Love is super powerful in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2—after all, it's the only reason Harry's alive. His mother's sacrifice cast a protective charm on him that lasted until his seventeenth birthday, and it was definitely key in fending off Voldemort's Killing Curse.
Given all that, it's really no wonder that Dumbledore thinks love is basically the most important thing in the world. Whereas Voldemort is mostly fixated on death (or rather, avoiding death) and doesn't give a hoot about having love in his life, Dumbledore is of the mind that dying is really no big deal, but living without love in your life…well, that's a true tragedy.
Different strokes for different folks, we suppose, but we know which side we're on.
Questions about Love
- Which "love story" is the most powerful or compelling in the Harry Potter universe?
- Does Lily Potter's love still end up protecting Harry, when he tries to sacrifice himself to Voldemort?
- Do you think Snape loved Harry…you know, even while he hated him?
Chew on This
Lily Potter's love is obviously the most powerful example of love in the whole story—it protected Harry against a Killing Curse, for crying out loud.
Snape's love for Lily is the big game-changer in this story: If he hadn't loved Lily so much, Harry wouldn't be alive. Case closed.