Why didn't DD try to kill V'mort (was Questions! Questions! Questions!)

[sevenhundredandthirteen]

No: HPFGUIDX 110417

djrfdh wrote:
> I suspect he [Dumbledore] couldn't kill Voltemort without also 
> killing Harry,

I (Laurasia) reply:

Dumbledore may like Harry, but he's not stupid. If Dumbledore could 
kill Voldemort for good, what does it matter if Harry also has to 
die? Voldemort is capable of killing tens of thousands of people, 
maybe hundreds of thousands or millions unless he is stopped! Surely 
the loss of one boy's life is worth all those people's lives! 

Even though Dumbledore admits that he cares for Harry, at the end of 
OotP, AND admits that he was foolishly thinking of the well-being of 
one child instead of the lives of all the nameless, faceless people 
and creatures Voldemort could kill if he ever came back to power, 
he's still not stupid. 

Dumbledore did delay recounting the prophecy to Harry because, 
during his first few years at Hogwarts, there was no need for him to 
think about it yet (As in, there's no pressing need to tell him in 
CoS, for instance, when Voldemort may take another 25 years to 
reclaim his body). But Dumbledore still told him as soon as 
Voldemort had reclaimed his body and had directly lead to a human 
murder in his new human form.

Dumbledore is an intelligent and experienced warlock who's actions, 
especially in OotP, demonstrate he is thinking of the BIG picture. 
At the moment, there's no indication that Harry has developed the 
power to defeat Voldemort, so if Dumbledore could kill Voldemort, 
even at the expense of Harry's life, he must do it. Dumbledore is 
not stupid. 

Maybe he wants Harry to understand why he has to die, but then why 
didn't he tell him that when he recounted the details of the 
prophecy? Dumbledore said that one or the other had to die, he 
didn't say both. If Dumbledore believes that Harry must die (whether 
as sacrifice or murder) then he should let the guy know!

Also, I don't believe that Dumbledore didn't try to kill Voldemort 
because he doesn't believe he can. Dumbledore isn't stupid- he 
should at least give it a *TRY* just to see if the prophecy is true 
or not. 

As in, *maybe* the prophecy is true and only Harry can kill 
Voldemort, but the prophecy is also extremely ambiguous and not 
necessarily true. Why doesn't Dumbledore (at least!) make one little 
attempt at killing Voldemort for good? If it turns out the prophecy 
is true, then it won't have made any difference. If it turns out the 
prophecy is a lie then he will have just killed the power evil 
wizard in history!

The only option as to why Dumbledore didn't even *try* to kill 
Voldemort must be because he knows Voldemort will become *more 
powerful* if he does (Of course, the exact details of this growing 
power is up for grabs). Dumbledore must know that an AK would 
actively *strengthen* Voldemort's power. I don't think it can have 
anything to do with not believing hismelf capable (or else why not 
give it a try? If he can't do it, he's lost nothing) or killing 
Harry (because that's a sacrifice you just have to make- Read 
Ron/Chess).

Maybe Dumbledore knows the exact details of what Voldemort has done 
to ensure he can't die. Maybe Dumbledore knows he *can* cast an AK 
on Voldemort but only reduce him to Vapor!Mort again. But maybe when 
Voldemort reclaims his body using 'flesh, blood and bone' the second 
time he won't use Harry's blood and Wormtail's flesh.

Maybe the reason Dumbledore won't kill Voldemort is intrinsically 
related to the 'Gleam of Triumph' in GoF and the Life-Debt between 
Harry and Wormtail in PoA.

~<(Laurasia)>~