JKR's site up-date - Rumours Section

[sharon]

No: HPFGUIDX 127287



--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "antoshachekhonte" 
<antoshachekhonte at y...> wrote:
SNIP
> No, I'm sticking to my prediction: Dumbledore dies. It's time for 
Harry to face LV without 
> "the only wizard he ever feared" as back-up.

Now let's put the brakes on that thought for a minute please.  Harry
did face Voldemort without Dumbledore in PS/SS, COS, & GOF, mostly 
successfully.  I can partially agree with your thought.  I don't 
think Harry needs to face LV without DD.  Harry needs to face life
& the world itself without DD.  
In reply to the many other posts regarding a major character death,
I don't think DD's death would be the primary event that would spur
Harry on to defeat LV.  I think it would have to be the death of 
someone intimately close to Harry to motivate him to move.  Yes, 
Harry is close to DD, but not in the same way as he is close to Ron,
Hermione, & Hagrid. These are the 3 people in his life to which he is 
closest.  I think the death of one of these 3 would be
the motivating factor for Harry to actually to action.  He would be
so hurt & so angry & so emotionally moved that he would have no 
choice to do anything else. I think it will take something this
extreme to get him to move.
We've seen that Harry moves more so with his emotions rather than 
his head.  Reason, for some reason, doesn't movtivate him.  He knew
full well the importance of continuing & the consequences of not 
continuing his occumenlcy lessons, yet he let his anger towards Snape
stop him from finishing.  This is just one example among several.
I'm not sure how much of this has been discussed.  I didn't do a 
search and am only relying on my memory from lurkdom that it hasn't
been much.  Harry has a deeper, closer relationship with Hagrid than
with DD.  Yes, he has a close relationship with DD, but it's more of
a parental one.  Harry has a more friendship type of relationship
with Hagrid.  He is more willing to confide in Hagrid with no fear
of repercussion as with DD.  I think Hagrid's death would deeply 
deeply impact Harry much more than DDs. 
Sharon