[HPforGrownups] Harry Killing in HBP (was re: Violence)

[John Fisher]

No: HPFGUIDX 131959

Lupinlore <bob.oliver at cox.net> wrote:
> Now, perhaps a more interesting question is will Harry have to kill
> anyone else?  This is a war, after all, and Harry is a prime target.
> It is very plausible that Harry might have to kill in self-defense
> long before the final confrontation with Voldy (and indeed, he
> already has, if not deliberately).  I could easily see that the big
> hook at the end of HBP, the one that "some won't like" is that Harry
> will be forced to kill someone, perhaps Malfoy, Sr., while protecting
> himself and Dumbledore, or perhaps after Dumbledore's death.  Thus he
> will have the summer to stew on that, and to prepare himself for what
> is to come.



Harry's *having* to kill somebody (besides Voldie) strikes me as
unlikely.  Remember how in the MOM battle even the Death Eaters didn't
use Avada Kedavra?  Between "stupify," "impedimenta," and
"expelliarmus," there really isn't much reason to use a killing spell
(a possible exception being that AK apparently can't be blocked).  I
take this to be the reason that Avada Kedavra is illegal, period: the
only reason to use it is that you want to outright kill someone, not
just stop him.

I could see J.K. rigging up a situation in which Harry's Necessary
Actions cause an attacker's death--but for him to holler "Avada
Kedavra" without a lot of previously explained justification would
jump the shark.

-John