[HPforGrownups] Harry the martyr/Harry the killer

[Margaret Dean]

No: HPFGUIDX 14007

Kimberly wrote:
 
> Ok, here goes.  All the silly stuff above was to work up my nerve to
> discuss something that I find somewhat difficult.  I've been reading
> in various threads over time, and I have noticed two main trends when
> discussing the possible defeat of Voldemort.
> 
> In the first, Voldemort is killed by Harry.
> 
> In the second, Harry dies in order for Voldemort to be defeated.
> 
> Both of these scenarios make me a bit queasy.  I know Voldemort is
> evil, and has to be defeated, but I'd hate for Harry to actually have
> to kill him.  I keep remembering his decision in PoA to stop Sirius
> and Remus from killing Pettigrew, and it makes me sad, because I
> thought he was so wise to make the decision he did.  I know it's
> different - I know that at the time Pettigrew was helpless, and not a
> threat to anyone, which means that killing him was simply revenge,
> and not self(or world)-defense, as it would be with Harry and
> Voldemort, but it still makes me terribly sad to think that Harry
> would have to kill someone, even if that someone is Voldy.
> 
> The second scenario, of course, is sick-making just because I love
> Harry so.  It would break my heart if he had to die.  On top of that,
> though, I think the messianic nature of that scenario is kinda creepy.
> 
> So anyway, what I'd like to know is, are there other major theories
> that I've missed?  Do most people feel that one of these two is what
> is going to happen? Which one?  Why?  How do people feel about it?
> Do these two possibilities freak anyone else out, or am I just too
> wimpy?
> 
> Any thoughts, ideas, rogue theories?

Well, let's think this out logically.  I assume we're all agreed
that Voldemort is not destined to =win,= right?  So he'll either
have to be killed or otherwise neutralized.  He could be reduced
to powerlessness like he was the first time (when he tried to
kill the infant Harry), but as we've seen, that was only a
temporary solution.  Magic leaves too many loopholes for him to
slip back through.

Another alternative for getting rid of villains is redeeming
them, so that they're not villains anymore.  Darth Vader in the
first Star Wars trilogy is a good example, switching sides at the
last moment because of his love for Luke.  (Of course, then he
also conveniently dies after killing the other major baddie.) 
Somehow I can't quiiiiiite see this happening in Voldy's case,
since he's never shown the least glimmering of affection or
loyalty toward anyone but his own sweet self (unlike Vader, who
was at least loyal to the Emperor) -- not even when he was Tom
Riddle, and certainly not now when he's become something that can
hardly even be called human.

So I think that Voldemort being killed is the most likely
possibility.  However, this doesn't necessarily mean that Harry
has to do it, or that Harry has to die in order for it to
happen.  (In fact, there have been enough remarks by JKR about it
not being =impossible= that she'd write more Harry books after
the seven, to make me think she doesn't plan to have him die at
the end of the series.)  It could be that someone else will kill
Voldemort in order to save Harry, and it wouldn't entirely
surprise me if =that= person died in the process.

Care to line up a few candidates?  <grinning evilly>

Pettigrew?
Sirius?
Ron?
Hermione?

Volunteers?


--Margaret Dean
  <margdean at erols.com>