Who killed Dumbledore?

[Ceridwen]

No: HPFGUIDX 162907

Bart: 
> It's been discussed before, but I'll bring it up again. We have 
seen all sorts of wounds healed in the WW. Even the poison that Art 
Weasley was hit with was curable. With Dumbledore's resources, it 
must be therefore at the very least considered that the reason why 
his hand could not be helaed was that it was already dead, and that 
the death was somehow blocked, might we even say "stoppered", at the 
end of the wound. We DO know that Dumbledore wanted Snape to do 
something that Snape did not want to do, and we don't know what. But 
it is a reasonable theory that Snape, much less than killing 
Dumbledore, was in fact all that was keeping him alive for the first 
part of HBP. 
> 
> Is it murder to kill a man who is already dead?

Ceridwen:
Okay, I'll play.

I can see a scenario where Dumbledore's hand is dead, and the death 
was stoppered by Snape's timely action.  It would even make sense to 
me that not only was Death creeping up his hand and arm, but the Ring 
Curse as well.  And if Horcrux!Dumbledore brought me flowers and 
candy, I would snuggle on the couch with him and even draw the 
shades. ;)

But, I don't see a Dumbledore who is dead all through the book.  I do 
see a Dumbledore on borrowed time, which is why I would flirt with 
DeadHand!, CursedHand! and Horcrux!Dumbledore.  But up until he 
enters the cave with Harry, he is alive.  Dead people don't cut 
themselves open and splatter blood: see the Inferi.  Harry might be 
misled throughout the books by not understanding some things he sees 
and overhears, but this scene read straightforward, with no hooting 
owls or obscure gestures which resulted in splattered blood.  Harry 
saw the weapon, the incision, the blood, the splatter, and the 
healing of the cut.

We do know that there are some things which cannot be healed.  
Draco's grandfather died from a WW childhood disease, the Potions 
lessons warn us that there are poisons for which there is no 
antidote.  The Avada Kedavra cannot be blocked, so there is no being 
saved from that, either, in most circumstances.  And, there is a 
point after which there can be no help.

Dumbledore is dead.  I'm not wholly convinced we saw him die on the 
tower.  He drank a nasty potion, he had tangled with a curse earlier 
in the year, he was, in my opinion, putting his affairs in order 
through the entire book.  That potion could have killed him by his 
not getting help when it was still possible; the potion could have 
killed him and there never was any hope; the potion could have 
unstoppered the Death or the Curse that was contained in his hand.  
We did see Harry cast Renervate twice before Dumbledore revived.  Did 
he revive?  Or just re-animate?

I just browsed the questions from the Radio City Music Hall reading 
again: http://boards.harrypotter.warnerbros.com/web/thread.jspa?
threadID=35368&start=30&tstart=0 and can't see where Rowling gives 
anything at all away about *how* Dumbledore died.  Maybe it's as 
straightforward as it seems, or maybe there's something hidden.  I 
just wonder why she didn't come out and say, "Sure, he's dead, Snape 
killed him.  It's right there on page... Or, wait, perhaps you'd 
rather read it on a sign over the highway?" (audience chuckles).

It's a fun topic for speculation.

Ceridwen.