Hey everyone,
Welcome to another instalment of Harry Potter Theory.
Today, we’ll be discussing the topic of sacrificial protection in the wizarding world
of Harry Potter and the potential reasons why this “counter-charm” doesn’t seem
to be used more frequently against fatal spells like Avada Kedavra.
To begin with, sacrificial protection is an ancient form of powerful magic, often referred
to as a “counter-charm”—which, to be quite honest, makes it sound rather less powerful
than it actually is.
As rare as it is old, this particular brand of magic appears to come to a witch or wizard’s
aid rather unintentionally.
Simply put, when a witch or wizard chooses to forfeit their life in exchange for the
life of someone they love, the spell works its magic, initially shielding their loved
one from immediate harm and then forming an incredibly strong and long-lasting protective
after-effect.
As dying in an effort to save another person’s life is seen as the ultimate sacrifice by
many, it’s no surprise that this particular spell has been known within some communities
of the wizarding world as “the ultimate protection”.
One that may seem rather familiar…
Of course, this familiarity is due to the fact that—as many of you will remember—the
sacrificial protection counter-charm is the very spell that saved Harry Potter’s life
as an infant.
In fact, it was the ONLY reason he was able to survive Voldemort’s Killing Curse and
become “The Boy Who Lived”.
For, at the mere age of one, Harry was able to walk away from the Avada Kedavra curse
thanks in no small part to his mother, Lily Potter, choosing to willingly sacrifice her
own life in an effort to protect her son.
From what we know, on that cold and dark evening in 1981 on October 31st, in the Potter’s
home in Godric's Hollow, Voldemort came hunting for Harry—known only to him as the infant
wizard prophesied to be his downfall.
And, although Lord Voldemort was the most powerful dark wizard of his time, he never
could have anticipated just how disastrous his attempt to murder a young ch*ld would
turn out to be.
Knowing that they were being targeted by Voldemort, the Potters invoked the Fidelius Charm, which
was meant to keep their location concealed from the Dark Lord.
Tragically, the Potters’ Secret Keeper and supposed friend, Peter Pettigrew, betrayed
them, sharing how to find the family with Voldemort.
The Dark Lord stormed the house, and came upon James first.
Desperate to protect his family, James stood his ground between Voldemort and his wife
and ch*ld.
But the Dark Lord was easily able to take down James Potter with the Killing Curse,
swatting him away like an insect with the flick of his wand.
Then Voldemort came face-to-face with Lily Potter—who was all that stood between the
Dark Lord and his target.
Lord Voldemort commanded her to “stand aside”—which, of course, she did not.
What happened next was beyond anyone's expectations.
Despite Lily’s refusal to get out of the way, Voldemort cast his Avada Kedavra curse
as he had done so many times before—killing countless other powerful witches and wizards,
including James Potter just minutes before—and yet, this time, Lily—desperate to save her
baby boy—threw herself in front of Harry to protect him.
And protect him she did.
Her act of throwing herself in between her ch*ld and the Avada Kedavra curse invoked
the ancient magic of the sacrificial protection spell, which then bounced the Killing Curse
back to the Dark Lord, rendering him a shadow version of himself for the better part of
the 10 years that followed.
But how did this happen?
And why didn’t James’ protective actions bring about the same type of age-old magic?
I mean, he was also attempting to shield his loved ones from harm by standing between Voldemort
and his family.
So why was he killed instantly, with no repercussions for the Dark Lord, when Lily’s actions—while
yes, they resulted in her death—also brought down Voldemort, one of the most powerful wizards
of all time, AND left her baby boy unscathed?
And if sacrificing yourself for another whom you care deeply for could save their life,
why is it that more witches and wizards don’t perform this act of protection?
Wouldn’t it stand to reason that, if put into that type of situation, almost every
mother or father would choose to die in exchange for saving the life of their ch*ld?
Especially since the effects of this magic seem to have an incredibly long-standing effect.
For example, due to Lily’s sacrifice, Harry was able to receive protection from Voldemort
just by living with one of his mother’s blood relations—her sister Petunia Dursley.
So, if sacrificing yourself for your ch*ld, spouse or loved one could offer them that
type of incredibly powerful and effective protection, why don’t more people use this
counter-charm?
Well, as mentioned earlier in the video, not one person has the power to actually wield
or cast the sacrificial protection spell on their own.
Rather, the ancient magic seems to appear when it “detects” a sacrifice.
But that still doesn’t explain how it is that so many dark witches and wizards like
Voldemort have been able to kill countless families without the sacrificial protection
counter-charm coming into effect?
Surely, there have been innumerable sacrifices made by witches and wizards attempting to
save a loved one's life in the face of death.
Well, as it turns out, it may be the fact that Lily had a CHOICE to, as Voldemort put
it, “step aside” that brought about this particular brand of ancient magic.
Now, whether he asked her to get out of the way due to Severus Snape’s desperate plea
for the Dark Lord to spare her life, or because Voldemort simply wanted to eliminate Harry
as fast as possible is somewhat unclear.
But what IS clear is the fact that she could’ve used that moment to run for her life.
She COULD have tried to escape or fight back—she may not have made it—BUT she could have
tried.
Instead, she chose to stay.
And not only to stay, but to die.
Lily Potter did not run or cast a spell in an effort to save herself, instead, she did
what some may view as the exact opposite—she intentionally stepped in front of the Killing
Curse to sacrifice her life in an effort to save her son from harm, even if she thought
he may be killed immediately after her.
She CHOSE to stay and die, despite the odds that her sacrifice wouldn’t make any difference—all
she could think about was shielding her son in that moment.
And, as destiny would have it, it was that very choice to die when her life was not in
jeopardy that indeed made ALL the difference.
So, now we have a better understanding of why the sacrificial protection spell doesn’t
take effect more often.
HOWEVER, in situations where a family member COULD choose to save a loved one instead of
trying to escape a fatal situation themselves, why is it that we don’t hear more about
sacrificial protection occurring throughout the wizarding world?
As I mentioned, wouldn’t it stand to reason that most families—especially parents—would
sacrifice themselves in an impossible scenario if they knew with almost complete certainty
that their death would result in their loved one being irrevocably protected from that
threat?
Well, in this case, I think the answer can be chalked up to the fact that this ancient
form of magic, while incredibly powerful, is also quite unknown to the modern magical
world.
In The Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore explains how even Voldemort underestimated the power
of this type of magic, saying to Harry:
“You would be protected by an ancient magic of which he knows, which he despises, and
which he has always, therefore, underestimated – to his cost.
I am speaking, of course, of the fact that your mother died to save you.
She gave you a lingering protection he never expected, a protection that flows in your
veins to this day.”
Voldemort even expresses himself how he had forgotten about this type of ancient magic.
And he was a wizard who had left almost no stone unturned when it came to powerful spells—dark
or otherwise.
So, if even the Dark Lord had little knowledge of the sacrificial protection counter-charm,
it stands to reason that the majority of the wizarding world probably knew nothing—or
very little—about it.
There’s also the fact that this type of ancient magic has been described as being
rather unpredictable.
J.K.
Rowling herself has admitted that the effects of the sacrificial protection spell weren’t
an exact science, and it seems as though this brand of magic heavily relies on the intentions
of the witches or wizards involved in invoking the counter-charm.
And, with that, we’ve come to the end of another video!
What did you think?
Why do you think this type of magic isn’t used more often?
Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Until next time…remember
"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."