Why Dumbledore had to die

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 150901

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Tonks" <tonks_op at ...> wrote:
>
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Peggy Kern" <kernsac@> 
> wrote:
> >
> > >Renata:
> > >... I really wonder how Harry will get more powerful without
> > > Dumbledore, Sirius or Hogwarts.
> > 
> > Peggy:  
> > I wonder if perhaps it's not so much about Harry getting more 
> > powerful, but rather realizing the power he has. ... he's 
> > learning that he's ... able to take action and make choices
> > for himself.
> 
> Tonks:
> Maybe Harry will get more power the same way that Jesus' 
> disciples got it. When Jesus died and came back for a short 
> time he left again (the Ascension) and the "comforter" came. 
> He said "I must go away or the Comforter will not come".  This 
> mysterious thing that was to come often reminds me of Fawkes.  
> That is the Holy Spirit. ...  ... the plan that I think JKR has
> for showing that by ourselves we can not vanquish the Dark Lord. 
> Course there is the whole Love thing too that will play into 
> this. ...
> 
> Tonks_op
>


bboyminn:

To a limited extent, I do agree that Harry has to realize the power he
has rather than somehow increase his power. Yet to some extent, those
are the same thing. Untappable power is like no power at all. Of
course, I believe that Harry has a substantial reserve of untapped
power, and that he will learn to better access it. 

I also think, though it should be no suprise to anyone, that part of
Harry being able to access his own internal power is based in his
willingness to tap the resources around him. Bill is an expert curse
breaker, a skill that Harry needs. Moody is an expert Dark Wizard
fighter, also a skill that Harry needs. Remus is a free and
substantial, and trusted resource that Harry can tap, if he only
decides to trust Remus enough to draw on him as a resource. Further
Harry need information which includes information that people can
gather for him as well as intellectual recourses like libraries. These
are all available to Harry, the question is, will he be wise enough to
tap them, and to tap them efficiently?

Next, let us remember that Dumbledore is not really gone, in a sense,
he is only diminished. That is, Dumbledore's portrait remains in the
Headmaster's office. While that protrait is limited, it is still the
reflected essense of Dumbledore, and certainly some wisdom can be
gained from it. 

Further, Harry has access to Hogwarts with it's professors and it's
library. All of which are sympathetic and supportive of Harry. But
again, the question is, will he draw on them, or will he remain
secluded trying to do it all himself? 

I personally have a seeking suspicion that Harry's greatest resource
are the friends who are loyal to him. Their combined strength is far
more powerful and formitable than Harry by himself. If 'love conquers
all' then certainly the love and loyalty of those friends have the
potential to carry the same significances as the love and loyalty of
his mother. 

I have frequently fantasized a final scene in which Harry's friends
willingly step forward and place themselves between Harry and
Voldemort. Each gladly willing to die so that their friend Harry can
live and fight on much like Lily gladly and willingly dies to save her
son. That is power; that is power that Voldemort never can and never
will understand. 

Yes, Voldemort can send his Death Eaters to their death, but they do
not die as a glad and willing choice. They do not die out of true
loyalty and true love. Their choice is to die at the hands of the
enemy with a fighting chance, or to be cut down by Voldemort. Much
like Peter sacrificing his hand, they do so, but they are not willing
or eager, they simply see no other choice, so they comply. 

Harry on the otherhand would prefer to send his friends away to keep
them safe while taking on the full burden himself. That makes Harry
and his friends very and significantly different than Voldemort and
his DE's. For Harry, I think that is part of his untapped power. 

As a final rambling note, I recall JKR saying something to the effect
that -

"...Harry, also, in the course of previous six books has amassed more
knowledge than he realizes...." [Melissa-Emerson interview; pg 3;
LeakyCauldron.org]

That seems important. One of the great things about the final book in
a series is that it pulls together events and people from the previous
books, and their true significance becomes clear. JKR's statement
above implies that there are things from each book that have
importance beyond their individual stories. It's going to be amazing
to see JKR pull all the characters and events into perspective. 

I think it will be equally amazing to see all the seemingly
insignificant events from the pervious books jell in Harry's mind and
become a coherent plan for dealing with Voldemort. The clues must
certainly be there, if we only knew how to interpret them. 

Of course, in the last book, I am looking forward to how Harry will
defeat Voldemort, but the most exciting thing for me is seeing how
everything falls into place. How diverse and seeming insignificant
characters are sudden revealed in their true purpose. 

Not sure it adds up to much, but there it is.

Steve/bboyminn