MuggleNet | The Underground Lake #31 - The Power the Dark Lord Knows Not

Upon hearing the Prophecy (at this point, everyone should know the one I mean), I have always feared that "the power the dark lord knows not" would be something stupid like love. I say something stupid because as an avid fan of HP, it disgusted me for a long time to think that JKR would "take the easy way out" and have Voldemort undone by something as simple as love. Frankly, I thought both she and the books were too smart for a "cop out" ending like that. But after reading Six, I have finally discovered what exactly is the "power the dark lord knows not." I submit for your entertainment and consideration: THE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT!

Before I can reveal the genius of my latest theory, I must first explain how I arrived at this conclusion. As I said above, I could not conceive that the most powerful of all wizards would be undone by something as stupid and simple as love. After all the spells and incantations had failed, you mean to tell me the most abstract of concepts would beat him? What was Harry going to do? Tell Voldemort he loved him and send him a Valentine's Day owl? At that point of course, I'm sure every Horcrux would burst into flame and Voldemort would start bleeding out his eye sockets and begin violently convulsing. Obviously, this is the wrong way around.

That's when it hit me: I'M THINKING LIKE VOLDEMORT! What killed Voldemort last time? THE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT! Lily sacrificed herself to save Harry, thus giving Harry the very protection he needed to survive. It was an act of supreme selflessness motivated by love. Voldemort cannot conceive of any person doing such a selfless thing. For Voldemort, all actions are motivated to an end. Even he realizes that his Death Eaters only follow him because he can give them something in return: protection and an unlimited supply of victims to maim and kill. For him, people exist in symbiotic relationships; you have to give something to get something. It is inconceivable to him that a person can do something without any thought to their self yet defend another person.

That is what happened that fateful Halloween night. He was undone by a magic he could not comprehend, also known as, "THE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT." By her supreme selfless act, Lily created what I believe is a sort of reverse Horcrux. A Horcrux is the splitting of the soul because of a supreme act of evil. In other words, you are killing someone else to save yourself in perpetuity. This "power the dark lord knows not," or Reverse Horcrux, is the opposite: the saving of another soul through a supreme act of goodness. In other words, by sacrificing yourself to save someone else, you create a force so positively charged (that is, charged with love and goodness), that evil cannot stand it. Lily had the upside; Voldemort had the downside. There are two sides to every Schwartz.

As I said previously, I wanted to explain how I arrived at this conclusion. With my past few editorials, my mind has been lingering heavily on the imminent reunion of Harry and Ginny. Not to sound like the romantic prat of new millennium, but I did not expect Harry and Ginny's relationship to affect me as much as it did. How I rationalized it is this: Harry has known little-to-no happiness in his life. Sure Ron and Hermione do brighten many a dark day, the Weasleys are always good for some joy, and I'm sure making out with Cho wasn't too horrible. Not to mention, there is no image that makes one smile more readily than the adventures of Draco, the Amazing Bouncing Ferret (though, was anybody else a little disturbed in the movie when he was stuffed down the pants? Frankly, I thought that was overkill). Aside from those bright spots, it's pretty much been sixteen years of hell.

Enter Ginny. For once, for that brief blip, Harry was content. All was right with the world with his self-described "best source of comfort". And then of course (I have mentioned this previously) the fantastic Casablanca break-up happens. Upon close examination of this, Ginny, does not accept the breakup. Harry does a sort of "drive-by" break-up when you read it. He breaks it off, she starts convincing, and he turns and runs away. He admits to himself that she was starting to weaken his resolve, so he turned and left and was subsequently accosted by Scrimgeour.

Now I have mentioned the wedding before and how Harry at this point does not realize that to go to the wedding is to see Ginny again. Let me tell you how I think it will go down:

After the Dursley episode, where Harry and Petunia will come to a resolution, it's off to the Burrow. Hermione will be there as well, of course. The Burrow will be bustling with activity because this wedding will be the social event of the new millennium, with many in attendance, including Fleur's family. Enter Ginny Weasley as a BRIDESMAID. At this point, there will be three bridesmaids: Gabrielle Delacour, Ginny and, perhaps, Hermione. Fleur will pick Ginny as a sign of goodwill. She's trying to get in good with the Weasleys and Molly Weasley and Bill will insist that she do it. (p.s. the question of the day: Will Percy attend the wedding?) I don't think Fleur is one for having the tacky bridesmaid dresses. Fleur is already the hottest woman on the planet, so she doesn't need to make her bridesmaids less attractive than her: THEY ALREADY ARE! Expect Ginny to be dressed in divine robes that she will hate but will make her look like a vision of perfection (ie. Hermione at the Yule Ball). It is at this point that Harry and Ginny will have to resume their break-up conversation from which he tactfully retreated last time. Consequently, either a) they'll get back together, or b) she'll tell him that she is coming with him. Either way, she's at the final confrontation.

Why have I said all this? Because Ginny has now made herself a key factor in the final confrontation. Before Book Six, the final confrontation consisted of the trio and Voldemort with Ron and Hermione otherwise occupied as Harry went toe-to-toe with Voldemort. But Ginny has thrown a major chink in Voldemort's chain. Perhaps if Voldemort had killed her when he had the chance, he might have been able to succeed, but the heart of Ginny Weasley now rules the fate of all.

I have always said Harry was going to die, but I never really said why. The reason Harry was going to die was because he had nothing to fight for. Take away the fact that Voldemort is evil and therefore must die. Take away the fact that Harry must avenge his parents' death. Take away the fact that the fate of the free world rests on the outcome of this confrontation. Harry is a 17-year-old kid who has to kill the most powerful wizard in history by himself. Recall in my recent editorial, I said that this fight would not come down to who knows more magic; it would come down to who wants it more. Harry really just wants to see tomorrow. Voldemort wants to rule the world. Who wants it more?

But throw Ginny into the mix. In every major epic saga, the hero must have the world personified into one being that he/she cares about in order to do what must be done. In this series, Ginny is the battle personified. All the stakes - everything in this world that is worth caring about for Harry - are NOW personified in Ginny. His thoughts betrayed him in "The White Tomb." He revealed to her and himself that, in many ways, he has always had feelings for Ginny; he just never realized it. Now his feelings for her make her one of the single most important characters in the story.

Let's say my ending theory is correct: Harry must force Voldemort and himself into the veil in order to end it. What is his motivation to kill himself to save the world? If it's just a matter of saving the world, the necessity to kill himself to do it is miniscule, self-preservation will kick in and he will have to find some means of killing Voldemort while keeping himself alive. However, if forcing Voldemort into the veil means saving Ginny, he would sacrifice himself without thinking twice.

It goes right back to the Reverse Horcrux theory. Whether Harry knows it or not, he loves Ginny. That room in the Department of Mysteries is dedicated to the study of the magical properties of love (one of the oldest and most potent of all forms of magic). Harry, like his parents, is filled with a force he can't control or explain: the best kind of love - love for another. Voldemort is incapable of love (he has 'mommy and daddy' issues). It is this uncontrollable force that will show him how to defeat Voldemort. Whether it is tossing Voldemort into the veil, stabbing him with the sword of Gryffindor, or having Fawkes sing him a lullaby, this force - which Harry has in vast quantities - will guide Harry's every move, even if it takes him to his death.

Dumbledore never explained why Harry is so attuned to this power. The answer is simple. As I said before, Harry has lived a cursed life. He has known nothing but suffering and pain, yet somehow he still manages to see the good in people. It was this power that led him to spare Peter Pettigrew. It was this power that let him empathize with the Nevilles and Lunas and Dobbys of this world. It is this power that prohibits him from effectively mastering Occlumency (his emotions rule him). Harry understands the human condition better than most because he has been made to suffer by all of its negative aspects. Now, it's about time for the human condition to return the favor.

Posted by: Nicole

If you would like to contact Brandon, you may do so at Greatbman at aol dot com.

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The Power the Dark Lord Knows Not

Posted by: Nicole

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