Death Eater Similarities

[Allison]

No: HPFGUIDX 21427

> One thing that struck _me_ about the scene in the cemetery where 
Voldie
> reunites with his "faithful" Death Eaters is that he apparently has 
no
> problem calling them by name.  Why bother with those stupid robes 
if you're
> going to be using real names, out loud?  I'm sure that Voldemort's 
easily
> smart enough to come up with code names, which would also make it a 
lot
> harder for a traitor to betray the whole lot of them in one fell 
swoop.  In
> addition, taking a new name is traditional upon religious or magical
> initiation---converts to Christianity, Judaism or Islam, as well as 
outfits
> like the Hare Krishnas, can often take new names for use within the 
group,
> if not in the outside world.  Part of DE initiation could well have 
been the
> selection of a new name for the initiate, either by Voldemort 
himself (and,
> note, he himself changed his name) or by the initiate, or by both 
of them
> working together.  Pettigrew became Wormtail, and the others 
could've done
> likewise.


I think V's calling Pettigrew "Wormtail" is his way of reminding 
Pettigrew of his failings.  After all, he _was_ friends with several 
people who were most certainly not DEs.  V is probably a master a 
psychological (hope I spelled that right) manipulation, and for 
someone like Pettigrew, who, IMO, probably already has an inferiority 
complex (his friends in school were smarter then him - so sayeth 
McGonagall - and most of the DEs are probably smarter then him too) 
and "Wormtail" is his way of hurting Pettigrew, fo aming him feel 
guilty, constantly.  

 
> For that matter, how did they get into their robes so quickly?  I'm 
sure
> that it would be a _tad_ suspicious for (spoiler) who destroys 
dangerous
> beasties for the Ministry of Magic, if the cleaning staff found his 
Official
> Death Eater Robe(tm) in his closet at work one day.  Places like the
> Malfoys' manor probably have enough hiding places for tons of DE 
gear, but
> not everybody's got a manor to play with.


My guess would be there's some sort of spell to alter regular robes 
into DE robes.  But then, maybe most of the DEs _do_ have manors to 
play with.  After all, they're Purebloods, and Purebloods have long 
been established in the wizarding community, so wealth and a Dark 
Mark may go hand in hand.

 
> And, one final thought---is it a requirement that DEs must be able 
to
> Apparate?  It would certainly come in very handy, but I don't think 
Wormtail
> could, otherwise he'd have done it when he set up Sirius Black.  
Maybe this
> is a requirement only for the highest ranks of the organization---
as I've
> said before, I do not think for a second that the people we saw in 
the
> graveyard are anything like the total number of DEs.  Voldemort 
would
> probably only summon the highest-ranking members to him at such an 
occasion.


Apparition, I would think, is probably a required skill on the DE 
application.  But I think most of the DEs _have_ to be smarter then 
Pettigrew, or else how could V have gotten so strong?  A leader needs 
strong followers.  Pettigrew, I bet, got in b/c of his connection to 
James, and the Animagi skill was a big bonus.  And to me, it sounds 
like most adult wizards can Apparate - it's just the easiest and most 
convenient way of travel.  

Allison