Voldemort's hold on the Death Eaters (long), was: Re: 101. . .

[atelecky at mit.edu]

No: HPFGUIDX 9923


Voldemort's power over his Death Eaters comes in part from a 
combination of their fear of him and their own hunger for power, which 
they believe that he can provide. Malfoy is a good example of a more 
pragmatic follower of the Dark Lord; he is a Death Eater for his 
own sake, never seems too misty eyed or in awe of his master though 
he'll lick his shoes if he has to. (see the scene with the Death 
Eaters in book 4, and consider that Lucius was the ringleader of 
the "unfaithful" Death Eaters at the Quidditch match) But quite aside 
from these "practical" reasons to turn to the Dark Side, some of the 
Death Eaters in particular seem to follow Voldemort almost as they 
would a god. And Voldemort himself has come to expect more than merely 
obedience from his Death Eaters. He speaks of the possibility of their 
having gone over to Dumbledore like a jealous god having discovered 
his followers worshipping a foreign idol. He seems to fully expect 
that his followers should have gone to prison rather than "renounce" 
him, which in a purely practical sense, for Voldemort the ordinary 
garden variety Evil Overlord, makes no sense at all: if all of 
Voldemort's followers had been killed or imprisoned, there would have 
been no Wormtail to rescue him. Indeed, none of the Death Eaters who 
did remain faithful were of any use to Voldemort when he needed them 
most: Crouch and the Lestranges were imprisoned, and those whom we 
hear of who chose to fight the Aurors rather than come peacefully, 
certainly did not renounce Voldemort, but they're frankly no use to 
him dead. But Voldemort is not a cold and rational evil; the boy Tom 
Riddle spoke not of dreaming of ruling the world, but rather of a day 
when all wizards would fear to speak his name: high praise to him, for 
he is deeply vain of his own talents. And unlike a leader of a gang of 
thieves, Voldemort does not take for granted that once his followers 
get no further material benefits from their association with him, they 
will do just as many of them DID: turn their backs on their now 
impotent ruler and slink back into the shadows. Voldemort does not 
want to be a mere murderer, or even a mere dictator; he wants both his 
followers and his enemies to be enough in awe of him that they fear to 
speak his name.

Voldemort could probably have gotten some of Harry Potter's blood, 
been revived by it, and bided his time for a chance to attack Harry 
himself later. Turning "anything" into a Portkey and getting Harry to 
touch it might be prevented by the same magical wards on Hogwarts that 
prevent Apparating, but even if not, the most important part of 
Voldemort's plan was not to revive himself physically. Voldemort has 
to regain control of his former Death Eaters if he is really to 
restore himself to his full power, and in keeping with the image of 
himself that he wants to cultivate in their minds--even the image of 
himself that he wants the entire wizarding world to believe in--he 
cannot return quietly or secretly. Even for the sake of his own 
vanity, he cannot. Having been defeated by a mere child and a "muggle 
loving fool" will diminish Voldemort in all of their eyes, unless 
Voldemort can prove himself stronger than both of them. He cannot just 
call the Death Eaters to him; he has to perform a "miracle", as he 
himself calls it, for them--to restore their "faith", and their fear. 
Even Harry Potter's capture would not be an act of greatness enough; 
Voldemort has to remove him from under the very "crooked nose" of 
"that Muggle-loving fool". Not even only "that Muggle loving fool" but 
the Minister of Magic, the teachers of Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and 
Beauxbatons, and all of the students of Hogwarts; Voldemort must 
appear entirely unafraid of the strength of any other living wizard, 
and not only Harry Potter. And what better way to do so, than to 
remove this boy, whom all of the most prominent and powerful wizards 
in England at least have bent their efforts to protect, from their 
very midst? 
 
Alexandra Telecky
atelecky at mit.edu

--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, "Amy " <aiz24 at h...> wrote:
> Welcome, Joe!
> 
> Joe wrote:
> >he could have gotten a sample of Harry's blood (possibly under the 
> guise 
> >of some DAtDA lesson so no one would have been the wiser) and 
brought 
> it to
> >Voldemort.  Granted, the latter wouldn't have given Voldemort the 
> opportunity
> >to kill Harry himself, but it has the advantage of allowing 
Voldemort 
> to 
> >return without anyone finding out, at least until "Moody's" true 
> identity is
> >found out or one of the other Death Eaters spills the beans on him.
-----