"Why didn't Dumbledore try to kill Voldemort...?"

[Tonks]

No: HPFGUIDX 113805

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" > 
> Carol adds:
> But we seem to be forgetting McGonagall's words about Dumbledore in
> SS/PS chapter one: that he has powers he's too noble to use. Even 
if he could be sure of killing Voldemort with an Avada Kedavra, he
> wouldn't do it, IMO, because it's an evil curse, an Unforgiveable
> Curse, and Unforgiveable Curses, as we've seen through Voldemort 
and Barty Jr., corrupt the caster. Quite possibly Dumbledore is also
> illustrating *mercy* as an example to Harry (who has used it 
himself in the case of Wormtail). I won't argue this point since I 
may be projecting Gandalf onto Dumbledore, but I do think it's 
possible.
> 
> At any rate, even though Dumbledore's *primary* reason for not 
killing Voldemort is that only Harry will (one day) be able to 
destroy him, I think his motives are (as usual) more complex than 
they appear. And I also think the scene foreshadows a complex final 
confrontation between Harry and Voldemort, which will not, IMO, 
involve an AK or any Unforgiveable Curse from Harry. (snip) and it 
would blur the line between Good and Evil on the other.
> 
> Carol


Tonks here:

I agree that DD can kill LV but chooses not to, because there is 
more to the story than that. Harry is the one to defeat LV and he 
will do it without using an unforgivable curse. He will do it with 
love, as I have said before. And it has to be Harry because LV has 
marked him, but also because Harry is a half-blood. Harry's being a 
half-blood is more important to the story than most think.

Also it is not odd that DD and Gandalf might have simular mindsets. 
They are great wizards and great wizards that are good wizards tend 
to think along the same lines. And yes, it is true that the use of 
evil in whatever form comes back to the user. In real magic they 
have a saying "what you give out comes back to you 3 fold". It also 
goes with the idea of not returning evil for evil. I think JKR will 
show that before the series is over.

Tonks_op