How can you kill a wizard? (Was: Hagrid)

[ginnysthe1]

No: HPFGUIDX 116467


Carol wrote:

> <snip> And it does seem that magical beasts, notably the snake that 
bit Mr. Weasley (a Voldemort-possessed Nagini?) are capable of 
killing wizards, as are dragons (alas for Charlie?), manticores, and 
others. They can have their souls sucked by Dementors, a fate quite 
literally worse than death. But I don't think those creatures will 
play a role in the final battle. I think it will be wizard against 
wizard, the DEs using the Unforgiveable Curses when they can, though 
it seems difficult to use them in the heat of battle.<

>What other possibilities might there be? Can a wizard drown? (Harry 
thinks he can during Task 2 of the TWT.) Evidently wizards can be 
blasted into pieces (Benjy Fenwick; the supposed death of Peter 
Pettigrew).<

>I must appear very bloody-minded in this post, but I'm really not. 
I'm just trying to figure out 1) how JKR can present a battle scene 
that's more exciting and perilous than the DoM battle (AKs from every 
side will be boring and monotonous; "stupefy" and similar curses seem 
like inadequate weapons), and 2) how the good guys can kill the bad 
guys without resorting to the evil weapons of the enemy (the Dark 
Arts are not taught at Hogwarts).<

>Christopher's enchanted weapons are one possibility. (I can just see 
the Hogwarts staff and students putting on the enchanted armor from 
the Hogwarts corridors to protect themselves.) And Godric 
Gryffindor's sword, which always struck me as a very Mugglish weapon 
despite its magical properties, may come in handy as well.<

>Any other ideas? <

Kim adds:

One question (to Carol), is why you think the dementors won't 
participate in the final battle?  I thought they had proven a sort of 
loyalty to the dark side when the DEs escaped from Azkaban.  But I 
can see your point.  I don't think Dementors would add much 
excitement to the final battles, unless they were part of a whole 
assortment of evil critters that are lending a hand to LV.   The MoM 
battle in OotP was very exciting IMO and it would be hard for Rowling 
to outdo that (not that I doubt she will) with more of the same.  Of 
course there's no reason to assume (on my part) that the final battle 
will even take place in the MoM.  Will it be one big battle out on 
the Scottish moors, or a series of smaller battles between good and 
bad wizards, the final scene focusing on Harry defeating Voldemort?

I had an idea previously (and am sure others have made similar 
observations) that one way to defeat LV and the DEs would be somehow 
to lure them into that special room in the Dept. of Mysteries, the 
room that contains the greatest magic of all (love?), and that their 
evil would then be "neutralized" in some fashion.  It might be more 
than LV could take and he might just vaporize, but it wouldn't be an 
actual killing on the part of Harry and company.  Of course that room 
may prove impossible to open, making that a moot point, but I still 
find the possibility really intriguing.  Also there's the question of 
whether that most powerful magic resides only in that room or 
someplace else as well.

But, you've made a really good point, since it's imperative for the 
good side to win the final battle, how are they going to do it if 
they can't/won't kill anyone, even their evil enemies?  Then again, 
are good wizards/witches allowed just to injure their enemies?  If 
they can only immobilize them somehow, not necessarily kill them, 
maybe it would still be possible to defeat them.  In that sense, I 
mean immobilize them, tie them up, take them away, etc., if possible, 
not to allow them to recover and get up to keep fighting.  But even 
that seems a bit boring.  Another far-fetched possibility is that the 
DEs will turn on each other and on LV for some reason and will do 
themselves in in the end.  

Kim, who sighs when she thinks that in a mere two books all our 
questions will be answered ... well, sort of, at least ;-)