It's all in the psychology...
Posted this essay on another site and want to see what you all think; I think the final defeat of Riddle will be a very unsual mission and not really a "battle" at all, but make use of deep psychology...
The alleged "link" with Harry and Riddle...as I re-read several parts of all six books, I'm amazed at the rich psychology in each of the books. It especially deepens in PoA when Lupin is teaching the class how to fend off the boggarts and the way to fight them off is to think of something humouous. It's interesting to read and see what each students' fears are. In the book version, Lupin doesn't call Harry to face his boggart, but in the film version, Harry does face his boggart and everyone thinks it'll be Riddle, but instead it's a dementor, which sets Harry into a panic and nearly makes him faint again. Later Lupin tells Harry that his fear is a wise one, that the wisest person fears fear itself.
Later on, in Riddle's failed attempt to possess Harry, Harry manages to break that hold not by wand magic or a display of outward boldness, but of feeling deep love (for Sirius at that point), which succeeds in breaking the "connection."
And here we come to the alleged "connection" Riddle claims to have with Harry. I get the feeling the more I read, esp. reading HbP, that Riddle is not that powerful after all, but uses psychological terror to make the London WW believe that he's all powerful. Note that he doesn't want anyone knowing about the horcruxes.
I think in OotP, Riddle used Harry's ligilimens against him to make him believe that he had this all-powerful "connection" with Harry and would love Harry to believe that he's doomed by this "connection." It's a good thing DD and McGonagall were around, esp. when DD reassures Harry that no one is "fated" to do anything against their will, that it's Harry's own individual choices that will have Harry face Riddle, not some uncontrolled "fate" or unprecidented "connection."
HbP is rife with psychology...one clear example is when Ron is anxious about the first Quidditch match of the year and Captain Harry is attempting to calm him down, he makes Ron believe that he put the luck potion in his orange juice (but he really doesn't put it there much to Hermione's relief). As a result, Ron stops shaking and becomes more confident and Gryffindor win the game.
Later on the pensieve scenes give us a clear look into Riddle's mind, esp. his early psychopathy and the terror he wreaked on the other children in the orphanage and later on at Hogwarts, then in the London WW at large, all long before James, Lily, and Harry were even born. Harry, being a very sharp, intuitive, perceptive boy, picked up so much from each of those scenes; I think DD was really impressed, esp. since he really didn't have to spell out anything. I found myself impressed by what Harry picked up, esp. the unspoken cues in each pensieve scene.
I thought it was swell that in HbP, Dumbledore armed Harry with the knowledge about the horcruxes and the fact that not all prophecies are fullfilled, that it's just a matter of individual choices. In that way, DD hinted to Harry that Harry was really no more "connected" to Riddle than Lupin was to the warewolf or any more than Neville was "connected" to Lestrange (who tortured Nev's parents into insanity). DD also armed Harry with the knowledge that Riddle was using occlumency, that Harry's mind was certainly powerful enough for Riddle to need to use occlumency, which led me to my other theory I just posted.
I think that also the final defeat of Riddle will involve much psychology also, as was hinted in the pensieve scenes in HbP, which was very rich in psychology. Comments? Questions? Thoughts? Insights? Did I leave anything out?