Why did Voldemort give Lily the chance to live?

I tried searching for this, but the search function doesn't seem to be working. I apologize if this has been brought up in the DH area.

I would like to resurrect an old question, but from a new point of view.

We now know that Voldemort gave Lily the option to live, presumably because Snape asked him to spare her life. But Dumbledore has also made it very clear that Voldemort thinks of only himself, and has very little regard for his followers. Giving Voldemort the portion of the prophecy obviously garnered Snape some brownie points, but do you really believe Voldemort would take that into consideration when he was going to stamp out the one person who would be his downfall? Think of how much time and effort that Voldemort has put into making sure he wouldn't succumb tot he frailities of death. Do you really think he would allow a schoolyard crush get in the way of his immortality?

Isnt this explained by Voldemort himself? in the final confrontation, Voldemort says to Harry "he desired her thats all" and I'm guessing Voldemort was in a good mood. Voldemort is alot like a dictator, they can be so horrible on one side, yet when they feel like it can be the nicest person ever. when Voldemort is adressin everyone he says "I have respect for the Teachers of Hogwart's" and I believed him....

I don't think it really mattered to him either way. He gave Lily the option of living as a reward to his right-hand man for bringing him such valuable information, but he wasn't at all bothered by killing her when she refused to move, so no, he didn't allow it to get in the way of his immortality.

It's not unusual from what I've read of general history for a dictator/tyrant to reward faithful service generously, and punish failure swiftly.

Basically Severus asked him to spare her because of his love for her. I am not sure why Voldemort was trying to do as Severus wished, but i guess Voldemort had a lot of respect for him.

Maybe he saw it as keeping the underlings happy. Snape - as far as he was concerned - was one of his most loyal supporters, no doubt he agreed to giving Lilly a chance to keep Snape on side.

ehm...What I think is that as long as Snape was at the time his top of the tops servant,he could fulfill that little tiny thingnhe asked for,right?

Voldemort tried to spare Lily cuz of Snape's request, still, his ruthless personality didnt even give Lily a chance to fight, and he killed her. Though Harry had gotten the protection as a result, and thus Harry Potter was born.

I think Snape earned some brownie points. That's all. I think Voldemort, in an attempt to bring Snape even closer, agreed to try to spare Lily. But at the same time, he had no hesitation about kiling her in the end.

Little did he realise that it would really bring about his own downfall, hmm?
*chuckle*

I don't think it really mattered to him either way. He gave Lily the option of living as a reward to his right-hand man for bringing him such valuable information, but he wasn't at all bothered by killing her when she refused to move, so no, he didn't allow it to get in the way of his immortality.

It's not unusual from what I've read of general history for a dictator/tyrant to reward faithful service generously, and punish failure swiftly.

I agree, but I also think that he knew by just outright killing her he could potentially lose Snape who had proven himself to be of value to the Dark Lord, so in offering to let her live Voldemort was trying to secure Snape's loyalties to him.

Maybe he saw it as keeping the underlings happy. Snape - as far as he was concerned - was one of his most loyal supporters, no doubt he agreed to giving Lilly a chance to keep Snape on side.

That's how I see it. And it's not as if there was nothing in it for Voldemort. Snape was already working as a professor at Hogwarts at the time and had easy access to Dumbledore, and Voldemort was endeavoring to take over the wizarding world, including the school. Voldemort likely felt it was worthwhile to grant Snape's request. That way, with the prophecied child out of the way, Voldemort could move on to his next plans, utilizing Snape's position at Hogwarts to off Albus and take over the school. Of course, Lily refused to step aside and he killed her anyway, which serves as our first example of Voldemort's inability to understand love.

Voldemort doesn't understand love, but what he understands perfectly well is the fact that people are so much easier to blackmail when they have someone they care for.

Severus Snape must have appealed to Voldemort, and if for one simple fact only - his heritage resembling Voldemort's own. That this one cared for something like this can be seen by the fact that he chose Harry over Neville when deciding who was meant by the prophecy. Apparently, young Snape was extremely talented, he was bound to make it far as a Death Eater. So if this young aspiring man asks for the life of his school sweetheart, Voldemort might have thought, "Stroke of luck! -
1. 'rewarding' Severus with the woman he fancies would make this one grateful. Always a good thing in my supporters (once in a while, I want someone I haven't beaten into submission)
2. as soon as the young man 'has found himself a bonny lass', he'll never go astray again - because if he does, he'll know that I (Voldemort) know whom he cares most for, and that I'll set heaven and hell in motion to take revenge by murdering that loved person if my follower disappoints me.


Of course - if that young woman is not cooperating, I don't care THAT excessively much that I gave my word to spare her. I haven't got all day, you know? Get a grip, Severus, and get yourself a new one and bloody stop snivelling around."

I don't think Voldemort ever knew Snape actually loved her. He would have thought it a weakness - this owuld have lowered his estimation of Snape and he would have been more likely to kill her just to remove the weakness.

No, judging by what LV said in that last battle, Snape almost certainly downplayed his feelings when requesting it: something like "My lord, the Potter wench is someone I have long desired, as well as the wife of someone I have long loathed...could you see clear to sparing her so that I might...play with her?"

I can totally see LV being inclined to grant this, and it fits in with his perception that it was no big deal to Snape when it didn't work out.

I think it's great that in a way - it is all Snapes fault. Many people ask why Lily dying for Harry should grant such a magical protection, when mothers across the world do it every day: the answer is this - She was offered the choice to live. And that offer is completely thanks to Snape. Had he not loved lily and made the request, she would not have had a choice and baby harry would no doubt have been killed.

Severus pleaded with him

I've been wondering this as well. Like Dumbledore, I don't believe Voldemort would care at all about what someone else wanted. That's why I never bought the 'Snape loved Lily' theory. Voldemort offered to let Lily live because Snape asked him to? Nope - still don't believe that. Was Snape seriously all that important a Death Eater the first time around? I wasn't under the impression that he was.

However, I guess that must be the reason, since JKR said so. When we revisit Voldemort's memory of that night, though, we can see that he did treat that promise rather non-chalantly. 'She won't stand aside? Oh well - better to kill them all, anyway.'

I don't think it really mattered to him either way. He gave Lily the option of living as a reward to his right-hand man for bringing him such valuable information, but he wasn't at all bothered by killing her when she refused to move, so no, he didn't allow it to get in the way of his immortality.

It's not unusual from what I've read of general history for a dictator/tyrant to reward faithful service generously, and punish failure swiftly.


true, but she was a mudblood.. that bit confused me to be honest.

I don't see Voldemort ever understanding that Snape loved Lily (especially since he killed her anyway and believed that Snape thought there were worthier women).

But seeing as Snape did tell Voldemort about the prophecy, I'm guessing Voldemort was going to reward him for it, and Lily would be that reward. That fits in a little better with LV's character....He DOES give rewards, as we saw with Peter's silver hand. Though she was a Mudblood, LV did say he only likes to kill wizards or witches if needed, I guess because he wants them on his side. Snape might've told him Lily was very talented and would be useful.

I don't see Voldemort ever understanding that Snape loved Lily (especially since he killed her anyway and believed that Snape thought there were worthier women).

But seeing as Snape did tell Voldemort about the prophecy, I'm guessing Voldemort was going to reward him for it, and Lily would be that reward. That fits in a little better with LV's character....He DOES give rewards, as we saw with Peter's silver hand. Though she was a Mudblood, LV did say he only likes to kill wizards or witches if needed, I guess because he wants them on his side. Snape might've told him Lily was very talented and would be useful.
But look at that reward he gave Peter - it killed him in the end because he chose to show somebody a little mercy. Voldemort seems more like the kind of guy who would tell Snape he was going to give Lily an out, but not actually mean it. Do you think he felt some kind of affinity for Lily himself, beyond just what Snape asked? He may have felt some kind of attachment because of the loss of his own mother to death, which could also cause him to have started down this road to avoid death at all costs.

I don't think it really mattered to him either way. He gave Lily the option of living as a reward to his right-hand man for bringing him such valuable information, but he wasn't at all bothered by killing her when she refused to move, so no, he didn't allow it to get in the way of his immortality.

It's not unusual from what I've read of general history for a dictator/tyrant to reward faithful service generously, and punish failure swiftly.

The only reason I have a hard time accepting that he really did do it for Severus is when I think of how utterly merciless he was when it came to Severus in the end. But then again, I am beginning to think he really did figure out Snape wasn't on his side before he killed him.

Ok I did a search but nothing. Would love to be directed
So Lily was given a chance to stand aside by LV because Snape said so. It sounds so lame. I mean she was a "Mudblood" according to him so why even bother. I really thought it might be due to something else. as so did many. James was a pure blood and as we see in DH he tells Neville to give up because he was a pure blood but he doesn't do the same for James yet he does for Lily a muggleborn. I do hope I am making sense here.
What do you guys think

Given that Snape was one of his most trusted and favored servants, it makes sense that Voldemort would listen to his simple request and atleast make a frail attempt at keeping her alive, although he didn't try too hard.

It's not lame at all - it's old voldy know how to win supporters & manipulate people. If he'd presented Snape with Lily he'd have something huge on him - he didn't get the depth of feeling that was there (now there's a surprise) but Snape had (in Voldemort's eyes) been a loyal & trusted supporter - he wanted to reward him with something that didn't matter to him one way or another.

That's true. He kind of had to kill James, because he came to defend his family (even without a wand). But he did not have to kill Lily. She did not fight. So he could have spared her for the pleas of one of his most loyal and powerfull servants.

But in the end, I think, he did not want to spare her because he wanted to do something for Snape. I think, it was just cruelty. Forcing a mother to step aside and watch her son being murdered is just a thing, LV might "love" to do. And when she deprived him of that pleasure, he killed her. He could have stupefied her or magically pushed aside, but he just killed her. To me, that proves, that he had not intended to do Snape a favour, but just wanted to kind of play with the victim.

I thought it very lame.. voldemort doing some one a favour and considering his request is a laughable notion. And that too sparing a muggleborn.
i was expecting something about lily which made him give her a choice but lily herself turned out to be an anti climax in DH. she was just a tool for snape's story which was disappointing.

That's true. He kind of had to kill James, because he came to defend his family (even without a wand). But he did not have to kill Lily. She did not fight. So he could have spared her for the pleas of one of his most loyal and powerfull servants.

But in the end, I think, he did not want to spare her because he wanted to do something for Snape. I think, it was just cruelty. Forcing a mother to step aside and watch her son being murdered is just a thing, LV might "love" to do. And when she deprived him of that pleasure, he killed her. He could have stupefied her or magically pushed aside, but he just killed her. To me, that proves, that he had not intended to do Snape a favour, but just wanted to kind of play with the victim.

Agree! Plus Snape was his favoured servant, I think, and he would like to further have Snape maintain his faithfulness to him.

and he would like to further have Snape maintain his faithfulness to him
Precisely - it's like investing for the future, do one small inconsequential thing now - ensure more devotion from Snape & leverage for the future.

Also note that Voldemort said 'He desired her that's all' He probably thought that Snape would literally have his wicked way with her for a bit then cast her aside - either way it didn't matter to him

Ok I did a search but nothing. Would love to be directed
So Lily was given a chance to stand aside by LV because Snape said so. It sounds so lame. I mean she was a "Mudblood" according to him so why even bother. I really thought it might be due to something else. as so did many. James was a pure blood and as we see in DH he tells Neville to give up because he was a pure blood but he doesn't do the same for James yet he does for Lily a muggleborn. I do hope I am making sense here.
What do you guys think

Snape had delivered news of the prophecy to Voldemort and was a loyal Death Eater up until the point Lily was killed. I remember several times in the books reading that "The Dark Lord would reward his most loyal servants" and similar things. He said he would give Lily a chance of walking away, nothing more. Voldemort would have known that she wouldn't but he was making a token gesture towards someone he wanted to keep as a Death Eater.

I agree with the poster who said that Voldemort thought Snape only desired Lily (in that way ;)) and would soon tire of her once he had her. This is another example of Voldemort underestimating the power of love.

I find it very odd that Voldemort gave Lily a chance to live. He cares for no one- not even his Death Eaters - so surely he wouldn't have given a person he deemed a "mudblood" a shot to live just because Snape wanted him too. It doesn't make sense to me really, it just isn't in Voldemort's nature.

Voldemort probably didn't feel much difference from the situation with the child in the pumpkin costume (as he approached the house), he thought about killing the child but really didn't need to. He made a half hearted attempt to spare Lily but her refusal to move coupled with her having thrice defied him made killing her the simpler option.

He didnt have to kill lily. he could have just stunned her

He cares for no one- not even his Death Eaters
Ok you've got to think like Captain Jack Sparrow - it's all a matter of leverage. No he doesn't car for his Death Eaters but he does REWARD them. He knows how to keep people on side - with fear & giving them a little of what they want he has shown that a number of times. As well as it being a tool to use against Snape if the need arises.

He didnt have to kill lily. he could have just stunned her

Yes, and the whole point of the Harry Potter book series would be lost then...

Lol! that would have been an awfullly short series
Voldemort stunned Lily Potter, he stepped over her unconcious body & turned is wand on the child in the cot. With a flash of Green light the child was dead.

The End

Brilliant. A work of a literary genius right there.

*bows* why thank you. Do you think there £500million in it for me?

Easily! I'll wait in line all night for your book to come out.

Excellent - I'll hold you to that

I love the thought that he would have agreed to spare her because of the pain it would have caused lilly it would be kinda like sophies choice

LV would turn even on his most loyal followers without giving them a chance, so why should he do one of them a favour - I beleive, even if lily would have stood aside, he would have killed her just the same, as it would have reminded him too much of how his mother in his eyes had abandoned him.

So even though it is said, that she neednt have died, I think it is a pulling the wool over our eyes kind of thing. Plus the rumour about it that Jo intentionally put out got us all going didnt they? Made the circumstances around her death even more mysterious then they were.

nano

Ok I did a search but nothing. Would love to be directed
So Lily was given a chance to stand aside by LV because Snape said so. It sounds so lame. I mean she was a "Mudblood" according to him so why even bother. I really thought it might be due to something else. as so did many. James was a pure blood and as we see in DH he tells Neville to give up because he was a pure blood but he doesn't do the same for James yet he does for Lily a muggleborn. I do hope I am making sense here.
What do you guys think

I haven't read the other responses so forgive if I say the same thing someone else does.

He didn't give James a chance because I am sure Voldemort felt James was a blood traitor the same way they teased the Malfoys and Bella about Tonks marrying Lupin a werewolf. He at least gave Lily a chance because of Snape but she chose to die.

Its not so much being pure blood but also acting like it.

Interesting point to note. Snape Saves Harry's life one more time than the tally indicates.

Because Snape implores Voldy to spare Lily, when she is shielding harry voldemort tells her she doesn't have to die; he warns her.

In so doing, Lily is given the CHOICE to die protecting her son which Dumbledore explains is essential for the ancient magic that protects harry to take effect (as opposed to being murdered like James was and thus not inducing any such blood protection)

Perhaps im just grasping at straws because im such a huge fan of snape. Incidently, did anyone else notice that Harry was willing to die without telling anyone about Snape's true nature?

did anyone else notice that Harry was willing to die without telling anyone about Snape's true nature?

Acutally i had been wondering about this. I believe, because it was obviously Snapes wish (and because JKR set it up so that Harry saw Snapes memories on his own) that Harry never revealed the full truth about Snape.

I think that Harry would have vindicated Snape by telling everyone he was really working for Dumbledore, so that Snape's true part in the events were known but i don't believe that he would have told everyone why he turned against Voldemort in the first place. Dumbledore never did and Harry would have respected Snapes wishes so that the secret of Snapes love for Lily would die with Harry.

Interesting point to note. Snape Saves Harry's life one more time than the tally indicates.

Because Snape implores Voldy to spare Lily, when she is shielding harry voldemort tells her she doesn't have to die; he warns her.

In so doing, Lily is given the CHOICE to die protecting her son which Dumbledore explains is essential for the ancient magic that protects harry to take effect (as opposed to being murdered like James was and thus not inducing any such blood protection)
Wow, I never thought of that! I'm a huge fan of Snape too, so I'm glad you brought that up!

Incidently, did anyone else notice that Harry was willing to die without telling anyone about Snape's true nature?
Well, we know Harry came to understand and respect Snape for what he was and what he did since he named his child after him, but we don't know when exactly Harry came to feel that way. As Snape was dying, it says Harry felt nothing at all, and even after he sees the memories, I don't remember it saying anything about him coming to terms with what Snape did. Chances are, he didn't truly think and come to the realization that Snape was "the bravest man he ever knew" until after the final battle, when he had time to rest and reflect.

Plus he was in the middle of a war, and he knew what he had to do, and he knew he had to do it then. I hardly think Snape was the first thing on his mind after realizing he had to go sacrifice himself. I don't blame him. I wouldn't be thinking of a man who had mad my life living Hell, if I was facing death. Besides, I'm not sure many people would be listening, seeing as they were in the middle of fighting for their lives. What was Harry supposed to do, stand on a table and shout the truth to the Great Hall and hope he didn't get hit by a curse? It just wasn't the time or place.

Besides, Snape closed himself off from people when he was alive. It's fitting he stayed that way in death.

I think that Harry would have vindicated Snape by telling everyone he was really working for Dumbledore, so that Snape's true part in the events were known but i don't believe that he would have told everyone why he turned against Voldemort in the first place. Dumbledore never did and Harry would have respected Snapes wishes so that the secret of Snapes love for Lily would die with Harry.

I agree with you entirely. To be honest I don't think Snape would really have cared much for the glory and i believe that his wishes would not have changed with regard to his secret - his love for Lily.

However the issue still stands that Harry did not grant Snape's memory the acquittal it so justly deserved. I'm sure he would have eventually gone on to do so but the fact of the matter is that he couldn't be sure he was going to live. If he had died that 'vindication' would never have become manifest.

Wow, I never thought of that! I'm a huge fan of Snape too, so I'm glad you brought that up!
Plus he was in the middle of a war, and he knew what he had to do, and he knew he had to do it then. I hardly think Snape was the first thing on his mind after realizing he had to go sacrifice himself. I don't blame him. I wouldn't be thinking of a man who had mad my life living Hell, if I was facing death. Besides, I'm not sure many people would be listening, seeing as they were in the middle of fighting for their lives. What was Harry supposed to do, stand on a table and shout the truth to the Great Hall and hope he didn't get hit by a curse? It just wasn't the time or place.


Well put. Perhaps a note would have sufficed :P. I can see what you mean about the shock he had just been delivered and the realization that he had to sacrifice himself. I would have liked Harry to have acted differently but your right: you can't blame him.

However the issue still stands that Harry did not grant Snape's memory the acquittal it so justly deserved. I'm sure he would have eventually gone on to do so but the fact of the matter is that he couldn't be sure he was going to live. If he had died that 'vindication' would never have become manifest.

Hmmm you raise a good point, i seemed to be forgetting that at the time, Harry was expecting to die and would never have been able to vindicate Snape, my brain must be still in bed :hmm:

I suppose the memory was still in the pensieve in the headmasters office, it's possible if Harry had died that someone else would come along and see it. I agree with cityxstargazers as well, the shock of his situation probably forced everything else but the fact that he had to die out of Harrys mind at that point.

Let's get back on topic! :p

Snape had given Voldemort the prophecy: Voldemort probably felt that rewarding Snape was in order, as long as it was no trouble. (But it WAS trouble, so he went to him after the kill and told him he ought to pick some pureblood woman instead)

We've seen people rewarded by Voldemort before: Peter Pettigrew's silver hand. The LeStranges, praised and with a promise to honor them above all others: you notice that despite the family connection, Bellatrix was free from sharing in the Malfoy disgrace. I also believe (though there are other theories) that Voldemort taught Snape the Flight spell as a reward for killing Dumbledore.

Really, now: if Voldemort only slaughtered and abused his own people and gave them nothing in return, who would work for him? He'd have to worry that they'd all gang up on him.

Edit; sorry Inkwolf, I just saw your post.

Well put. Perhaps a note would have sufficed :P. I can see what you mean about the shock he had just been delivered and the realization that he had to sacrifice himself. I would have liked Harry to have acted differently but your right: you can't blame him.
Yeah, on one hand I would have liked to see Severus' name cleared, but maybe it was, who knows? JKR never specifically says. But even if it wasn't, it's kind of fitting. I think part of his redemption was that he died not trying to tell the truth to the world or ask for forgiveness. He died privately, giving Harry what he needed to. It was a private thing that should stay between them.

This was explained in the chapter where Snape give Harry the memories of his mother. Snape loved LIly and may have asked Voldemort to spare her. But since she refused to stand aside it ended up in her being murdered anyways. Something similar occurs when Harry goes into the woods to give himself up for the good of everyone. He willingly lets Voldemort hit him with AK and since he did not chose to fight back and willingly chose it he put a protection on his friends from Voldemort. IT is stated in the final battle when Harry is sorta taunting Voldemort.

It's not lame at all - it's old voldy know how to win supporters & manipulate people. If he'd presented Snape with Lily he'd have something huge on him - he didn't get the depth of feeling that was there (now there's a surprise) but Snape had (in Voldemort's eyes) been a loyal & trusted supporter - he wanted to reward him with something that didn't matter to him one way or another.

not a bad theory actually....

I think it was Volemort's way of bestowing a favor on a Death Eater who delivered the prophecy to him, thus ensuring his reign. The Death Eaters seem oftentimes obsessed with attaining his favor, and any small pittance of a gift he sends their way. I don't understand the psychology of it, but I think it's more a way of fostering a culture of fear and servitude rather than one of loyalty and love.

It's clear throughout the series that Voldemort rewards his followers. So, from Voldemort's perspective, if all that Snape wants as a reward is a Mudblood, why not? It costs him nothing to make a follower happy. He just thinks that Severus wants something a little...less noble from Lily.

I believe that in this question we have to put in perspective that that Voldemort was very different from this one - because for me is clear that after all he got himself through, after losing his power, body and followers and spending so many year to find a way back, he is now another Voldemort. So at that time, cosidering that Snape's gave him the profecy that could save his life, why not give what seemed to Voldemort a small reward - because I believe that even at that time love was something to laugh about for him. Killing James was easy, because he was a traitor to the pure bloods. Also, he didn't tried so hard to please Snape.

I understand what everyone is saying about LV wanting to reward his followers, but this still doesn't feel in character to me. Now if Snape had been present at the scene (or somehow watching it) I could see LV asking Lily to step aside. Without Snape there, I don't think LV would ask Lily anything, just kill her and then tell lie to Snape about it.

I believe that in this question we have to put in perspective that that Voldemort was very different from this one - because for me is clear that after all he got himself through, after losing his power, body and followers and spending so many year to find a way back, he is now another Voldemort. So at that time, cosidering that Snape's gave him the profecy that could save his life, why not give what seemed to Voldemort a small reward - because I believe that even at that time love was something to laugh about for him. Killing James was easy, because he was a traitor to the pure bloods. Also, he didn't tried so hard to please Snape.

I was just going to add to my previous post that maybe Voldemort was a bit more soft-hearted in those days.:lol:

I think that Voldemort rewards his "faithful" servants. Snape, afterall, did deliver part of the prophecy that was overheard.

Some reward Snape got, a nice bite to the neck from Nagini.

I understand what everyone is saying about LV wanting to reward his followers, but this still doesn't feel in character to me. Now if Snape had been present at the scene (or somehow watching it) I could see LV asking Lily to step aside. Without Snape there, I don't think LV would ask Lily anything, just kill her and then tell lie to Snape about it.


I think that, in Voldemort's viewpoint, it was little different from Grayback asking for Hermione. Except that he liked Snape much better.

Snape was one of his most valuable servants, so he probably figured this would be a reward. But he wasn't going to force Lily aside once she refused, he just did what he had to do and killed her.

He didnt have to kill lily. he could have just stunned her

He didn't have to kill her, no, but here's what he was thinking at the time:
Ch. 17, page 344 of the US edition:

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"
"Stand aside, you silly girl... stand aside, now."
"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead --"
"This is my last warning --"
"Not Harry! Please... have mercy... have mercy... Not Harry! Not Harry! Please -- I'll do anything --"
"Stand aside. Stand aside, girl!"
He could have forced her away from the crib, but it seemed more prudent to finish them all...

Voldemort gave her the chance, multiple times, in order to reward his servant... and since when has Voldemort ever seemed like a Stunning Spell kind of a person? :) He tends to think that anyone who gets in his way of doing something is better off dead.

Yeah, he didn't try very hard to save Lily. But then he could tell Snape he tried to save her, and she got in the way or something.

Question: If Lilys a "mudblood" and Harry came from Two wizard parents.. and one was this 'mudblood'

What blood status is he? Half maybe? But both his parents were wizards. Pure because two wizards? cant be because there was a mudblood in there.

Are we forgetting that James and Lily had defied Voldemort three times? Neville hadn't..that, and the fact that James stood in Voldemort's way defiantly, was reason enough to kill him. He had given Lily a very feeble choice, because Snape fervently requested it. Like someone else said, he still didn't try very hard. I don't think that is odd in the slightest.

To the post above...Harry can be considered a half-blood by some wizards, especially pure-blood crazy ones like Death Eaters/Voldemort/the Malfoys, or those who believe 100% pure blood and no blood treason makes one wizard better than the other.
Technically, though, he's not "half blood."

The only reason I have a hard time accepting that he really did do it for Severus is when I think of how utterly merciless he was when it came to Severus in the end. But then again, I am beginning to think he really did figure out Snape wasn't on his side before he killed him.

No i don't think it would occur to him that Snape would betray him. I think Voldy probably has to give his followers some "treats" like telling Bellatrix that she could get rid of tonks. He wants to reward them occasionally so they'll do his bidding.

I agree, Snape probably did work up some brownie points with Voldy, but it still seems a little far fetched that he would try to spare the life of a "mudblood" because one of his death eaters desired her so to speak. I just don't see Voldemort as the type of guy that gives a damn about someone elses wants.

There really isn't any other explanation though, besides Snape asking to keep her alive. Lilly was a talented witch though, maybe Snape said that she could be of help to him? Then again I doubt a "mudblood" would be too keen on killing other muggle borns....so that doens't make much sense. I don't know.

Actually, my view is quite different from that mostly expressed here.

Voldemort may not understand love, but he's not stupid (for the most part) and he has quite a good handle on what love can make people do.

Snape was already in his double-agent position at the time. He was the one person whose betrayal would be a real blow for Voldemort - well, it WAS a real blow for Voldemort. Voldemort would have known this.

So, I would think he would either do everything in his power to keep Snape happy, even if that meant letting someone like Lily, who he had more reason to kill than he had for most of his victims, live, OR he would know that he could never trust Snape again.

But he did kill her, and he kept trusting him. Doesn't make sense to me.

Isnt this explained by Voldemort himself? in the final confrontation, Voldemort says to Harry "he desired her thats all" and I'm guessing Voldemort was in a good mood. Voldemort is alot like a dictator, they can be so horrible on one side, yet when they feel like it can be the nicest person ever. when Voldemort is adressin everyone he says "I have respect for the Teachers of Hogwart's" and I believed him....I thought the same exact thing. He seemed so believable. He said he truly respected the Hogwarts staff, and any wizard that died during the battle will have been blood lost for no reason. No matter how evil he was, he seemed to have something about him where if he said something nice, you know he was being authentic (in those rare moments). It's funny that he spent his whole life killing for no reason (specifically muggles and people he saw a threat to him) and then in the last battle he seemed to not even want to kill anybody other than Harry. He let the Death Eaters do what they had to do, but all he cared about was Harry. He never wanted to be dominant himself, I think he just wanted the wizarding race to be the most dominant.

I don't think it really mattered to him either way. He gave Lily the option of living as a reward .

well said i think he would have spared her life as a reward

I agree with what some of you are saying here; it was a tradeoff. "Keep Snape happy", ya know? Voldemort figured that if he kept Lily alive, he would have Snape keep giving him the important info. I think so at least.

I do think Voldemort rewarded his supporters especially in the early days, but it just doesn't seem like he would bother with Snape's request. I could see him asking Lily to stand aside if Snape were present or somehow watching the scene, but not otherwise. I mean couldn't he have just killed her and then pretended to Snape that he asked? Does anyone think that Snape was good enough at reading minds that he could see if LV was lying? Maybe as someone said LV was just in a good mood that day.

He let her live because Snape asked her to in return for relaying information to Voldy.

He let her live because Snape asked her to in return for relaying information to Voldy.
Except he didn't actually, y'know, let her live.

I think he considered it because his only objection was to kill Harry due to the prophecy; he may have thought about Snape's request, but I doubt that he legitimately cared about allowing her to live. Dumbledore was right all along: Voldemort's main vulnerability was his failure to understand love.

He didn't reall care about killing James and Lily, that was all icing on the cake. With Harry gone, Voldemort would have no one left to challenge him. Thus, he could feasibly go in and honor Snape's request by letting Lily live as long as he killed Harry. But when she got in his why, Lily had to go

From Voldemort's point of view, he was simply trying to reward Snape's good work. Happy underlings = better results.


When she didn't move, he offed her, because he was impatient, and reasoned Snape couldn't want her that much, that Snape wouldn't mind her death if it was necessary to kill the boy.

oh, and couple that with the good mood he must have been in on that day, eliminating the only threat there would ever be to his immortality.

Snape asked for her not to be killed. What does LV do? He barely attempts at not killing her. He went for an AK instead of a simply Stupefy. By the time it had happened Snape had changed sides because he knew LV wouldn't save her.

I thought it was lame too, but then again, this is one of his most trusted servants, and the one who told him about the prophecy. Besides, he'd have something huge on Snape

I think it makes perfect sense for Voldemort to promise his loyal followers 'rewards', especially 'rewards' that they were denied previously under the 'old regime'. Snape probably pitched it as something like 'This mudblood denied me earlier, I want to have her! Let her live so she can be mine!' rather than as a 'I love Lily and want you to spare her life.'

Voldemort knew that Lily would never abandon Harry, so his little "chance" that he gave was merely a formality so he could at least tell Snape he gave her a chance, I think he was sure that Snape would understand and support him loyally, a win win situation in his mindset. We all know how his trust in Snape turned out though :)

Voldemort knew that Lily would never abandon Harry, so his little "chance" that he gave was merely a formality so he could at least tell Snape he gave her a chance, I think he was sure that Snape would understand and support him loyally, a win win situation in his mindset. We all know how his trust in Snape turned out though

I really don't think Voldemort knew Lily wouldn't let him have Harry. Voldemort is a physcopath. In his mind he was thinking oh well i'm giving her a chance to live why won't she take it? Then after a while of giving her a chance to live he was like why is she so selfish here I am giving her a chance to live if she will give me her baby and she said no! Voldemort's mind can't understand love and therefore he couldn't understand Lily's willingness to die for her son.

Well, a number of topics to address....

First - the "mudblood" issue. I don't think Voldemort actually believes all that nonsense about blood purity. It's his hook, the way he gets followers, but after all - Voldemort is half Muggle himself. Something he takes great pains to hide from his followers, because they would be horrified (like Bellatrix was in OoTP)

So I really don't think Lily's mudblood status is an issue. It might be if there were some Death Eaters around for Voldemort to posture in front of, but since he's there alone, he doesn't need to spout off any pureblood rhetoric. (Just like he doesn't bother to do that when he's alone in the Little Hangleton graveyard with Harry and Wormtail).

Second: Sparing Lily being out of character. Well, we don't really know what that Voldemort was like. We only know the re-born, deeply po'ed Voldemort. What we do know is that for the 11 years prior to the attack on the Potters, Voldemort was steadily gaining strength, and that the DE outnumbered the resistance 20 to 1. So it's entirely possible that Voldemort felt magnanimous in those days. He was winning, and in killing Harry, believed he would secure Wizarding World domination for all time.

Third: We do have evidence, in DH, that the Death Eaters use hostages to control people. Luna was taken to control Xeno, they attempted to kidnap Gran Longbottom to control Neville. From this standpoint, sparing Lily makes sense. Voldemort can only kill her once, after all, but he could threaten to kill her many times, and thus control Snape and ensure his loyalty for as long as Lily is alive (which, as it turned out, is exactly what did happen!)

Voldemort's mistake was in failing to understand that Snape would still love Lily, even after her death.

And finally this:

did anyone else notice that Harry was willing to die without telling anyone about Snape's true nature?

I understand what you are saying, but Harry had other issues on his mind at the time. He had to reconcile himself to his imminent death, for one. And he had to make sure that someone else knew about the need to destroy the snake. And Harry is reluctant to talk to anone about anything for fear that he will lose his nerve and not be able to sacrifice himself. It takes everything he has to talk to Neville about the snake.

Clearing Snape's name just wasn't a priority - and I don't know that it ought to have been. Snape did a great and brave thing for Harry's sake, but he also did a lot of cruel and horrible things to Harry, not the least of which is setting this whole thing in motion by telling the prophecy in the first place. I think it's impressive enough that Harry ever managed to come to terms with Snape, and respect him enough to name his child after him. To expect Harry to immediately forgive Snape AND spend his last living moments on earth clearing Snape's name is just asking way too much, even of Harry Potter.

Even if Voldemort had let Lily live, would she have wanted to live? She'd just lost her one true love...her one and only son!

Snape wasn't a double agent yet at the time the Potters were killed. As we see in DH, he started working for Dumbledore after that, to protect Harry.

In "The Death Eaters," GoF, Voldemort tells his returning followers "and Lord Voldemort rewards his helpers." I don't think it's out of character for him to do something to bind his most valuable DEs to him.

I don't think it really mattered to him either way. He gave Lily the option of living as a reward to his right-hand man for bringing him such valuable information, but he wasn't at all bothered by killing her when she refused to move, so no, he didn't allow it to get in the way of his immortality.

It's not unusual from what I've read of general history for a dictator/tyrant to reward faithful service generously, and punish failure swiftly.

This is spot on, it didn't matter to him at all either way, he offered her a chance to live as a reward to Severus but wasn't going to go out of his way to ensure she did so!

I tried searching for this, but the search function doesn't seem to be working. I apologize if this has been brought up in the DH area.

I would like to resurrect an old question, but from a new point of view.

We now know that Voldemort gave Lily the option to live, presumably because Snape asked him to spare her life. But Dumbledore has also made it very clear that Voldemort thinks of only himself, and has very little regard for his followers. Giving Voldemort the portion of the prophecy obviously garnered Snape some brownie points, but do you really believe Voldemort would take that into consideration when he was going to stamp out the one person who would be his downfall? Think of how much time and effort that Voldemort has put into making sure he wouldn't succumb tot he frailities of death. Do you really think he would allow a schoolyard crush get in the way of his immortality?

I like your way of thinking there.

Voldemort gave Lily a chance because it was necessary to the plot. No other reason.

Voldemort is a psycho. He has a follower who is very loyal and brought him an important piece of information, but that follower is a half-blood. When the half-blood asks for a mudblood to be spared I would have expected Voldemort to AK Snape on the spot. That kind of blood traitor would not be tolerated. There were other death eaters he could have tried placing in Hogwarts.

Even if we accept that Voldemort made the promise, I cannot see him even attempting to fulfill it. I still would have expected him to walk into the room, AK Lilly and then Harry. When he got back it would ahve ben easy enough to tell Snape he offered Lily her life and she fought. Easy enough.

I think he was in a good mood. Because as Voldemort was walking to their house, he met 2 muggle children who said "nice costume mister!" to him, and voldemort thought of killing them, but he said it was unnesscary/couldnt be bothered and moved on. If voldemort was in a very bad mood he probally would have killed those 2 muggle children

I thought it was lame too, but then again, this is one of his most trusted servants, and the one who told him about the prophecy. Besides, he'd have something huge on Snape

I couldn't agree more. I mean I find it reasonable of Voldemort rewarding his Death Eaters, and above them all Snape who gave away the prophecy, but spareing a life? And we are talking about a muggleborn, very talented witch and possibly a trheat in later time!

Snape did ask LV to spare her...but i think LV just considered Snape's plea for a second at the actual moment when he actually went to kill Harry...LV was ready to kill her either way if she created a problem!

Its hard to believe that Riddle thought of sparing Lily, he does not know anything about love. He must have figured that out when Snape pleaded him. Anyhow I think he made two thinkings because he knew he must keep Snape happy in order so serve him, he is his best servant after all.

Basically Severus asked him to spare her because of his love for her. I am not sure why Voldemort was trying to do as Severus wished, but i guess Voldemort had a lot of respect for him.This is what I was thinking, it was at Snapes request that he gave her a chance.

Voldemort didn't need Lily to die - and since Snape requested it I guess he decided to give her a chance and keep his loyalty and devotion.

They must have discussed it afterwards - Voldemort told Harry when they duelled that Snape agreed that there were more deserving witches for him out there instead of Lily, which of course Snape could only agree to his face.

I think he did genuinely want to spare her for the benefit of Snape. This doesnt really fit as it has been said throughout the series that Voldemort doesa not care for anyone but himself, but I think Snape was(in Voldemorts eyes) a very loyal deatheater so perhaps he wanted to reward him.
However due to the fact that Voldemort then kills her without a second thought shows that he indeed has no heart, this is again expressed in the way he killed Snape.

The pre-fall Voldemort was on the upsurge. His side was winning, he thought he was about to destroy the last impediment to his immortality. He could afford to be generous to his loyal servants. We've seen how very talented Snape was; it made good sense for Voldemort to indulge him by saving a woman he fancied. Keeping Snape content and loyal was a good strategy move for Voldemort at that point. Voldemort, ignorant as he was of a mother's love, probably never imagined that Lily would do anything but hand Harry over to save her own life.

It's interesting to me that Voldemort sowed the seeds of his own destruction by agreeing to Snape's request. If he'd had even the slightest awareness of the power of love . . .

Voldemort didn't exactly go to great lengths to spare her though did he? It seems that at that time he didn't have quite the same ruthless longing to kill as the post-resurrection Voldy did - I think that was the purpose of the little boy who ran up to Voldy to compliment his "Hallowe'en costume", who Voldy deemed it unnecessary to kill, whereas the post-resurrection Voldy would have killed him without a backwards glance.

It was important to keep his followers loyal, so his one small attempt would have been worth it, if he hadn't killed Lily, because look what happened when he didn't honour Snape's wishes - he lost his loyalty, while his enemy gained a valuable spy.

Really, it's immaterial because he didn't let Lily live.

Voldemort didn't exactly go to great lengths to spare her though did he? It seems that at that time he didn't have quite the same ruthless longing to kill as the post-resurrection Voldy did - I think that was the purpose of the little boy who ran up to Voldy to compliment his "Hallowe'en costume", who Voldy deemed it unnecessary to kill, whereas the post-resurrection Voldy would have killed him without a backwards glance.

It was important to keep his followers loyal, so his one small attempt would have been worth it, if he hadn't killed Lily, because look what happened when he didn't honour Snape's wishes - he lost his loyalty, while his enemy gained a valuable spy.

Really, it's immaterial because he didn't let Lily live.


That's a very interesting point about the Halloween costume incident--good thinking!

I still think that if Voldemort had been more observant of love and its power, he might have tried a little harder to honor Snape's request. Why not do a full body bind or something non-lethal to get access to Harry? I know he never felt love himself, but it was only his own sheer arrogance that prevented him from observing it around him. He'd killed families before, surely Lily was not the first mother to try to protect her offspring. Of course Dumbledore was right, Voldemort would always underestimate the power of love, to his detriment.

But as you say, we wouldn't have much of a series if Voldemort had spared Lily!

From the 2007 Pottercast interview http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2007/1217-pottercast-anelli.html

Also, James and Lily turned him down, that was established in "Philosopher's Stone". He wanted them, and they wouldn't come over, so that's one strike against them before they were even out of their teens.

Now while this may be rather old news, it's certainly news to me.

Basically, this goes against everything that Voldemort stood for. Asking James isn't really that surprising or alarming, I mean, he's a pureblood. Snape, while a Half-Blood, is much more unusual.

However, this here is the biggest thing, which I am sorry to say that I just discovered a few minutes ago.

Voldemort asked Lily, a "muggle-born" to join him. Now, I assume that Voldemort probably knew that Lily was a muggle-born, though I'm not sure.

However, the fact that he wanted a muggle-born to join him, is mind-blowing to me. It goes against everything that Voldemort and his Death Eaters stand for, you know, blood purity and all that.

From the 2007 Pottercast interview http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2007/1217-pottercast-anelli.html



Now while this may be rather old news, it's certainly news to me.

Basically, this goes against everything that Voldemort stood for. Asking James isn't really that surprising or alarming, I mean, he's a pureblood. Snape, while a Half-Blood, is much more unusual.

However, this here is the biggest thing, which I am sorry to say that I just discovered a few minutes ago.

Voldemort asked Lily, a "muggle-born" to join him. Now, I assume that Voldemort probably knew that Lily was a muggle-born, though I'm not sure.

However, the fact that he wanted a muggle-born to join him, is mind-blowing to me. It goes against everything that Voldemort and his Death Eaters stand for, you know, blood purity and all that.

I had always thought that he didn't want her for a Death Eater. Voldemort wanted Lily because he wanted James.

As well as by "join him" I took it to mean that he wanted her loyalty, not her service necessarily.

That's a wonderful point. Never thought about that before. I think that eaglestreasure is right, and that Voldy wanted James, maybe figuring it'd be easier to get to him through Lily. Or something to that effect.

I always thought that the muggle born hatred was just a front. He needed some way to unite his followers. Voldemort was too intelligent to have petty biases, and would judge someone based on merit, skill, and loyalty. I'm sure he would have found a way around Lilies parentage had he been able to recruit her.

I think it has something to do with both James and Snape. She was friends with both guys. Snape was probably already a follower, and James was wanted to be a follower. Maybe Voldemort thought he had no choice but to include her, as well.

Lily was a very powerful witch. She was able to control her magic at a very young age, she was brilliant if school, and I have the idea that she was the one that casted the fidelius charm in her house. James was a powerful wizard too. He became an animagus at age fifteen, without any help but the one his friends gave him. HE was good at transfiguration, able in duels, he was sneaky and was very creative (the last two being the abilities of a prankster).

If we go to the root of things, Voldemort didn't want Pureblood supremacy. The way he dealed with the Malfoys and later Bellatrix, proves so. The Malfoys and Bellatrix had failed more than once, proving that they weren'r really so powerful. He wanted power. Power was what fascinated him, and both James, Lily and Snape were extremely powerful. So it makes sense to me that he wanted them in his team.

Voldemort's only cause was his own rise to power. He used pureblood prejudice as a means to get power, and if he thought that Lily, who was by all reports a powerful witch, could help him get more power, he would recruit her and gloss over her ancestry. Her affiliation with a powerful pureblood wizard like James was that much more of a draw, but since that came late in Lily's school career and we don't know when she was actually propositioned by Voldemort, it's entirely possible that Lily herself was enough. Her affiliation with Snape may have been the reason that Voldemort knew of her and her magical ability and wanted her as a follower in the first place.

That, actually, makes far more sense than the desire to have only a pureblood band of wizards on his side, yes. The desire for power is most definitely what Voldy followed more than anything else. In that sense, yes, I definitely agree that it was this desire to be powerful that made him not care whether or not his followers were pureblood or not.

I still think that it is possible she was a desire target because she was friends with James, and yes with Snape as well. Anhelda is probably right--it was most likely Snape who told Voldy about Lily in the first place. Voldy may have even provided Snape with some kind of incentive involving Lily at some point or another as a way to control him and eventually James.

I think it has something to do with both James and Snape. She was friends with both guys. Snape was probably already a follower, and James was wanted to be a follower. Maybe Voldemort thought he had no choice but to include her, as well. That is a good point. James loved Lily, and Snape loved Lily. Snape was already a follower but if Voldemort could pull Lily to his side, that would probably have cemented Snape's loyalties totally. James too was an increadibly powerful wizard. A genious in his own right, who could match Snape on every level. Lily would bring him in as well. However I don't think that this is the only reason.....

Lily was a very powerful witch. She was able to control her magic at a very young age, she was brilliant if school, and I have the idea that she was the one that casted the fidelius charm in her house. James was a powerful wizard too. He became an animagus at age fifteen, without any help but the one his friends gave him. HE was good at transfiguration, able in duels, he was sneaky and was very creative (the last two being the abilities of a prankster).

If we go to the root of things, Voldemort didn't want Pureblood supremacy. The way he dealed with the Malfoys and later Bellatrix, proves so. The Malfoys and Bellatrix had failed more than once, proving that they weren'r really so powerful. He wanted power. Power was what fascinated him, and both James, Lily and Snape were extremely powerful. So it makes sense to me that he wanted them in his team......This is what I think the real reason is. From the beggining of time there have been manipulators who would make a certain agenda into thier own, not because they believed in it, but because they knew that it would rally people around them. I have even heard theories that stated that Hitler had no problem with the Jewish people, but he used them as the perfect scapegoat for his rise to power. I am sure that it was the same with Voldemort.

Remember that he himself is also a Half-blood. I suspect that his beliefs on pureblood supremecy were mostly illusions that he crafted to bring in the support of those like the Malfoy family. Perhaps he believed them at one point (he did open the Chamber of Secrets while at school), and to an extent, but by the time he had matured into a full-fledged evil villian, he was intelligent enough to not let petty predjudices hinder him from bringing in the most powerful witches and wizards.

IMHO, I think it was really Voldemort's DEs who were most interested in blood, because blood dictated the way of life they thought they were defending. Voldemort was more concerned with gaining immortality, revenge, and power, and simply used blood-purity as his platform. Mainly, I think, he was interested in Lily and James because they were powerful and semi-influential.

IMHO, I think it was really Voldemort's DEs who were most interested in blood, because blood dictated the way of life they thought they were defending. Voldemort was more concerned with gaining immortality, revenge, and power, and simply used blood-purity as his platform. Mainly, I think, he was interested in Lily and James because they were powerful and semi-influential.
I agree wholeheartedly.

Voldemort had already demonstrated that his caring for the DE's was nothing beyond service and loyalty to him.

He really (IMO) used blood purity as a pretense for doing things, but it was never a core belief. As stated above by ignisia, he was much more concerned with horcruxes and immortality:tu:

I recall reading somewhere an interview with J.K Rowling. She said that Muggle-borns can be a Death Eater, but it's EXTREMLY rare. But I can't remember which interview. But I may be wrong?

I recall reading somewhere an interview with J.K Rowling. She said that Muggle-borns can be a Death Eater, but it's EXTREMLY rare. But I can't remember which interview. But I may be wrong?

You're not wrong--I remember that interview, now that you mention it, but I, too, forget which one it was.

You're not wrong--I remember that interview, now that you mention it, but I, too, forget which one it was.

I remember that one too!:clap:

Gosh dang it, now to find a link...

EDIT: Found a link!
"Snape’s ancestry is hinted at. He was a Death Eater, so clearly he is no Muggle born, because Muggle borns are not allowed to be Death Eaters, except in rare circumstances." JKRowling.com (http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/news_view.cfm?id=80)

Interview was from the Edinburgh Book Festival, 2004

I don't think Voldemort would want to have Lily on his side because she is a muggle born and that's what he was totally against. But it is also possible that he wanted Lily, but only to use her skills. Lily would have been very useful, seeing how she excelled in every subject she took. But Voldemort would have just killed her off in the end any way.

Voldemort wasn't using his hatred of Muggle-borns as a way to gain power though. The reason he hates Muggles and Muggle-borns so much is that his father left him in a horrible orphanage and left his mother to die when she stopped enchanting him and he realized she was a witch. His primary goal is immortality, due to his fear of death, secondary goal power, and tertiary goal is Muggle oppression/slaughter.

The problem with comparing Voldemort's rise to power with Hitler's is that Voldemort never won a position of power politically. Hitler scapegoated the Jews, sure, but because it was convenient. He used fiery speeches laced with propaganda and national pride to win an election in a nation slammed with sanctions after WWI. Inflation was so bad in Germany that children played blocks with stacks of paper money (the kind you see in suitcases in Hollywood movies.) Voldemort didn't have such tremendous national sympathy; there were pure-blood wizards who thought he was doing the right thing, but they weren't nearly as common as everyone else. Voldemort never won on a platform of Muggle-hatred. His rise to power was fiercely contested, not handed to him.

I always thought that the muggle born hatred was just a front. He needed some way to unite his followers. Voldemort was too intelligent to have petty biases, and would judge someone based on merit, skill, and loyalty. I'm sure he would have found a way around Lilies parentage had he been able to recruit her.

That almost makes him sound human...I think that you're right in saying it. Of course he would want to surround himself with the best and the brightest (kind of like Slughorn really, just for different reasons) but when it comes to the Muggle-Born Registration Committee in Deathly Hallows, I think it shows how little he really cares. You might notice how little personal involvement he has in the Committee, and this is because he doesn't care about it. It may be innocent lives, but he doesn't openly support it and participate. It was never about blood with him, it was about power. And Lily Evans was smart and adept. So she was really a prime choice for Death Eater.

And in response to FirstOne617, he did gain a position of power because he had Pius Thicknesse as his puppet, under the Imperius Curse.

I remember that one too!:clap:

Gosh dang it, now to find a link...

EDIT: Found a link!
"Snape’s ancestry is hinted at. He was a Death Eater, so clearly he is no Muggle born, because Muggle borns are not allowed to be Death Eaters, except in rare circumstances." JKRowling.com (http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/news_view.cfm?id=80)

Interview was from the Edinburgh Book Festival, 2004

Look at it this way... If Voldemort enlisted Fenrir Grayback dispite him being a werewolf which are known to be universally disliked by regular Wizards. He could have just as easily looked over Lilly being muggleborn. To Voldemort... Blood status isnt the most important thing in the world! Its who he can make use of...

The problem with comparing Voldemort's rise to power with Hitler's is that Voldemort never won a position of power politically. Hitler scapegoated the Jews, sure, but because it was convenient. He used fiery speeches laced with propaganda and national pride to win an election in a nation slammed with sanctions after WWI. Inflation was so bad in Germany that children played blocks with stacks of paper money (the kind you see in suitcases in Hollywood movies.) Voldemort didn't have such tremendous national sympathy; there were pure-blood wizards who thought he was doing the right thing, but they weren't nearly as common as everyone else. Voldemort never won on a platform of Muggle-hatred. His rise to power was fiercely contested, not handed to him.

Frankly, I think that the comparison to Hitler is quite apt, and it was the first thing that came to mind when I thought about this. First of all, I absolutely agree with the statement of Voldemort's goals in the quoted post. His first goal was immortality, which meant (at least to him) that he needed to kill Harry Potter. He found that this would be much easier to do from a position of power, which ties right into his secondary goal. I believe that power was just a means to immortality, and maybe after he acheived immortality, it would become his main obsession.

Anyway, in order to gain power, he needed to most powerful and ambitious members of the wizard society to join him. It so happened that the majority of these powerful wizards were pureblood "old money" wizards. So, he used the platform of anti-mugglebornism to unite them and ensure allegiance. Under Voldemort's wing was the only place they could be in order to exercise the prejudices that they already felt. To me, this is very similar to Hitler's placing Aryans on a pedestal and uniting the most powerful body of the population against the most vulnerable, as many non-Jewish Germans already mistrusted the Jews. The biggest difference between the two of them seems to be that the most powerful members of society were, in Hitler's case, the most numerous, and in Voldemort's case, those who held the most power individually. It also is important to note that Hitler was not a typical Aryan, just like Voldemort is not pureblood, but it doesn't really seem to matter to anyone.

Perhaps Lily was such a good witch he was willing to overlook her being a muggle-born. Snapes father was a muggle and to those who believe in blood superiority a muggle and muggle-born are basically seen on the same level. Of course he[Voldmort] cant real talk because his father was a muggle as well. We also know only Voldmort knew all the death eaters and what their blood status was.

I had always thought that he didn't want her for a Death Eater. Voldemort wanted Lily because he wanted James.

As well as by "join him" I took it to mean that he wanted her loyalty, not her service necessarily.

That doesn't even matter. The fact is, is that he wanted a Mudblood to be involved with his Death Eaters.

Even if it was just to have a powerful witch, there would have been chaos amongst the Death Eaters. Snape as a Half Blood isn't NEARLY as bad as having a mudblood in the ranks of the Death Eaters.

Voldemort might have lied about her parentage, but then again, he might have used her to keep Snape happy. Probably why he asked Lily to get out of the way originally instead of killing her at first.

But even so, I'm sure word would have gotten out about her lineage, and thus Voldemort would have to answer to some serious questions. For Voldemort and Snape, they are rather alike, except Snape was after a member of the opposite sex, while Voldemort wasn't. But even still, there is NOTHING that would have compared him to Lily at all.

Voldemort might have wanted James because he was powerful, but I thought he wanted Lily because Snape asked him to take Lily. Did Voldemort really know that Lily was Muggleborn? would that be something that Snape would actually tell him?

Even if it was just to have a powerful witch, there would have been chaos amongst the Death Eaters. Snape as a Half Blood isn't NEARLY as bad as having a mudblood in the ranks of the Death Eaters.

I agree. Voldemort's hatred of Muggleborns could have been just a a facade but even so he needed to keep up appearances or else his Death Eaters would leave him. Bringing a Muggleborn into their organization would have caused a rebellion and I might say even mutiny. No Death Eater would work for a lord who collaborates with Muggleborns, not even Bellatrix who worshipped him. This is why he kept his blood status a secret as well.
Besides, we had access to Voldemort's thoughts while he killed the Potters and he didn't think about recruiting Lily at all then or feeling sorry for having to kill her because she would have made a valuable follower.
And why is she considered such a powerful witch? All she could do was to stand there and beg for mercy when Voldemort came.