[HPforGrownups] Re: Lily being spared

[June Ewing]

No: HPFGUIDX 189870

Carol responds:

The Prophecy did not state that it would be one of two boys. The part that Voldemort heard did not even state that "the one" would be a boy! You seem to be confusing DD's remark that the Prophecy seemed to fit two boys, both "born before the seventh month dies," with the Prophecy itself.
<SNIP>

The point all of us are trying to make is that Lily's Love Magic was not simply a matter of her dying for Harry. What made it special (and inapplicable to Neville's mother) was that LV gave Lily the *choice* to step aside. Had she been Alice Longbottom, whom he had no reason not to kill (no DE was in love with her and he had made no promise to spare her), there would have been no Love Magic. He would simply have AK'd her and then AK'd the child. <SNIP>
Snape's request starts the whole plot of the books. His arc is crucial to the story. And Lily's *choice,* that central motif of the stories, is crucial to the Love Magic. It isn't just that she loved him. Almost all the mothers (and some of the fathers) in the HP books love their children and would die for them. The Muggle mother in DH spreads her arms to protect her children, echoing Lily's gesture, but her effort is futile. Had she been a witch, it would have been equally futile because she had no choice to "stand aside." As LV keeps saying, Lily didn't *have* to die. What he doesn't understand is that her *choice* to die instead of Harry is what protected Harry when LV ignored "kill me *instead*" and tried to kill Harry, too.

Had she stepped aside, Harry would have died. Had LV killed her without giving her a chance to step aside, Harry would have died. It's the choice that makes the difference. <SNIP>


June:
1) I have already corrected myself at least twice when I said that the prophecy had predicted two and posted what the prophecy had actually said and stated that it was Dumbledore that said there were two boys because there were, Harry and Neville. Also what you said about Dumbledore not thinking Neville would really fit the prophecy, I have to agree with. It is true that as a baby LV would not have known that he would be somewhat retarded in his magic abilities (and you have to admit he did come a long way) but I don't think that he would have been as capable as Harry either and the wizarding world may have been in trouble lol.
2) I am not clueing in lol. I see that what you are saying is that (it just hit me like a brick lol) LV would not have cared less about killing her if it was not for Snape asking him to spare her so it would have been likely that he would have just killed everyone when he came into the house so she really wouldn't have been risking anything by standing in front of Harry because she would have been killed anyway (see I may be slow sometimes but I eventually clue in lol). Now what you said about killing both boys, that may have been his plan in the first place and not so much that he chose Harry. Maybe Harry was closer to him than Neville and if the spell hadn't backfired Neville and his family would have been next.