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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 3)

Dave: thank you to put all that together.

I don't think one can vanquish Voldemort only with the power of love. If it were so, Lily would have already defeated him: she showed an incredible amount of love.

But what may vanquish Voldemort is his unability to see and understand love.

Voldemort believes that he can drive anyone to behave the way he wants. He can guess how people act and put them into situations in which they help him. But it won't work this way with Harry, because Harry react in a loving way, that Voldemort doesn't understand.

For instance, if he has to choose between losing his powers, or getting more powers and glory, Harry would choose to lose his powers, if it saves his friends. That's a loving attitude. Voldemort can't understand that.

Or maybe, Snape sacrifice himself for Harry. Voldemort can't understand this kind of attitude.

Then, Voldemort can't imagine it could happen. And that be his major failure.

Posted by herve from strasbourg on March 20, 2007 11:06 AM

yeah i agree carl i think since sirius and dumbledore both d i think someone else close to harry, if they too, push him over the edge. i just hope he defeats the dark lord but i just can not see him doing it. i hope am wrong.

Posted by adam from newcastle on March 20, 2007 11:35 AM

This love idea is very important and the hug thing, maybe not the best thing, but definitely worth thinking about. I think it end up that Harry have to love Voldermort and in that, have the pity to him and remove him from the pitiful existence he is living in right now.

Posted by gomorill from Provo, Utah on March 20, 2007 11:39 AM

I think it's a good article. Harry's great power against Voldemort is love. It can be seen banal...but I think it's something very important to understand well what's human life. And Harry, as the Mirror of Erised shows, knows what's love...what's happiness. But I think he won't Voldemort saying him that he loves him...because it's banal and it seems a joke...a parody. It be something more complicated and genial that JK show us...

Posted by Roberta from Italy on March 20, 2007 11:57 AM

Jhonv; thanks for pointing that out didn't think of ginny at all, but now you mention her, it could quite possibly be that any of the weasleys could be there to help him, (i think charlie could become a major character), but especially arthur as harry effectively saved him from nagini.

Kyle; even though wormtail has a life to harry i think he is too much of a coward to risk his life like that. as for snape, that is also a strong possibility, however i think he turn out to be a good guy and be one of the few to survive as he knows a lot about the dark arts and powerful curses as pointed out in goblet of fire by sirius

Posted by Carl from Birmingham, England on March 20, 2007 12:00 PM

L.S.

I think (and hope) Ginny is going to play an important role in the seventh book. But I haven't figured out yet how...
I don't think anyone is going to sacrifice him- of herself for Harry. Because at the end of HBP it says his greatest protector (Dumbledore) has now d and he is all alone now.

Maybe Harry is going to sacrifice himself for a friend, --I reckon he would do that for almost anyone-- but that leaves us with another problem: What if Voldemort tries to .. let's say Ginny, and Harry does jump in front of her then he provides her with the same protection as Lily Evans gave Harry. Which is a problem, obviously, because that would make Ginny "the one". Then the whole story could start over again. Well, not entirely ofcourse, but you get my drift, I think...

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that LOVE is going to be important, but not in the shape of a sacrifice.

Have you considered that maybe other people than Harry loving each other may be important? Like Ron and Hermione, Tonks and Lupin, Arthur and Molly, maybe eventually, Luna and Neville, --though I think it's very unlikely that those two end up together-- and I also think that Snape was in love with Lily Evans, Harry's mother, maybe that's going to play an important role too.

I'm still wondering how love could play her part in the seventh book without hugging Voldemort or creating a circle by Harry sacrificing himself for another character. Anyone ideas?

Posted by Jadis from Utrecht, The Netherlands on March 20, 2007 12:45 PM

Good point, Kyle - Wormtail. Harry saved his life so he's in to Harry. I reckon he'd jump in the way of the curse.

Posted by Fawkes on March 20, 2007 12:47 PM

I find this theory extremely interesting. I have been thinking for a long time now just how Harry could defeat Voldemort without resorting to . Harry stands for what is good and what is true, and no matter how you look at it is never right.

There are endless comparisons between Riddle and Harry - even such a flippant remark as Aunt Marge in POA who says she would have put Harry in an orphanage... Harry and Tom are also reversed images of each other, in Tom's world his Muggle father was of a wealthy background but his wizarding family had no money to give him. Whereas Harry (although the Dursleys have enough money) in the muggle has nothing and in the wizarding world has wealth. Two sides of the same coin perhaps?

Bear hug aside I DO believe Harry has it in him to turn to Voldemort and say 'I forgive you' - maybe that is what result in Voldemort's downfall, he has thrived on hatred and fear and Harry doesn't fear him - so what if he stops hating too.
Harry doesn't allow Pettigrew to be ed - he has a real sense of right, wrong and justice. A sense that may lead him to defeat Voldemort through the power of love.

Posted by Orlando from England on March 20, 2007 2:21 PM

You know, what if you turn the whole thing around and somehow Harry makes Voldemort love him. Thus Voldemort can't Harry, or perhaps ends up in a situation where he must choose between himself and Harry and chooses Harry to live.

Posted by Dan from SC on March 20, 2007 2:50 PM

Great observation Orlando � on the two sides to the same coin. Are they yin and yang to each other and one can�t destroy the other � an extention of priori incantem? This could also bring about a demonstration of Harry�s �power of love� in that Harry knows love and has been loved which could give him extraordinary confidence and support in the final battle. His friends would surely for him as he would them because he loves them and they him. I doubt LV would garner similar support from the DE�s when the chips are down � as evidenced by their run to hiding when LV was defeated the first time around.

As an aside I�d predict that in the final book � part of what Harry learn before the final battle be to include and trust in his friends � not just Ron and Hermione � but Neville, Ginny, et al. His attitude at the end of HBP was to go on alone. I think he�ll start out that way � struggle and then come back to Hogwarts for the great ride of the DA into the final battle. Then again maybe it be a hug in the end � just kidding Dave � Great sight. I love all the different possible scenarios thrown out here. Hurry up July already.

Posted by Bart from Denver, Colorado on March 20, 2007 3:18 PM

Some of you, I think are missing the point just a little bit. It isn't love in general that could destroy Voldemort, it's somebody truly loving HIM. As who he is...not because he is powerful, but just for him. Having somebody love you, apparently has an affect on somebody else. Since Lily loved Harry she protected him, and Harry was not asking to be loved he was only 1 year old. Voldemort not be asking to be loved...but it could be somehow that it happens, as I posted before. I would like to see Harry start calling him Tom instead of Voldemort, I think that would be interesting.

Posted by Amy from P. Kentucky on March 20, 2007 3:29 PM

Yes, Amy! Dumbledore knew the value in calling Voldemort Tom, it would great if Harry remembered Dumbledore doing that and start doing it himself!

Posted by Dave Haber from Los Angeles, CA on March 20, 2007 3:40 PM

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