Discussion summary: Chapter 35 Veritaserum

[Rita Winston]

No: HPFGUIDX 14580

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Schlobin at a... wrote:

> "Moody"(in classic villain manner) tells Harry far more than
> necessary and therefore provides time for a rescue. (snip)
> [Tells Harry] how he yearns to know that Lord Voldemort tortured
> those he hates the most (the Death Eaters who walked free) 
> "Tell me he hurt them, Harry". 
> "Moody" boasts (almost at leisure) about how he protected Harry
> during the contest and engineered his victory (If it had not been
> for Cedric's decision not to take the cup, would Harry have won?). 
> (snip) Harry blurts out that "Moody" is mad; 

The reason that "Moody" spent so much time talking (besides helping 
JKR by explaining the mystery as well as providing time for a rescue) 
is because (Harry is right) He IS Mad. He is literally raving as in 
raving loonie. He has a lot of years of verbiage to make up for, as 
surely his father, with the Imperius Curse on Junior, did not 
allow him to spend time mouthing off about the wonderfulness of the 
Dark Lord.

The same way that Junior never imagined that Harry would fail to read 
the Magical Water Plants book right there in his dorm room (I suppose 
he expected Harry to ask everyone in Fryffindor House for help with 
the Task, and Neville would have said: "There is this plant mentioned 
in this book"), he never imagined that Harry would smash right 
through the hedge wall to rescue Cedric from Viktor's Cruciatis, so 
Cedic would not have reached the Cup at all. (Would have suffered 
temporarily from Cruciatis but would still be alive.)

As Peg Kerr mentioned in re Harry having decided that he and Cedric 
would share the Cup equally leading to Cedric's death, JKR making 
Harry's most noble acts lead to the tragedy for which he blames 
himself is a magnigicent way for the author to torture the character, 
but it also, no doubt unintentionally, serves as an example of "why" 
not to get involved....