PS Chapter Four: "The Keeper of the Keys"

[for_diddled]

* I remember how in the good old days before DH came out this chapter title spurred much interesting speculation regarding potential Hagrid-St. Peter parallels.

Comments

[josephinestone]

The reason that Lily's sacrifice matters is because she had a choice, when most people they attacked didn't. For instance, James also died before he killed Lily, but he never asked James to step aside. It wasn't that Lily was the first to die protecting someone she loved, it was that she was the first that Voldemort ever gave that option to

[hwyla]

Altho' I like your interpretation that Voldie still has some humanity, I'm not sure I agree that it is needed for him to give Lily the option to step aside.

He might also be doing so to have leverage over Sev, After all, Sev risked his life in asking she be left alive. Keeping her alive gives Voldy someone he can threaten if Sev ever becomes a problem. And just the fact that Sev asked for her life shows that he just might become one.

This also comes at a time when Sev had begun working at Hogwarts (the giving Lily the option - not Sev's asking). That has to raise a bit of worry, even if it was on Voldy's orders.

We know that when Voldy returns, he assumes Sev will no longer be loyal. I would think that indicates that Voldy was going to allow Lily to live in order to ensure Sev's loyalty. Once she's dead, Voldy assumes Sev will no longer be loyal.

[for_diddled]

Given what we see of how Voldemort treats his DEs, I doubt concern for Severus' happiness was really on his mind. More likely he was doing it to put him in his debt, and/or to have someone to threaten if he ever stepped out of line. Besides, if Voldy really wanted to look after Snape's interests, he could have just stunned Lilly and either left her on the floor to wake up later or kidnapped her and handed her over to Severus.

[radicalhighway]

It's doubtful that its only because Voldemort gave Lily a choice.

This is repated in book 7, where Voldemort didn't really give Harry a choice just beforehand. He made some vague one about coming to him or he'd kill everyone else. Supposedly, that was the same thing.

Plus, Voldemort was never portrayed as having any kind of humanity. He was always a monster (or a monster in the making). He certainly had no humanity left when he gave Harry the choice in book 7, otherwise no such thing as Voldemort being "beyond help" according to Dumbledore (its true he's disgusting liar and manipulator though).

Still, it's completely impossible that such a "choice" hasn't ever been done. Furthermore, why would it not work for other spells and therefore more known? Just bulshit from JKR.

Lily's sacrifice or choice

[nx74defiant]

One thing with calling it Lily's sacrifice or choice, it makes it sound like she knew that by her actions would save her son. From what we are shown from Lily's actions is that she was desperate. She had no reason to believe anything she did would matter.