Why James Potter's Loving Sacrifice Didn't Protect Lily from Voldemort - Harry Potter Theory

Hey everyone,

Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In today’s video, we’re going to be discussing the events of the night of October 31st 1981 - the attack on Godric’s Hollow. It was the night that Lord Voldemort-in an an effort to stop the fabled prophecy from coming true- travelled to the humble home of the Potters with one goal in mind: kill the boy.

It all started in the year 1980 when Sybill Trelawney, at a job interview for a position at Hogwarts, had a vision of the fabled Prophecy in Hogsmeade pub.

Snape, who served Voldemort at the time, overheard the whole thing and informed him of what he had heard. From there, it was just a matter of determining WHO this boy was. Through the process of elimination - it came down to two boys: Harry Potter or Neville Longbottom. However, Voldemort ended up choosing the Potters. In an effort to protect their boy from Voldemort, the Potters went in to hiding, and extreme security measures were put in to place. Not only were they protected by the Fidelius charm- but they also had the Order of the Phoenix backing them.

When the time came for Voldemort to strike he approached the Potters humble home in the night- and what started off as just another unassuming October day, eventually became a day that would change the course of history. Though Voldemort was a murderous man- he did not go to the Potters home to kill Harry’s parents- he only wanted to kill Harry- the boy that threatened his regime. Though they did sometimes meddle in his affairs, James and Lily Potter were not a threat to Voldemort- they were however in the way-serving as obstacles that prevented him from killing Harry.

When he entered their home James Potter was the first to get in his way- the first line of defence protecting Lily & Harry. However- James had one very big problem: He didn’t have his wand on him. The Potters were caught completely off guard because they never suspected that their location would be revealed - and that they would be betrayed by their secret keeper. Because he didn’t have his wand, he was no match for Voldemort- though I suspect that even with it Voldemort would have made quick work of him. James was a talented wizard- but not even close to the level of the dark lord. From there Voldemort began making his way toward Lily and baby Harry- still dead set on his goal of killing the boy.

[Voldemort] was over the threshold as James came sprinting down the hall. It was easy, too easy, he had not even picked up his wand ...

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off -"

Hold him off, without a wand in his hand! ... He laughed before casting the curse ...

"Avada Kedavra!"

Though Voldemort did not give James the same luxury, when he approached Lily he gave her an opportunity- a chance to step aside- a way to live. He explained that if she simply stepped away and let him have Harry, that he would spare her life. This was at the request of Severus Snape who loved LIly and likely deeply regretted relaying the prophecy to Voldemort. Unsurprisingly, however, Lily did not allow Voldemort to have her son- and refused- this lead to Voldemort murdering her with the killing curse.

With both parents out of the way it was time for baby Harry- the boy who threatened his power- to go. Wasting no time, Voldemort fired a killing curse at Harry- but what happened next changed the course of wizarding history. Rather than Harry dying, the killing curse rebounded back at Voldemort, destroying him..For a time. However, tragically, this date not only marked the destruction of Voldemort, but the destruction of the Potter family as well.

Without drilling down in to it too much, baby Harry was protected from Voldemort because of Lily’s loving sacrifice- her sacrificial protection. In Harry Potter- it’s commonly expressed that love trumps all other manners of powerful magic- and in this instance that power was truly showcased in its totality- stopping the dark lord in his tracks.

However, I’ve always wondered one thing- why didn’t James’s loving sacrifice protect LILY?
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Видео Why James Potter's Loving Sacrifice Didn't Protect Lily from Voldemort - Harry Potter Theory канала Harry Potter Theory