MISTI-Con 2019

“It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” “The weapon we have is love.” These two lines set up the entire Harry Potter series, and establish two not magical, but rather human, powers as the most important in the story. Perhaps no other parts of the series emphasize that more than the lives of Snape and Dumbledore. In this presentation, I explore how the two of the most iconic and controversial characters are shaped by the powers of love and choice in parallel and yet opposite ways.