Another "Death by..." Theory

[quigonginger]

No: HPFGUIDX 110350

Yay!  I returned from an 11-day vacation 12 days ago and am now 
caught up reading and can begin posting!

Steve started a list of ways that LV can be killed.  Someone else 
(sorry, I was reading really fast) was worried that LV may come back 
as a ghost were he to be killed.  Many have worried that if HP kills 
LV, that it will in some way taint him, or scar him, in some way in 
that he will have committed murder.  I don't believe that personally, 
but I can see the line of reasoning, and I think it is a valid 
concern from that perspective.  

Per the prophecy, we know that "one must die at the hand of the 
other" and we have (for the most part) assumed that this means that 
either Harry will kill LV or vice versa.  Dumbledore confirms this.

But what if the killing is accidental?  Picture this:

LV and Harry have somehow ended up alone as the rest of the cast is 
fighting elsewhere.  LV has Harry's wand.  LV has just killed 
Dumbledore and is gloating.  Someone sends in a dementor (maybe a DE 
with connections, or maybe a panicking Fudge...).  LV is so full of 
glee, and Harry is so miserable that the dementor heads for LV.  (I 
chose DD to die as it would be the widest Happy!LV/Sad!Harry ratio I 
could think of.)

LV drops the wand as the dementor heads in for the kiss.  Harry uses 
wandless magic (like the lumos in the alley in OoP) and Accios his 
wand.  He intends to save LV by conjuring a patronus, but coughs 
(like in CoS when he ended up in Knockturn Alley) and misspeaks.

I'm sure JKR could find something better, but the best I could do 
(please bear with me) was "Expecto Pa*cough*tellum" whereupon a giant 
silvery kneecap bursts forth from his wand.  It's too late.  LV has 
already been kissed, so is soulless (hasn't got a ghost of a chance 
of haunting anyone), but not dead.  The giant kneecap does him in, so 
he has died at that hand of Harry, but Harry hasn't committed murder.

Of course, he could say "Expecto *cough* euphonium, in which case we 
have a different instrument of death, but the concept remains the 
same.  

So, we have no ghost, a fulfilled prophecy, and Harry isn't 
culpable.  Nice and tidy, you think?

As a FEATHERBOA, I hope Harry returns to the fray in time to see 
Neville perform a nice, gut-wrenching "Accio Entrails" on Bella.
Serve her right. 

Ginger, who hopes to never be away from a computer for 11 days again 
until after the series is finished.