Oryx again. woman_ironing said: While not presenting us with a neat morality HP does suggest something to help us negotiate the labyrinth - choose love not power.
I disagree. Dumbledore got caught up in choosing power because he chose love. Later he attempted to choose neither (though IMO the position of teacher of a required subject in the probably only magical school in the country is more powerful than the position of Minister). In OOTP his plan failed because he let himself be distracted by love. On the tower he believed love caused his plan to go astray (by giving Draco the opportunity to disarm him) but eventually it worked better than intended (by starting the chain of events that gave Harry the mastery of the wand). I don't see a consistent message of love vs power. Sometimes they go together (for better or for worse), sometimes they are in conflict. Love in itself isn't an absolute good. Bellatrix and Barty Jr loved Voldemort rather selflessly as things go. And as raisin_gal already demonstrated often love in the Potterverse leads to disaster (especially if it is pursued openly between fully human members of the same sex).
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Date: 2008-07-07 12:06 am (UTC)woman_ironing said: While not presenting us with a neat morality HP does suggest something to help us negotiate the labyrinth - choose love not power.
I disagree. Dumbledore got caught up in choosing power because he chose love. Later he attempted to choose neither (though IMO the position of teacher of a required subject in the probably only magical school in the country is more powerful than the position of Minister). In OOTP his plan failed because he let himself be distracted by love. On the tower he believed love caused his plan to go astray (by giving Draco the opportunity to disarm him) but eventually it worked better than intended (by starting the chain of events that gave Harry the mastery of the wand). I don't see a consistent message of love vs power. Sometimes they go together (for better or for worse), sometimes they are in conflict. Love in itself isn't an absolute good. Bellatrix and Barty Jr loved Voldemort rather selflessly as things go. And as raisin_gal already demonstrated often love in the Potterverse leads to disaster (especially if it is pursued openly between fully human members of the same sex).