Musings and a Query: Harry's Heart and Fate...

[Miles]

No: HPFGUIDX 145830

Welcome Maureen!

Maureen wrote:
> I have never considered the fact that Harry would not be the
> one to kill LV. Being full of love and compassion may prevent
> him from actually doing the deed.  I wonder if Snape might
> actually do the killing.  Snape has already shown that he can
> kill and there may be resentment there towards LV who he may
> blame for him having to kill DD.

Miles:
My impression is, that noone will actually kill LV. He will be dead in the
end, but I do not see anyone casting an Avada Kedavra on him (especially not
Harry).

But we should recall the prophecy:

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. (...)
and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the
other survives" (OotP, ch 37)

Native speakers around, please correct me if I tell something stupid now.
The wording of the prophecy is... strange. Many people tend to read that The
Chosen will kill Voldemort or the other way round. But that's not what it
says.
First, the word "kill" is not in the prophecy. LV or Harry will die, because
they cannot live when the other survives. But it says "either must die at
the hand of the other", and this can become true in many ways, literally, or
figuratively. Just think of a wrestling Harry and Voldemort tumbling through
the veil... ok, JKR surely could do better ;).
Another interesting word is "vanquish", the prophecy does not speak of "to
kill". Again the call for native speakers, but if I read my dictionaries
correctly, then the usage of "to vanquish" is connected to power, to
mastery, to overcoming, and not so much to killing or wiping out.

So, the prophecy *seems* to speak of The Chosen One to kill The Dark Lord,
but somehow it avoids to use the word "killing" or a synonyme.
I do think that JKR wrote it this way intentionally.

Miles