Why didn't Dumbledore kill Voldemort while he had the chance?

[deborahhbbrd]

No: HPFGUIDX 129200

>In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "laura" <watersign21 at y...> wrote:
> Well that's the question now isn't it, why didn't Dumbledore kill 
> Voldemort when he had the chance?
> <snip>

> Laura B.

Deborah now:

Same reason Saddam Hussein's in prison awaiting trial, and not six
feet underground. Same reason the Allies wanted to capture Hitler
alive, and same reason he pre-empted them.

If the Dark Lord of the moment is lawlessly zapped, rather than
terminally weakened/put on trial for war crimes/exposed as a fake/made
to wear a hat with a vulture on it/whatever, his followers still have
a dream to follow. Remember all those 'Hitler is secretly still alive
in South America' conspiracy theories? Not to mention the fact that
summarily killing anyone you don't like the look of is Dark Lord
behaviour, and how is anyone to know the good guys from the bad guys
if they all behave the same way? DD is a teacher before he's anything,
and setting a good example is archetypal good-teacher behaviour.

And, yes, Harry is the good guy. And it's his job to do the
vanquishing, though not necessarily the killing. Sooner him than me; I
wouldn't have a clue! I just hope it'll be better than in the (often
excellent) Susan Cooper books, where the bad guys are usually to be
seen pulling ugly faces and spinning off into the void!