Halloween night, Godric's Hollow, the Potter residence -- we all know what happened. My theory begins here, when Voldemort "marked Harry as his equal", thus fulfilling that part of the prophecy. Voldemort unintentionally transferred some of his powers to Harry and forged a connection with the young boy. The only reason Harry survived was the protection Lily gave him by sacrificing herself. Jump ahead to the night of the Tri-Wizard Tournament and Voldemorts re-birthing party. Harry's blood, the "blood of the enemy", was used to bring Voldemort back. Voldemort now has the same protection that Harry has.
I have heard some people say that when Dumbledore hears this, that "gleam" in his eyes means he is happy that Voldemort has Harry's mother's protection; that he is, in fact, conspiring with Voldemort. (For those who don't know where the "gleam of triumph" is coming from: In GOF after Harry comes back from the graveyard, he is in Dumbledore's office with Sirius telling them what he witnessed. When he gets to the part about Voldemort touching him, Harry says, "'[Voldemort] said my blood would make him stronger... He said the protection my mother left me -- he'd have it too. ...he could touch me without hurting himself, he touched my face.' For a fleeting instant, Harry thought he saw a gleam of something like triumph in Dumbledore's eyes.")
Although Dumbledore working with Voldemort is an interesting thought, I think that "gleam" means he knows now that the end is in sight, that Voldemort will be defeated. But how? I didn't fully understand until after OOTP, when we hear the prophecy. Either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives; Voldemort cannot die unless Harry kills him, and Harry cannot die unless Voldemort kills him. They both cannot coexist in the same world. At first, I took this to mean that one would have to kill the other. But, the first part clearly states that they both are incapable of death unless it is caused by their foe. So, if Harry were to kill Voldemort, then, according to the prophecy, Harry would live forever because he cannot die unless Voldemort kills him (either must die at the hand of the other.) Although it would be a nice ending, I do not see an immortal Harry happening.
The basis of this theory lays firmly on the connection that Harry and Voldemort share. At first, it was just their minds that were connected. Voldemort has the power to force images and thoughts into Harry's mind, and Harry has the power to know when Voldemort is particularly emotional. But, when Wormtail stabbed Harry's arm and added his blood to the potion, their connection grew ten-fold. They are not connected on just the mental level anymore, now they are physically connected; Harry's blood flows in Voldemort's veins. With their minds and bodies connected, they are, in essence, "one-in-the-same." The fate of one is also the fate of the other.
You can also think of it as Harry giving life to Voldemort. Harry's blood is what is now sustaining Voldemort and keeping him alive. Following this train of thought, one could argue, and I do, that if Harry were to die, Voldemort's life force would diminish and he would die as well. That is what I think will happen; throughout HBP and Book 7, Harry will grow as a person, just like he has done in 1-5, and will ultimately come to realize that he must sacrifice himself to save his friends. And, getting of the topic a little, I firmly believe that this realization will come to him without any help from his friends, family, even Dumbledore; it has to. And he won't be scared, or worried; he will accept what has to be done with open arms.
This is what caused the "gleam" in Dumbledore. He knew instantly that Voldemort had made a catastrophic mistake in using Harry's blood. He knew instantly how to defeat Voldemort. He also knew what it meant for Harry. That could explain why he was so distant from Harry throughout OOTP. We know that he wanted to keep away from Harry because of Voldemort (think of when Harry's and Dumbledore's eyes locked and Harry felt like attacking Dumbledore). Dumbledore is not a stupid man. But there could be a deeper reason for the Headmaster's distance. He could feel so sad for Harry, knowing what the outcome of the war will be, that he could not bring himself to face him. Like I said, Dumbledore is not stupid; he could have figured out a way of blocking Voldemort and being close with Harry, but he didn't, which says to me that he didn't want to, that he couldn't look Harry in the eye, because he knows.
I call this my Theory Of Everything because it gives reasons, and proof (albeit circumstancial and speculative), of what the ending of this series will be. Jo has also said that one of the main themes, if not the main theme, of HP is death; understanding it and coping with it. If this doesn't fit perfectly into that theme, then I have no idea what does. So yes, I do think Harry will die. It's not like we didn't see it coming, though. He is a tragic hero, and all tragic heroes meet the same end. So, let the howlers come, send Stinksap filled letters if you must, but it will not change the facts. Don't get me wrong, I am not anti-Harry or anything like that, but he will die at the hand of Voldemort and, consequently, Voldemort will die as well.
Thanks to wordsontour for collaborating with me on this! |
User reviews
Review this Editorial |
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| MistyMoon |
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| 2006.07.07 |
I'm giving you one crystal ball beacuse u did make some good points but dum...
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| Little Miss Perfect |
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| 2006.04.05 |
...hmm...well now i come to think of it, it would make sence if this happen...
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| Fenixong |
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| 2006.03.27 |
Great theory, Sean. I think you may be right. I also think that this idea ...
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| valgal |
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| 2006.01.16 |
oh my gosh!! i've thought that exact same thing ever since the fourth book,...
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| Danny |
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| 2005.12.19 |
Remeber Hagrid said that Voldemort didn't have enough human left in him to ...
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| Phoenix Feather |
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| 2005.12.18 |
Yes, i completely agree with you here. It is the most prominant motif of th...
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| THE giant squid |
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| 2005.11.06 |
pretty good idea, but its really only one theory of, like, three million. I...
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| Hogwart student |
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| 2005.10.12 |
I justed wanted to command that maybe the gleam in Dumbledore's eye,s was b...
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| Pingy |
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| 2005.07.23 |
I think it's a very good review, but the gleam in Dumbledore's eye part i'm...
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| Fantasy Lvr |
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| 2005.07.03 |
Your theory seems to be well-thought out, but I disagree. As others have a...
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| whiskeysnitch |
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| 2005.06.30 |
Hmmm..! I like a lot of the points, and I think the general theory is defin...
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| Anna |
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| 2005.06.21 |
Fantastic! Simply fantastic! That was by far the best review I have read. Y...
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| Fedab |
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| 2005.06.19 |
Some good points sown but i think your analysing things just a bit to much....
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| Steve |
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| 2005.06.16 |
Nice review. But let us not forget how JKR likes to use the literal meanin...
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| tonks |
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| 2005.06.01 |
and i thought i was an over analyzer! you have a wonderful insite and what ...
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| Lune |
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| 2005.05.18 |
Your idea seemed logical when I first read it, but then I realized some key...
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| My Boaz's Ruth |
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| 2005.05.06 |
I think your right.
Another thing that makes me think Harry has to die i...
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| Luthien |
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| 2005.05.03 |
I must say that you have a very interesting idea but i don't agree with it....
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| Braden |
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| 2005.03.21 |
I think you have a very interesting idea, but I would like to suggest that ...
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| Mira |
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| 2005.03.19 |
Good theory, but I think you are a bit off.. I think Dumbledor smiled becau...
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| mirror of erised |
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| 2005.03.19 |
Wow! I'd never had thought of that. it now makes perfect sense- I had thoug...
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| Heather C |
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| 2005.03.18 |
This was a well-written and well-thought out editorial, however I do not be...
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| levibarjonas |
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| 2005.03.18 |
This editorial is reasoned with logical integrity, but based on a misleadin...
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| Long Live the Weasel King! |
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| 2005.03.16 |
Megan, I believe James was giving a "Review" of the article. Which is what...
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| mle_91 |
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| 2005.03.16 |
Reading this, is like reading my own thoughts. I would never have been able...
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| cecilia |
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| 2005.03.15 |
Yes reading this is like reading my own thoughts about it. it does not only...
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| ia |
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| 2005.03.15 |
I think that this theory might be the actual ending. I donīt like it but so...
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| Yewius Treebeard |
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| 2005.03.15 |
I agree with the views present in the editorial. I have often thought about...
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| Megan |
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| 2005.03.15 |
This is in response to James - A person does not need a strong vocabulary o...
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| Katie |
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| 2005.03.14 |
i think you had some good insight, but not enough proof for your theory- es...
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| Dark Lord Hector |
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| 2005.03.14 |
It is a good theory and I would believe that it might be what we see in the...
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| Long Live the Weasel King! |
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| 2005.03.14 |
Hmmm... serena, you appeared to misunderstand me. I was using the line of ...
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| Lover4Harry |
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| 2005.03.14 |
I of course don't want Harry to die. I mean seven whole books on a boy that...
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| jess |
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| 2005.03.14 |
I think that this editorial is great. The only thing I think is that beside...
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| Sally-Anne Perks |
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| 2005.03.14 |
It's a good idea, but I don't agree with it because I don't agree with our ...
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| Kathy |
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| 2005.03.14 |
I can tell you put a lot of thought into this theory. It is good but I don'...
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| Marsha |
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| 2005.03.14 |
That's a great theory, but I don't think Harry would die. There is one thin...
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| serena greenwood |
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| 2005.03.14 |
Its an intersting theory, Mr Weasel King, however... the prophecy is very ...
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| Long Live the Weasel King! |
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| 2005.03.14 |
This is something that I have long been pondering. While it is logical, and...
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| James |
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| 2005.03.14 |
Interesting theory, though I don't think it's anything more than that. You...
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| HermyOwnPuckle |
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| 2005.03.12 |
Methinks thou art brilliant... I couldn't agree with you more!!!! I've alwa...
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