Dumbledore's Actions in MOM Duel

[dcyasser]

No: HPFGUIDX 83809

starmom513 wrote: 
Greetings, all.  This is my first post after
> lurking (and greatly enjoying!) since this summer.
 

Hi starmom!


> I have thoughts regarding Dumbledore's actions during
> the MOM duel with Voldemort(Chapter 36, OoTP). <snip> 
 Dumbledore stated, "Merely taking your life wouldn't satisfy
me,
> I admit –". 

<snip>

> I now wonder whether this relates to Dumbledore's
> knowledge of the prophesy (and Voldemort's not knowing
> it in its entirety).  Dumbledore has always been "The
> Only One He Ever Feared" – but would he still be quite
> so feared if Voldemort knew that Dumbledore COULDN'T
> kill/vanquish him – that only Harry has that power?  
> Dumbledore obviously doesn't want to lose this
> advantage, and if he appeared to try (and failed) to
> kill Voldemort, one of Harry's strongest protections
> (at least as perceived by Voldemort)would likely be
> gone.

I think you're right, he's being cagey with his answers because he 
knows he can't kill LV and he can't let LV guess that. But it's not 
all subterfuge, because while he didn't AK him, he did send what 
Harry termed a very forceful curse at LV, a curse that LV obviously 
recognized, had to conjure a shield to protect himself against,and 
then commented on with "You do not seek to kill me, Dumbledore?" 

What I really want to know is what *that* curse was. I don't think 
DD repeats it during the duel; he throws curses to try and capture 
LV (fiery rope, water)but Harry does not describe them in the same 
way as the first curse, which was memorable even in its aftermaath, 
as it caused  a deep gonglike note to reverberate from LV's sheild 
that was an "oddly chilling sound."  

I don't think DD was just stalling until the order got there, I 
think he was trying something, and it just didn't work.

 - dc