How would you kill Voldemort?

[HeavenShallBurn]

One little problem, muggle technology fails in hightly magical areas. If you were V, huge into magic, would you not locate your horucruxes in highly magical areas that hide your horucruxes from the pesky muggles picking them up and carring them off????

Based on my reading of the books it did not seem to be that at all. The references I saw referred to suppression of mundane technology as a magical effect specifically applied to certain areas on purpose and implied that it was an old technique which might or might not still be within the capacity of the wizarding world.

Either way if you have to hit a protected area you determine the range to the border of the effect and increase the size of the nuke until you can detonate it just outside the border and keep the target inside the 10psi zone. Or you use many smaller warheads and a shot pattern that reinforces the individually smaller blast effects, like the Russian method for pushing pressure waves up branching tunnels. Because you can detonate it outside the protected area and the effect can't stop the blast effects from crossing the boundary just prevent the device from working inside it.

 

[Nuclear Platypus]

I'll turn him into a flea then I'll put that flea in a box then I'll put that box inside of another box then I'll mail that box to myself and when it arrives, I'll smash it with a hammer!

It's brilliant! Sheer genius!

But to save on postage, I could just give him poison but that'd probably turn him into something weird like a demon llama.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Ok, given the context of the series, but with some extrapolation of UK government resources, how would you try to take him down?

Nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

The stories are from an English perspective. The Killing Curse is a lot like a handgun, neither one is legal in England. The threat some daft fool will blow a fatal whole in you is farther removed from Rowling’s frame of reference than it is from ours.

And yet, a quick grab of statistics from the web...

In the year ending June 2005, there were 10,979 firearm offences recorded in England and Wales (excluding offences involving air guns).
This is a 6% increase from 2003/04 and continues the pattern of annual increases every year since 1997/98.
Firearms were involved in 1,206 more serious incidents of violence against the person (other than homicide) in 2004/05 than in 2003/04.
In less serious incidents of violence against the person, firearms were involved in 4,568 offences – a 31% increase from 2003/04.
Firearms were used in 73 homicides in 2004/05 (under one in ten of all homicides), five more than the previous year.
There were 2,659 firearm robberies in 2004/05 (4% of all robbery offences) – down 9% from 2003/04.
412 firearm offences resulted in serious injury in 2004/05 – down 6% from 2003/04.

* * * Note that this is not intended as a lead-in to debate of firearms law. * * *

Very low percentages compared to, say, the US, but hardly placing guns and gun violence beyond the frame of reference of any Briton.

It seems to me that magic is more dangerous because it is far more easily learned, obtained, and used/abused by the wizarding world, than comparable technology is in the muggle world. The wizarding world is also very much a world unto itself that concerns itself as little as possible with the muggle world, even actively avoids it for reasons of mere fictional license. It's that, and not a lack of reference that keeps guns out of the Potterverse and makes magic a greater threat.

 

[RichCsigs]

How I want to see the series end

... but I know it won't happen.

Harry and Voldemort are having their big final battle. Harry is defeated and just as Voldemort is about to kill him, he's attacked & killed from behind. Harry can't believe his luck and is even more surprised when his savior steps out of the shadows and it's revealed to be Snape. Harry is very thankful and apologizing. "Sorry I thought you were a traitor." Snape slowly turns to him, an evil grin on his face. "Oh but Harry, I am. I didn't kill Voldemort to help you. I killed him to help me!" He starts talking about how he will now take control of the Death Eaters and reign terror on the lands, etc etc etc. "Who's going to stop me? Dumbledoor's no longer around and your in no condition." He aims his wand at Harry, "Good-bye Mr. Potter." and that when BAM Dumbledoor makes his triumphant return. He and Harry together are eventually able to deal with Snape.

That's how I'd like to see it happen. Oh, what Alan Rickman could do with that scene!

 

[TanisFrey]

Based on my reading of the books it did not seem to be that at all. The references I saw referred to suppression of mundane technology as a magical effect specifically applied to certain areas on purpose and implied that it was an old technique which might or might not still be within the capacity of the wizarding world.

And V is one of the most powerfull wizards in a long while. This magic would be some thing he should be capable of, IF he ever looked into how it was done.

 

[Shalimar]

V would never think of a mere muggle as a threat.

 

[WarlockLord]

We should nuke all the teen romance stuff too, just to get it out of the way.

Really, J.K. Rowling's magic, as has been stated, is just parlor tricks. There is very little revealed that could be a threat. (Avada Kedavra can only take down one at a time, for instance. A nuclear weapon, on the other hand...)