The editor was sobbing

[Kamil]

No: HPFGUIDX 167021

 < Grackel13>
<snip>
But I don't believe it's going to happen to the whole world -- only
 to Voldemort. I've always suspected that Dumbledore's spell, the one
with the hollow, gong-like note, was an attempt to strip Voldemort of
his magic, and I've always nursed the hope that is how Harry will
defeat Lord Thingy -- not by causing his death, but by stripping him
of power, which would be, for Voldy, worse than death...though he
doesn't realize it.

<Kamil>
That's a very interesting idea, and one that seems quite sound to me as well.

I've always thought Dumbledore had something specific in mind when he
told Tommy Boy that there were things worse than death, but I never
could think what he might be referring to specifically. This fits the
bill nicely and gets Harry out of committing murder in the deal.

I know the prophecy says one must die - but I can easily see Lord
Thingy offing himself (or, Wormtail doing it, either to settle real or
imagined wrongs, or to pay back the life debt) if he lost his powers
but not his life.  (I've also always wondered if there weren't actually
three people in that prophecy: the One, the Dark Lord, and the Other.) 

*ponders*

Kamil