The Boy Who Lived: A Scientific Explanation
From
Michael Swanwick's book, The Iron Dragon's DaughterA,
we get the concept of a |True Name. A True Name is not the name you were given,
i.e. Tom Riddle, nor is it the name you took for yourself, i.e. Voldemort. A
True Name is the name that you are assigned even before conception, that shapes
your destiny. (Yes, destiny does have a shape.) you cannot choose your
true name, nor, as the analogy is often put, does it choose you. Everyone has a
true name. It is arbitrary and irreversible.
In
the Upper World (which is, as any mageologistB
will know, the source of all magic), True Names are given as simple,
easy-to-understand words. Some very common true names are Apollidon[1],
Tetigistus[2],
and Kunosoura[3].
However, in the Lower World, the world in which most witches and wizards live in, True Names are complex strings of mathematical equations, incomprehensible to anyone who has not spent a very long time studying both n-dimensional calculus, metaphysics, and quantum mechanics.
These strings are, in fact, comparable to AI computer programming. A person that starts with a true name will NOT deviate from it, no matter what. They may lead a life different from all others, past and present, who have shared that name, but they will never deviate from their fate.
Some brave souls have actually tried to catalogue True Names, to divine the fate of those who share a True Name. This is easier than you would think. One example: The name Dionysia indicates a life pattern of longing, jealousy, denial, revelation, and acceptance. This will be explored further in a later story.
It is almost impossible for two people with the same True Name to meet. They move on separate superstrings, never knowing of each other's existence, but living the same lives, with few variations.
However, sometimes it transpires that two people with the same True Name will meet. This is very, VERY, VERY rare, however. There have been, as of yet, only three documented cases. Two of them are lost in the mists of time, and the third one was that of Harry Potter and Tom Marvolo Riddle, a.k.a. Lord Voldemort.
The lives of Harry Potter and Voldemort are now inextricably intertwined. They have ceased to move on separate superstrands; the very fact of their existence is tainted by the other.
The upshot of all this information is a surprisingly simple fact. Harry and Voldemort are now locked in a bind to eliminate each other. Reality will fluctuate and lock itself into a series of rapidly spiraling coincidences if the lives of either extend past their projected time, and in fact, the process has already begun.
Unfortunately, neither of them will survive. The fact is that their true names have both reversed in n-space, and become antipodes of each other. This is a result of sharing the same superstring. Any given superstring cannot support the metaphysical weight of two true names at the same time, and would soon unravel, subsequently wrapping itself around other superstrings and binding them on a frenzy of coincidences. Therefore, the two bearers of the antipodal true names must nullify each other.
The practical upshot of this is that very soon, Harry and Voldemort will have a huge final showdown. The effect of this:
Harry Potter and Voldemort will die at the exact same instant.
[1] A derivative of Apollo, the sun god. Literally, means "spawn of Apollo."
[2] Comes from Latin, tetigisti. Literally means "needle."
[3] Means "dog's tail". Sanskrit, from the words kuno, dog, and souro, tail.
A An extremely good book. I heartily recommend it to anyone looking to understand the theory of magic.
B A mageologist is one who studies the theory and science of magic. I am a mageologist.