit that chance.
snip

Beatrice:  I disagree with you here.  The German woman did not stand 
in front of her children.  She was frightened and died first, but at 
no time did she do what Lily does (Harry does the same thing at then 
end of DH).  What is important in their deaths is not that Snape 
asks LV to spare Lily, although this does mean that LV tells her to 
stand aside.  What IS important is that Lily says, "kill me 
INSTEAD."  

This in a way becomes a contract between the two of them.  LV takes 
accepts the terms of her verbal / magical contract.  Lily sacrifices 
herself on the understanding or on the assumption that LV will kill 
her and spare her son (although we could argue that Lily has no 
reason to believe that he will do such a thing.)  LV's undoing is 
that Lily's act of sacrifice protects her son from harm.  Harry does 
the same thing in DH.  He states the terms before LV AK's him in the 
forest.  Harry declares that he will willingly die to protect all 
those fighting at Hogwarts.  LV accepts and "murders" Harry, 
although he still hasn't learned anything...and harry's sacrifice 
protects everyone in the castle.  It may not be as powerful as 
Lily's sacrifice, LV doesn't seem to feel pain when he attempts to 
hurt the people in the castle, eg. Neville.  But as Harry points out 
his spells are greatly weakened when it comes to harming others.

Beatrice