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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 21)

Vince - I agree with you that love is meant as a protection. But that doesn't mean it can't be used as a weapon. Just because a shield is meant to block a sword doesn't mean it won't hurt someone who is hit in the head with it. The examples you gave sorta illustrate this point. VoldeQuirrell was hurt because the "love shield" hurt him. Voldemort was ejected from possessing Harry only when love entered his mind. Even though that was not the intention, it can still be used as a weapon, and a pretty powerful one at that.

Posted by Monkeeshrines from orlando fl on June 15, 2007 07:51 AM

i dont know about the hug, but i also feel there may not be a duel, because, there is not a single wand present in ANY of the four covers released to us, including the US Deluxe version, and especially the us version which depicts voldemort and harry together.

nice analysis, but i dont think harry be able to hug voldemort. do you expect voldemort to just stand there waiting to be hugged while his enemy approaches him?

Posted by Ayoub from Kuwait on June 17, 2007 11:10 AM

I can't help but thinking of the locked door in the Department of Mysteries In OOTP. Dumbledore himself tells us that it contains "a force that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than ". If this is love, then I'm thinking we may see more of that locked door.

Posted by Adam from UK on June 18, 2007 06:26 AM

I would have to agree with Monkeeshrines. Would it really be in character for Harry to love Voldemort only to him? That's quite a contradiction to me. Perhaps I'm not seeing the point, but when you think about it, it wouldn't seem possible to love someone only to them. Great article, though!

Posted by Vanessa from Warren, Ohio on June 19, 2007 10:51 AM

I don't belive that Harry would walk up to Voldemort, give him a big hug and say, "I love you!" and the greatest wizard (If we belive that Dumbledore is ) fall to the ground and beg for forgivness and /disappear or something like that. No, I think as you say, in the end it's Harrys love which defeat Lord Voldemort.

What if Hermione, Ron and Harry's love to each other create a secret weapon or? I think many in the next book gonna sacrifice theirselves for Harry. That give him love enough to Lord Voldmeort. I think Lupin might be one of them or Dobby, Ron/Hermione? Nevill of course...and I also think that Grawp maybe for Hagrid? and if he doesn't I belive Hagrid . as J.K. tells us: "...A price has to be paid. We are dealing with pure evil..." I just hope that our little trio survive... I would cry if hermoine or Ron d...But not if Harry does. Is't that strange?

Mark my words... Love The Dark Lord!

Posted by Hanna E from Sweden on June 22, 2007 1:25 PM

I think 'love' is going to play an essential role in the last book too. Let's not forget what happened in GoF. By forcefully taking some of Harry blood there is a little bit of the essence of Harry inside of Voldemort.

When Harry's back at Hogwarts he tells Dumbledore what has happened and Dumbledore seems 'excited' about this (haven't got the actual words here..). Maybe Voldemort has some 'love' inside him through Harry.

I myself don't think Harry is going to love Voldemort, I think in the end he's going to forgive him. If this triggers the love inside Voldemort he might not be able to perform the ing curse himself anymore...

Posted by Wesley Fechter from The Netherland on June 23, 2007 11:38 AM

To quote my fav. band, Thrice "there's no greater love, than the one who shed his blood for his friends."

In the end, I think Harry defeat Voldemort by sacrificing himself to save someone he loves. think about it. That is the only true love, when you sacrifice everything for your friend.

Posted by Alex from Bosie,ID on June 25, 2007 5:02 PM

Great theory!
however, we also know that harry hates voldemort more than anyone else
"In that instant he cared not whether he lived or d. Pushing himself to his feet again, he staggered blindly toward Snape, the man he now hated as much as he hated Voldemort himself"(HBP p.603-U.S.)
This seems to imply that as much as harry hated snape UNTIL now (which was always a lot) he still hated voldemort more "...the man he NOW hated as much as he hated voldemort himself"
and we all know how much harry hates snape; just a few pages earlier "the dimly lit corridor was full of dust; half the ceiling seemed to have fallen in;and a battle was raging before him,but even as he tried to make out who was fighting whom, he heard the hated voice shout, "it's over, time to go!" and saw Snape disappearing around the corner at the far end of the corridor" (HBP p.598 - U.S.) hmmmmm... "the HATED VOICE" -he now even hates his voice!
but now he hates snape to the extent where he no longer cares about snape ing him. and even as much as he hates snape,he does not hate him more than he hates voldemort "...the man he now hated AS MUCH AS he hated voldemort himself" wat does this tell you about harry's hatred for voldemort?
do you really think its likely for harry to find a way to genuinely love voldemort so that he can vanquish him?

Posted by jake ab from ny, ny on July 1, 2007 08:28 AM

Yes I agree. The only way Tom got evil was because of his 'Filthy Muggle father' and as he said 'He left my mother when she finnaly told him that she was a Witch'. So that means because of she stopped giving him the love potion (of course it wasn't real love) he thought of her as a freak. But the story that Voldemort told was wierd, he said that she gaveup her life when she had him but, how would he know, he was a new-born?

Posted by Dahnye from Detroit on July 1, 2007 9:21 PM

Just to butt in, the article reminded me of a passage from Ender's Game (by Orson Scott Card) that is possibly pertinent:

"In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it's impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves. And then, in that very moment when I love them...I destroy them. I make it impossible for them to ever hurt me again."

So, in understanding where Voldemort's coming from and his motives, does Harry come to "love" him?

Posted by Kae from hpt, va on July 2, 2007 12:03 AM

I think the fact that Voldemort doesn't understand love unables him to really know Harry, because love is a part of Harry's soul.

On the opposite, Harry knows Voldemort through:
- his flesh, because Dumbledore showed Harry from where Tom Riddle came (the "lessons")
- his blood, because Voldemort used Harry's own blood (the glimpse of triumph in Dumbledore's eyes)
- his soul, because Voldemort's soul is inside Harry's scar.

The Sorting Hat could be decisive to help Harry "know" Voldemort's soul.

Maybe, if you "know" the flesh, the blood and the soul of someone, you have a power against him. In that case, Harry has a power that Voldemort can't have.

Posted by herve from strasbourg on July 2, 2007 04:18 AM

J.K. does not transcend any well-established literary paradigm in any of her mythology. Therefore, the corrupt must destroy themselves. Or each other... as you like it.

The differences between Harry and Voldemort are all about the choices each of them make. Harry's love may bring him protection, may motivate him as an agent of fate to bring about circumstances in which Voldemort's choices end up destroying himself... but Harry not defeat Volemort. The prophecy does not say he !

Hermione confuses the runes "partnership" and "defense", because they are so similar. According to Dumbledore, love provides harry with "protection". There is a theme here.... Lily's sacrifice, friendship, partnership, defense, protection, regeneration (pheonix). NOT offensive power. That's vol's bag.

Hug? No. Duel? Yes. But Harry does not defeat Voldemort that way. Way too Hollywood.

Posted by ShadowChild from Huntington, NY on July 2, 2007 08:07 AM

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