then it occurred to me that it was probably only important that he believed he had to sacrifice himself
I don't think it was so much that he had to believe he had to sacrifice himself, as that he was willing to risk death, if that risk was necessary in order to kill off the fragment of Voldemort's soul that had lodged within him. There is a crucial difference: the one makes sacrifice itself "redemptive" or "effective," whereas the other makes love the "redemptive" or "effective" force that makes the difference. Willingness to risk or sacrifice thus becomes a consequence of love, but it is love, not loss, that has the power.
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Date: 2007-07-27 12:52 am (UTC)I don't think it was so much that he had to believe he had to sacrifice himself, as that he was willing to risk death, if that risk was necessary in order to kill off the fragment of Voldemort's soul that had lodged within him. There is a crucial difference: the one makes sacrifice itself "redemptive" or "effective," whereas the other makes love the "redemptive" or "effective" force that makes the difference. Willingness to risk or sacrifice thus becomes a consequence of love, but it is love, not loss, that has the power.