Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures-Chapter 1470: Not a Predestined Prophecy
Defeating Voldemort with love — this was probably the most ridiculous thing of all. What was even more ridiculous was that it actually happened.
Voldemort’s downfall was mainly because he lacked love and didn’t understand what love was.
Therefore, Voldemort was doomed to fail.
At least, that was how Dumbledore saw it.
What could defeat Voldemort wasn’t any kind of magic, nor the secret treasure left behind by the Four Founders, but Harry’s love.
“Yes, Harry, you can love,” said Dumbledore, who looked as though he knew perfectly well what Harry had just refrained from saying. “Which, given everything that has happened to you, is a great and remarkable thing. You are still too young to understand how unusual you are, Harry.”
“Well, sir, I think I kind of understand now,” Harry sighed, feeling a little let down. “So, when the prophecy says that I’ll have ‘power the Dark Lord knows not,’ it just means — love?”
He had hoped this power would be something stronger, not something so vague and intangible as love.
What use was love, anyway?
It was absurd that he was chosen as Voldemort’s opponent because of this. Voldemort didn’t have love — but didn’t others have love, too?
“Yes, Harry — just love,” said Dumbledore slowly, looking at both Evan and Harry. “But you still don’t understand. Things are not as you believe them to be. I hope you two will never forget that what the prophecy says is only significant because Voldemort made it so, not that things were originally like this. I told you this before. Voldemort singled you out as the person who would be most dangerous to him — and in doing so, he made you the person who would be most dangerous to him!”
“But the prophecy says —”
“It’s not the prophecy, it’s Voldemort’s choice, Harry!” said Dumbledore, sounding impatient now. “You are setting too much store by the prophecy!”
“But you said that the prophecy is destined to be fulfilled, that is —”
“That’s not entirely true. If Voldemort had never heard of the prophecy, would it have been fulfilled? Would it have meant anything? Of course not! You two have been to the Prophecy Hall of the Ministry of Magic. Do you think every prophecy in the Prophecy Hall has been fulfilled?”
“Are there prophecies that don’t come true?” Evan interrupted.
“It’s not uncommon. What a prophecy sees is only one possible future — not something absolute. It doesn’t mean it will definitely happen. If the people mentioned in the prophecy don’t act according to it, then the prophecy itself loses all meaning.”
“Not acting according to the prophecy…” If that was the way to avoid the prophecy happening, it was too easy.
“I still don’t quite understand, sir. Last year, you said one of Voldemort and I would have to kill the other —”
“Harry, Harry, only because Voldemort made a grave error, and acted on Professor Trelawney’s words! If Voldemort had never murdered your father, would he have imparted in you a furious desire for revenge? Of course not! If he had not forced your mother to die for you, would he have given you a magical protection he could not penetrate? Of course not, Harry! Don’t you see? Voldemort himself created his worst enemy, just as tyrants everywhere do! Have you any idea how much tyrants fear the people they oppress? All of them realize that, one day, amongst their many victims, there is sure to be one who rises against them and strikes back! Voldemort is no different! Always he was on the lookout for the one who would challenge him. He heard the prophecy and he leapt into action, with the result that he not only handpicked the man most likely to finish him, he handed him uniquely deadly weapons!”
“But —”
“It is essential that you understand this!” said Dumbledore excitedly. “By attempting to kill you, Voldemort himself singled out the remarkable person who sits here in front of me, and gave him the tools for the job! It is Voldemort’s fault that you were able to see into his thoughts, his ambitions, that you even understand the snakelike language in which he gives orders, and yet, Harry, despite your privileged insight into Voldemort’s world (which, incidentally, is a gift any Death Eater would kill to have), you have never been seduced by the Dark Arts, never, even for a second, shown the slightest desire to become one of Voldemort’s followers!”
“Of course I haven’t!” said Harry indignantly. “He killed my mum and dad!”
“That’s right. You are protected, in short, by your ability to love!” said Dumbledore loudly. “The only protection that can possibly work against the lure of power like Voldemort’s! In spite of all the temptation you have endured, all the suffering, you remain pure of heart, just as pure as you were at the age of eleven, when you stared into a mirror that reflected your heart’s desire, and it showed you only the way to thwart Lord Voldemort, and not immortality or riches. Harry, have you any idea how few wizards could have seen what you saw in that mirror? Voldemort should have known then what he was dealing with, but he did not!”
It turned out that this was love, a powerful energy that Harry had but Voldemort had not.
Evan nodded, half-understanding. Harry was still a bit puzzled, but Dumbledore seemed ready to continue.
“But he knows it now, Harry. You have flitted into Lord Voldemort’s mind without damage to yourself, but he cannot possess you without enduring mortal agony, as he discovered in the Ministry. I do not think he understands why, but then, he was in such a hurry to mutilate his own soul, he never paused to understand the incomparable power of a soul that is untarnished and whole.”
“The splitting of the soul seems to make Voldemort more powerful and gain immortality, but it actually weakens him?” Evan asked.
“Yes,” Dumbledore nodded.
“So he wants to turn himself into an evil god, to gain power beyond human imagination. It looks like he becomes stronger, but in reality, he becomes more fragile?” Evan pressed. “Is that right, sir?”
“I believe so. Evil gods may seem incomprehensibly powerful, but they are confined to another realm. Herpo the Foul once transformed himself into such a being, but Slytherin defeated him with ease and split his body into three parts.” Dumbledore paused briefly before continuing, “All of this shows us that evil gods are not invincible; they also have their weaknesses. On the path of Dark magic, Voldemort may have gained much, but what he gave up was far greater.”
“But, sir, I mean…” said Harry, making valiant efforts not to sound argumentative, “I understand everything you’re saying, but, it all comes to the same thing, doesn’t it? I’ve got to try and kill him, or —”
“Got to?” said Dumbledore. “Of course you’ve got to! But not because of the prophecy! Because you, yourself, will never rest until you’ve tried! We all know it! Well, let me give you an example to make this easier to understand. Imagine, please, just for a moment, that you had never heard that prophecy! How would you feel about Voldemort now? Think!”
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Chapter 1470: Not a Predestined Prophecy
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