Worse than death

[jekatiska]

No: HPFGUIDX 111191

I lost the thread I was reading when I thought up this theory. Sorry
for any repetition.

It has been said that a Dementor's kiss leaves you to exist without a
soul, and that this is worse than death (POA). If Voldemort has
protected himself from death, then a way to vanquish him would be to
destroy his soul.

I don't think it would be the actual _Dementor's kiss_ that would
destroy Voldemort, as the Dementors suck out good feelings and there
aren't any in Voldemort to suck. Besides they are on the same side.
Instead I think there must be another way for Harry to remove or
destroy Voldemort's soul. I think this probably lies within the Power
He Know's Not.

As Voldemort has never known love of any kind, this is quite a
plausible candidate for the Power. How about this: as someone
incapable of love, Voldemort can not have a whole and complete soul.
This is what I believe. He only has a "half-life" and a "half-soul".
This half-soul would be threatened by a force so powerful as love, and
so Harry's power in vanquishing him lies in an act of love or mercy,
that will destroy what soul he has. This could not be an act of love
_against_ Voldemort, as otherwise Lily's sacrifice would have finished
him off. I'm inclined to think it would be an act of mercy for
Voldemort that would surround him with the Power and crush his
loveless soul. Then he would have to exist without his soul - worse
than dead.

This would also account for why Dumbledore didn't kill him at the end
of OotP, as he knew it would be pointless. He would have to destroy
his soul. And because there is a connection between Harry and
Voldemort, Harry is the only one who can do this. Also, now that Harry
knows this, he can have mercy on Voldemort. I suspect he might save
his life and thus destroy his soul by flooding it with the power of
love and mercy. This would fit well into Harry's "saving people
thing". It would also make Voldemort in Harry's debt, which could be
the crushing force that destroys him - gratitude. Or at the very
least, because Harry has saved him, he can't kill or hurt him without
consequences.

Hmm... My rambling thoughts seem to have formed two theories rather
than one. 

Jekatiska