Death Eaters

[Scott]

No: HPFGUIDX 13465

Marvin wrote:
"But I want to ask another question:  what are the motives of the 
people who return to Voldemort's side in GoF?  One gets the feeling 
that Karkaroff and Snape are the only holdouts, and everybody else is
demonstrably someone more interested in saving his own skin than in
making a statement on Voldy's behalf by going to prison.

"Fear and curiosity are part of it, I'm sure.  Possibly Crabbe Sr. & 
Goyle Sr. are as easily led as their sons and do whatever Malfoy 
tells them so long as it involves blood.  But I cannot believe, at 
this point, that any of them can be as sincere as they were 15 years 
ago or so.  In the intervening time they must have enjoyed a chance 
to say to themselves, 'Thank [whoever] that's over; I nearly got 
myself sent to (*$&*! Azkaban!'"

--There might be some people, like Lucius who never really 'turned 
good' in that Voldemort-less space of time. Then again Lucius and 
others may still have kept their biggoted views, but they definately 
didn't march around saying look at me I'm a Deatheater. Those former 
DE's were in a pretty bad spot when you think about it. If they 
stayed pro-Voldy then they risked being sent to Azkaban. If they went 
back to the good side (like we assume that Snape did) then they 
risked being killed and tortured by Voldy if he ever came back.  
There was not a really good choice for them to make. It was a bad 
situation and they were afraid, of the good, of Voldemort, of the 
faithful DE's, the non-faithful ones, anyone who diagreed with them. 
The majority of the DE's probably tried to melt away, and if they 
were caught made up lies to get out of the tight spot they'd gotten 
into. 

NB:But I'm not say that Lucius was afraid of Dumbledore of anything. 
I'm mostly talking about the other DE's...the vast majority of which 
we don't know.

Marvin wrote:
"On the other hand, perhaps some will be so impressed by Voldy's
resurrection that their faith will be redoubled.  Well, except for 
Harry out-dueling him, of course.  So what kind of conversations will 
the Death Eaters have amongst themselves..."

--Exactly! Those DE's who came back to Voldemort and thought they 
really had saved their skins by coming back may have second thoughts. 
I mean a BABY "defeat" their lord the first time and now at fourteen 
that kid is still managing to escape death from someone who has dealt 
out death to God knows how many. Would YOU be willing follow someone 
who claims to be powerful but can't even stop a scrawny little kid?
What must they have been thinking when they saw the fright on V's 
face during PI? I'd guess that doubt had to of crossed their minds.

Scott
______________________________________________________________________

"I believe in everything until it's disproved. So I believe in 
fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it's in your 
mind. Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the 
here and now?  Reality leaves a lot to the imagination."
 - John Lennon