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harry potter - Would the Horcrux Cave Potion Have Killed Dumbledore?


Would the Horcrux cave potion have killed Dumbledore if:




Snape hadn't?



Kreacher survived the potion:



‘There was a b – basin full of potion on the island. The D – Dark Lord made Kreacher drink it ...’ [...] ‘Kreacher drank, and as he drank, he saw terrible things ... Kreacher’s insides burned ... Kreacher cried for Master Regulus to save him, he cried for his Mistress Black, but the Dark Lord only laughed ... he made Kreacher drink all the potion ...'

Deathly Hallows - page 160 - Bloomsbury - chapter 10, Kreacher's Tale



Kreacher crawled to the lake for water and was dragged under by the Inferi who lived there, and Disapparated from the cave back to number 12 Grimmauld Place, per Regulus Black's instructions: ‘Master Regulus told Kreacher to come back,’ he said.


What I'm interested in knowing is whether Kreacher survived Voldemort's potion because he was a house-elf and house-elf magic is different than wizarding magic, or if he survived drinking the potion because while it was a devastatingly horrible potion to drink, it was not lethal -- not lethal to either house-elves or wizards.


Therefore, I'm wondering if




Snape had not killed Dumbledore after Dumbledore and Harry arrived back from the Horcrux cave



whether Dumbledore would have ultimately died from the Horcrux potion?


An answer in the spirit of canon would be very welcome.



Answer



At the entrance to the Horcrux cave, Dumbledore says:



"The idea ... is that your enemy must weaken him- or herself to enter."



Then, when they're discussing the potion in the basin:




"But what if -- what if it kills you?"


"Oh, I doubt that it would work like that," said Dumbledore easily. "Lord Voldemort would not want to kill the person who reached this island."



and:



"I'm sorry, Harry; I should have said, he would not want to immediately kill the person who reached this island," ... "He would want to keep them alive long enought to find out how they managed to penetrate so far through his defenses ..."



and:




"Undoubtedly," he (Dumbledore) said finally, "this potion must act in a way that will prevent me from taking the Horcrux."



I can't recall anything offhand that addresses the issue of how Voldemort expected to be notified of someone getting into the cave, but I think the quotes above make it pretty clear that the potion was supposed to seriously incapacitate whoever drank it, but not kill them.


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