‘So the boy ... the boy must die?’ asked Snape, quite calmly.
‘And Voldemort himself must do it, Severus. That is essential.’
Deathly Hallows - page 551 - UK Hardcover - chapter 33, The Prince's Tale
Dumbledore tells Snape it is 'essential' that Voldemort be the one to kill Harry, I'm assuming in order for the piece of Voldemort's soul in Harry to be properly killed as well.
But why?
Hermione destroyed the Hufflepuff cup; Ron destroyed the Slytherin locket; Neville killed Nagini; Harry destroyed the diadem and Tom Riddle's diary. So the Horcruxes were not immune to destruction at the hand of someone other than Voldemort. And as it ended up, Harry himself wasn't even a Horcrux, but rather just an unknowing host to a parasitic bit of Voldemort's soul.
Why was it 'essential' that Voldemort be the one to kill Harry in order for the piece of Voldemort's soul to die?
Answer
I thought it had to do with the protection Harry's mother gave him by sacrificing herself. There's a scene where Dumbledore says that it was a mistake for Voldemort to take Harry's blood as part of his new body - that by doing so the protection was enhanced to the point that Voldemort couldn't really kill him. So it was essential because anyone else really would've killed him.
Also, I think Dumbledore expected (or at least hoped) that Harry would sacrifice himself, which would give the same sort of protection to the people Harry loved.
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