revelations from the Edinburgh Festival

[queen_astrofiammante]

No: HPFGUIDX 110130

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Diane Klopp" <dklopp at p...> 
wrote:

[snip]

> 2. Why didn't Dumbledore try to kill Voldemort in that scene at the
> end of book five? Dumbledore gave a kind of reason to Voldemort but 
> it's not the real answer, and Dumbledore knows something more.


I must admit I assumed that we should look to the prophecy for the 
answer to this one: "...and either must die at the hand of the other, 
for neither can live while the other survives..." 

I imagine Dumbledore doesn't kill Voldemort because Voldemort will 
not be truly vanquished unless he is killed by Harry, something that 
for narrative reasons (he's still not powerful enough with two more 
books outstanding) and practical reasons (he's just been through a 
dreadful ordeal at the hands of the Death Eaters) Harry is not 
currently capable of doing. I supposed Dumbledore's strategy was to 
protect Harry until he was strong enough to tackle Voldemort himself.

As to the 'kind of reason', here is the passage in question.
OOP p. 718 (UK Bloomsbury hardback edition):

"You do not seek to kill me, Dumbledore?" called Voldemort, his 
scarlet eyes narrowed over the top of the shield. "Above such 
brutality, are you?"
"We both know that there are other ways of destroying a man, Tom" 
Dumbledore said calmly, continuing to walk towards Voldemort as 
though nothing had happened to interrupt his stroll up the 
hall. "Merely taking your life would not satisfy me, I admit..."
"There is nothing worse than death, Dumbledore" snarled Voldemort.
"You are quite wrong," said Dumbledore, still closing in on Voldemort 
and speaking as lightly as if they were discussing the matter over 
drinks... [snip] Indeed, your failure to understand that there are 
much worse things than death has always been your greatest 
weakness..."

[snip to p. 720]
"Kill me now, Dumbledore..."
Blinded and dying, every part of him screaming for release, Harry 
felt the creature use him again...
"If death is nothing, Dumbledore, kill the boy..."
Let the pain stop, thought Harry... let him kill us... end it 
Dumbledore... death is nothing compared to this...
And I'll see Sirius again...
And as Harry's heart filled with emotion, the creature's coils 
loosened, the pain was gone.

I assume that Dumbledore's comment "merely taking your life would not 
satisfy me" is the "kind of reason". If not, and coupled with the 
words "your failure to understand that there are much worse things 
than death has always been your greatest weakness" suggests that 
Dumbledore does indeed have some sort of master plan for Harry and 
Voldemort that we have so far failed to appreciate. 

My current problem with this question is that it seems too easily 
answered from what we know - Dumbledore can't kill Voldemort because 
Harry has to kill Voldemort. Obviously there is some level of meaning 
I haven't worked out.

Any thoughts?


"queen_astrofiammante"