Harry Potter VS. Voldemort: Can Harry Take the Dark Lord Down?

There's much we can say about what's to come in the final Harry Potter book but one thing is certain - there will be a final battle between Harry and Voldemort. The entire series has surmounted to this epic showdown that will decide if good or evil reigns supreme. Inevitably this means that either Harry or Voldemort will lay dead by the end of the book because as it is stated in the Prophecy - neither can live unless the other is dead. How can a 17 year old wizard who hasn't even graduated from wizard school defeat the most ruthless, evil, dark wizard of all time?

A standard wizard battle generally involves tossing spells at each other via their wand. There's a big problem for Voldemort and Harry in this situation and it lies in the center of their wands. The phoenix feather at the core of each of their wands comes from the same phoenix and they are therefore 'brother wands'. It's impossible for brother wands to cast spells upon each other. In Goblet of Fire when Voldemort instigates a dual with Harry their wands connect and establish a connection, lifting both of them off the ground. It stands to reason that the final battle will not be a wand duel.

The lightening bolt scar on Harry's head that Voldemort gave him created a mental connection between the two of them. When Voldemort experiences powerful emotions it burns Harry's scar. Voldemort learns that he can get into Harry's head by this very same magic and plant ideas and images in there to force Harry to make hasty decisions. Dumbledore has Snape give Harry Occlumency lessons but it fails miserably because of their mutual dislike for one another. In Half Blood Prince Voldemort no longer uses this connection because it's likely he realizes Harry can see into his head the same way he gets into Harry's. There must be something in his head that he definitely does not want Harry to see, something he can use to defeat him perhaps.

The prophecy states that the one who will vanquish Voldemort will have a power the Dark Lord knows not and this will be Harry's most important weapon. Harry has used it time and again to save himself and his friends from Voldemort. Dumbledore reminds Harry about this power every chance he gets. That power is love. When Lily Potter sacrificed herself for her infant son, Harry, she imposed a very powerful love charm on him. Love is an emotion Voldemort fears the most and cannot possibly understand it.

The love charm goes deeper then that. In Goblet of Fire Voldemort uses Harry's blood to rebirth himself, his thinking being that if he mixed their blood he will be given some of the same power Harry has. Up until this point love has prevented Voldemort from touching Harry. When their blood is mixed Voldemort is finally able to physically touch Harry but that's not all. Voldemort has that love running through his veins now and he could find himself being attacked from the inside as well as out.

One indication that Harry has the right stuff to defeat Voldemort is the fact that Voldemort hasn't killed him yet! Attempt after attempt and Harry still manages to escape. So what is going to make this final battle so special? For one thing Harry has never been the one to initiate the fight - he always gets drawn (or tricked) in. This time he will be going after Voldemort instead of the other way around. Harry tells us at the end of Half-Blood Prince that he won't be returning to Hogwarts but will instead be hunting down and destroying the Horcruxes. When he knows that Voldemort is mortal again he'll go after him and with Voldemort taken off guard Harry will have a great chance at coming out the victor.

Nobody wants to believe that Voldemort will defeat Harry and that we've all been put through a decade of this for a really bad ending. JK Rowling might as well sign up for the witness protection program if she kills off our hero after 10 years of fan loyalty. It's comforting to know that there is evidence that Harry can and will defeat Voldemort - let's all just hope he does!