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The power The Dark Lord knows not

by David Haber

It all comes down to this. The big difference between Voldemort and Harry. The only difference that's really important. It couldn't be more important to the climax of the Harry Potter Septology Mystery. And the reason we know it's important is because J.K. Rowling went out of her way to tell us about it, right out, in plain language, not couched in a riddle, in the very first Harry Potter book.

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Reader Comments: (Page 10)

tim - the point you make about average wizards only knowing a little bit about priori incantatem is spot on. as fawkes is dumbledores phoenix only he would know (apart from ollivander) that he gave two feathers, and therefore would be the only person to know what would happen if both harry's and voldemort's wands were forced against each other.

another thing i have thought of is why ollivander dissappeared. i know someone (probably ron) said in HBP that he was probably taken so that he could make wands for the eaters, but what if voldemort researched the effects of priori incantatem after the what happened in GoF, but couldn;t find out how to stop, so he had ollivander kidnapped hoping that he would know to stop this from happening.

Lisa - i think you have spotted something major with the connection between bellatrix and voldemort, i can't think how it could effect the plot but i think it definitely . also well done for noticing that she is the only eater to be called by their first name by voldemort.

Posted by carl from birmingham, england on March 27, 2007 04:37 AM

As I have long advocated the Snape was in love with Lilly solution to the riddle I am thrilled to see more clues uneartherd above. I add these thoughts to the discussion.. On at least three occasions Dumbledore is asked about Snape by Harry. On one he indicates that inadvertently turning the Potters over to Voldemort was
'the greatest regret of his life'. Harry, never wishing to accept Snape as a 'good guy', keeps asking Dumbledore. On at least one occasion Dumbledore has to pause to consider what to tell Harry.. he looked as if he were deciding something. The fact that Snape loved Lilly Evans was not and is not common knowledge and is Snape's private business. Indeed, Snape's memory about Lilly in the pensive is 'Snape's Worst Memory' (the chapter title). Dumbledore was considering whether or not Harry had the maturity to understand and accept the fact that Snape loved Harry's mother. Dumbledore (to further the plot if for no other reason) decides that Harry is not ready to hear this and does not then add to his explination as to why he trusts S. Snape.

So many times our Author gives Harry incomplete information and has him draw half correct, half incorrect conclusions. This helps lead us off track in following the clues. Harry's summary of Snape's conversion in HBP is therefor half correct (about the remorse) and half incorrect (about Lilly) because Dumbledore simply never told Harry and Harry could not see it from what he knew from the pensive.

Posted by Charlie Tarbox from Gettysburg, Pa on March 27, 2007 09:13 AM

Carl - I think you are on the right track with Fawkes.

I was hoping Mr. Olivander was taken into hiding by the Order. I am sure Voldemort immediately after the graveyard scene wanted information from him about the wand, and as he was close to Dumbledore he would have turned to him for protection. He and Dumbledore, and now Harry, are the only ones who know about Fawkes' tail feathers.

Fawkes must have been in on Dumbledore's plans not to have interfered on the astronomy tower. You have to wonder how Dumbledore convinced him when they obviously have such a strong bond. I think it is interesting, too, how Harry seems to have almost as strong a bond with Fawkes as he does with Voldemort. He "feels" strength from his song and "knows" when he has left the grounds. I definitely believe Fawkes have a major role. Dumbledore's patronus seems to have been the Phoenix, and it is the Order of the Phoenix - again we just don't have enough information to tie everything together. I am hoping Fawkes come to fight for Harry just like Buckbeak.

The Snape / Lily romance. Yes it is likely they had a relationship - but I think we are overlooking the "ancient" powerful magic, just like Dumbledore points out as Voldemort's fault - the life Snape owed James. Dumbledore states that Snape hated being in James' and he felt incredible remorse for being the cause of James' . Harry thinks Dumbledore is just being taken in by his own good nature, but this is a magical bond between James and Snape - ancient and powerful magic. According to Dumbledore the ancient magic is the most powerful of all and frequently overlooked by wizards ( and muggles!) Personally, I don't think we have to look any further than this to find Snape's motivation to turn from Voldemort to the Order - he was forced to.

Posted by Raow from Petaluma, CA, USA on March 27, 2007 10:15 AM

To Charlie: Think you're on to something. What you say makes sense, is a reason Dumbledore trusted Snape so much, and could be a clue that Dumbledore really isn't . Personally I think your right, but you may be off, I mean, he did call her a Mudblood in "Snape's Worst Memory". But then again, if you love someone, you try to make contact, even if it means teasing her.

Posted by Y. from My house on March 27, 2007 1:09 PM

Tom was concieved when his father was under the influence of a love potion, let us say that Tom/Voldemort cant love because there was no real love involved in making him (and lets say that normally there is, thus so we all can love).

with Harry�s blood in him he got the love that is in Harry�s blood, given by his family/mother, thus enabling Tom/Voldemort to be able to love for the first time in his live, would explain the glint in Dumbledore's eye.

this could be a thing that is important in the final battle/show-off between the two.

also it is stated that Harry has his mothers eyes, which can stand for the concept that he, like his mother, can see the good in someone wile that person cant see it himself. Could have something to do with him showing compassion for Tom, by which he doesn�t deliver the final blow, but shows compassion and spares his live, were Voldemort who can love now sees the loving gesture and thereby sheds his skin and is reborn tom but than one who can love.

that last I did think of because the phoenix has a significant part in the story, the wand of both of them has a tail feather of fakes, things like that.

Posted by Roel from bergen op zoom on March 27, 2007 1:42 PM

Raow

Nicely put with some very interesting points, particularly Snape being forced to comply due to a life - excellently proposed.

I could go along with it BUT would that apply when the was artificially induced i.e. Snape was put in peril by one of the same group who saved him? If it was then he would not be the only unhappy one, I would not find it a satisfactory plot line.

Posted by Marjorie from New Zealand on March 27, 2007 2:17 PM

after reading the many posts about whether snape is good, bad or was in love with lily i know believe that he is good and that he did love lily. so, if he loved lily where does his hatred come for harry come from, it cant just be because he is james's son.

my theory is that, dumbledore, knowing snape is a very powerful wizard, and also someone who loves lily, would be the perfect person to protect harry. he is ing to do this for the memory of lily, but i think his hatred comes from when he told voldemort about the prophecy, which lead to lily's . i think that as harry has lily's eyes he can see lily and hates himself for his part in her . i think that his constant attempts to get are expelled are a cover up so that harry does not find out about his protection of him. this could explain his hatred, he is trying to protect harry while all the time harry is putting himself in danger making snape angry. snape is nearly always the teacher who finds harry soing something he shouldn't be, which could suggest he is always near him. i think this probably show itself in DH in a final duel between Harry and Voldemort, after priori incantatem has taken place both harry and voldemort be tired and snape finish voldemort. this also finally prove whether snape is good or bad. i also think that harry was wrong at the end of HBP to believe that his last and greatest protector was gone after dumbledore was "ed" because i now think that harry's greatest protector was and still is Professor Severus Snape

Posted by carl from birmingham, england on March 27, 2007 3:59 PM

Where was Slughorn when he was on vacation? Hepziba Smith's house, possibly?

Posted by Asmer Toldwin on March 27, 2007 4:49 PM

I'm thinking that you are certainly on to something by saying the reason Snape always catches Harry is simply because he is often close by. I can see Harry finding out the truth about Snape in the very very end...and it may be Voldemort who has found out the truth and fills Harry in. Voldemort probably make the same mistake of taking the time to have a small chat before he s Harry, and during that is when he could tell all he has found out about Snape. Voldemort won't Snape as soon as he finds out about Snape's disloyalty because he see there is something to be gained by having Harry going after a false enemy.

Posted by Amy from P. Kentucky on March 27, 2007 7:13 PM

Lisa, good point about Voldemort saving Bellatrix in the Ministry. Do you think there might be some motive other than love though? I would have thought as a highly sed witch, she would be very useful to Voldemort. He wouldn't want to be left without her. Also, if she had been entrusted with some of his secrets, he wouldn't want the Ministry questioning her again and perhaps this time breaking her. Obviously she is a sed occlumens because Malfoy manages to keep Snape out of his head and Snape comments that "Aunt Bellatrix" must have been teaching him.

Still, why is Bellatrix so important to Voldemort? It can't be love on his part since that is the "power the Dark Lord knows not". It might be his recognition that Bellatrix's near worship of him makes her extremely valuable.

Posted by Elizabeth from Australia on March 28, 2007 03:32 AM

I think it would come down to a showdown between Harry vs Voldemort and Snape.

Harry find a way to forgive Snape for what he did to Dumbledore. Snape fight with Harry and defeat Voldemort...getting himself ed in the process.

Posted by Cray from India on March 28, 2007 11:52 AM

What if during Harry's and Vodlermort's showdown Snape notices the Priori Incantatem and jumps into it on Voldermort's side thus getting ed by Voldermort's AK curse? Forcing Harry's curse to strike Voldermort ing him.

Posted by Kyle from Kearney, Ne on March 28, 2007 12:32 PM

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