Upcoming deaths, Dumbledore

[Caius Marcius]

No: HPFGUIDX 22404

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., pigwidgeon37 at y... wrote:
> Moey wrote:
> 
> >I think there's almost no chance Dumbledore will live through 
this. 

> <<Agreed.>
> 
> <Poor Albus. There was way too much foreshadowing in
> <GoF and I doubt Dumbledore lives past Book 6. 

While there is an intimation of his increasing age in GoF, we are 
also given glimpses of Dumbledore's full power - e.g., when he 
rescues Harry from Crouch Jr:

"At that moment, Harry fully understood for the first time why people 
said Dumbledore was the only wizard Voldemort had ever feared.  The 
look upon Dumbledore's face as he stared down at the unconscious form 
of Mad-Eye Moody was more terrible than Harry could have ever 
imagined.  There was no benign smile upon Dumbledore's face, no 
twinkle in the eyes behind the spectacles.  There was cold fury in 
every line of the ancient face; a sense of power radiated from 
Dumbledore as though he were giving off burning heat." 

Later in Chap. 34 in his confrontation with Fudge, Harry again notes 
that Dumbledore "seemed to radiate that indefinable sense of power." 

This gives the sense that Dumbledore is gathering up powers of 
collossal dimensions to battle Voldy, not that he's having himself 
measured for pine boxes. I agree that Dumbledore will perish, but 
he's too pivotal to the story to go until Book Seven.  On a narrative 
level, Dumbledore holds so many secrets (why does he trust Snape? 
What was that triumphant look about?); I think JKR will prefer to 
withhold an answer to many of these till the end to maintain suspense 
and mystery.

I no longer think Hagrid is going to die. As the most overtly 
emotional of the major characters, he will have to be on hand to lead 
the victory celebrations over Voldemort (keg of ale in hand), and the 
loudly mourn the deaths of the sacrificial heroes.

Sirius: Sirius will survive until Book Seven, but not past. The 
arguments that it would be "too terrible" to kill him remind me of 
the criticism sometimes leveled against King Lear, that the death of 
Cordelia makes the play too unbearably tragic.  Sirius has too many 
strikes against  him, pursued by both Voldemort and MOM (with a 
Dementor's Kiss waiting for him either way). Even the Muggles are 
hunting him! It seems to me that the dream of Harry to live with his 
godfather is one of those "too good to be true" fantasies which 
derives its poignancy from its increasing unlikelihood.

  - CMC (a dark ray of non-hope)