Dumbledore's Death (TBAY) (WAS Dumbledore's dispensibility)

[cindysphynx]

No: HPFGUIDX 39560

Christi wrote:

> Whoever said Dumbledore's death had to be violent?  I forget his 
> exact age, but the man's well past his centennial.  I could easily 
> see him dying of natural causes--it would almost be more tragic in 
> that way, to have nature take its inevitable course now, when he's 
> most needed.

Who says Dumbledore's death has to be violent?  *Who* says 
Dumbledore's death has to be *violent*!?!  Is that the question?  

Bangers, that's who!  ;-)

Oh, maybe those SWEETGEORGIANS will stand for Dumbledore's slow, 
tragic decline, complete with the swells of an irritating, overblown 
John Williams score.  Bangers want nothing whatever to do with 
this.  We want a real nail-biter.  Our FEATHERBOAS demand it!

Besides, canon *requires* that Dumbledore suffer a mind-blowing, 
violent death.  There's a pattern in the wizarding world as to how 
people die, you know.  Let's have a quick tour through the Harry 
Potter graveyard and see how characters meet their maker.  We'll 
focus on characters about whom we have lots of vivid detail as to 
how they died.

James -- blasted by Voldemort, desperately trying to defend his 
family as the house collapsed around him.

Lily -- blasted by Voldemort, begging for her life and shielding her 
son as the house collapsed around her.

Frank Bryce -- AK curse:  "His walking stick fell to the floor with 
a clatter.  He opened his mouth and let out a scream.  He was 
screaming so loudly that he never heard the words the thing in the 
chair spoke as it raised a wand.  There was a flash of green light, 
a rushing sound, and Frank Bryce crumpled.  He was dead before he 
hit the ground."

Bertha -- tortured until "her mind and body were both damaged beyond 
repair" and killed.

Cedric -- "Kill the spare", a blast of green light, and Cedric 
was "lying spread-eagled on the ground," his "open gray eyes, blank 
and expressionless as the windows of a deserted house."

Crouch Sr. -- killed by his own son, but we don't know how.  
Transfigured into a bone.

Mrs. Crouch -- knew she was dying.  Ultimately died a short while 
after entering Azkaban.

The Riddles -- AK curse, no other details know.

Voldemort's Mother -- died in childbirth.

Myrtle -- glimpsed a basilisk.

Don't even get me *started* on the Bloody Baron and Nearly Headless 
Nick.


Now, it seems that almost everyone rates a dramatic and violent 
death in the wizarding world.  Only poor Mrs. Crouch gets a death 
from natural causes, and that is probably only because JKR couldn't 
think of any other way to sell Mrs. Crouch's sacrifice to free her 
son.  Even Voldemort's mother probably left this world screaming in 
intense pain.  When people die in the wizarding world, things 
explode, buildings collapse, their souls are ripped from their 
bodies, they encounter an enormous serpent at the wrong time, there 
are lights flashing and swishing sounds.  Wizarding death is almost 
always *extremely* Bangy.

In the face of all of that, JKR is planning a death for Dumbledore 
from natural causes?  He's going to slowly deteriorate, scribbling 
out his will whereby he carefully decides who should get his 
Pensieve?  I can't get that scene to Bang.  Not even a little bit.

I can't see death by natural causes.  I just can't.  No, even the AK 
curse isn't good enough for Albus.  Albus is going to have to 
*suffer* a very inventive death right there where the Bangers can 
see it and enjoy it.

When Dumbledore goes out, he has to go down *swinging* and everyone 
has to be right there watching but unable to help.  Ideally, he'll 
save a few people on his way out, preferably Harry.  Any cliche at 
all for Dumbledore's death is fine by me.  He can be diffusing a 
bomb and can accidently cut the *red* wire, if you like.  Just so 
long as Dumbledore makes an enormous *Bang* when he dies, I'll be 
satisfied.

Cindy (who might be willing to compromise by allowing Dumbledore to 
be sentenced to Azkaban and have his soul sucked out, so long as 
Harry is right there watching the whole thing)