Also On Topic (was Re: GoF: Murder vs. Curse? (LONG)

[cynthiaanncoe at home.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 26092

Because I could really use a distraction, I'm reviving this thread 
that I posted on Tuesday.  If you all tell me I'm all wet, at least 
it will take my mind off of things for a few minutes.  It's about why 
JKR changed the language about whether V wanted Wormtail to curse 
someone or murder them.


--- In HPforGrownups at y..., cynthiaanncoe at h... wrote:
> Sheryll wrote:
> > 
> > Happy to oblige with quotes from the Canadian version!
> > 
> > > The American text in my book is:
> > > 
> > > "My Lord, I must speak!" said Wormtail, panic in his
> > > voice now.  "All 
> > > through our journey I have gone over the plan in my
> > > head -- My lord, 
> > > Bertha Jorkins's disappearance will not go unnoticed
> > > for long, and if 
> > > we proceed, if I murder --"
> > 
> > In the Canadian version the above paragraph is the
> > same, save the last 3 words, which read: "if I
> > curse--"
> > 
> > > "If?" whispered the second voice.  "If?  If you
> > > follow the plan, 
> > > Wormtail, the Ministry need never know that anyone
> > > else has died.  If 
> > > you do it quietly and without fuss; I only wish that
> > > I could do it 
> > > myself, but in my present condition . . . Come,
> > > Wormtail, one more 
> > > death and our path to Harry Potter is clear.  by
> > > that time, my 
> > > faithful servant will have rejoined us -- "  
> > 
> > Again, there is only a minor difference. The Canadian
> > version reads "come, Wormtail" one more obstacle
> > removed and our path to Harry Potter is clear." These
> > are both on page 15 of the Canadian version.
> > > 
> > > Then later:
> > > 
> > > "One more murder ... my faithful servant at Hogwarts
> > > ... Harry Potter 
> > > is good as mine, Wormtail."
> > > 
> > This is found on page 16 of the Canadian version and
> > reads as follows:
> > "One more curse ... my faithful servant at Hogwarts
> > ... Harry Potter is as good as mine, Wormtail."
> > 
> 
> Sheryll, I'm cooking up a theory that would explain why the 
> editors/JKR would change "curse/obstacle" to "murder."  It is only 
> half-baked at this point, but here goes.
> 
> Based on what you and Laura have quoted, it sounds like the curse 
> language is in early versions, and later versions have the murder 
> language.  Is this an accident/flint, or is it changed for a 
reason?  
> Once the book is in print, why would JKR (who demonstrated with the 
> wand order issue a certain reluctance to change the text after the 
> fact) just up and change something like this without a good reason?
> 
> First of all, the conversation between Wormtail and V that Bryce 
> overhears seems to take place after they've found/tortured/killed 
> Bertha, but before they've freed Crouch Jr.  How do we know this?  

>V tells Wormtail he won't have to do "it" alone:  "By that time, 
> my faithful servant will have rejoined us."  That might mean that 
> this curse/murder is supposed to happen after Crouch Jr. is freed 
and 
> Crouch Sr. is subdued.  So I think this has to mean they are 
> contemplating the curse/murder of Moody.  So V and Wormtail still 
> have two jobs to do:  free Crouch and kidnap Moody.
> 
> In both the original text and the rewritten text, however, V talks 
> about the MoM not finding out anyone else has "died."  Why do we 
have 
> that language in the original version when the rest of the text 
talks 
> about a curse, not a death?  And why is this inconsistency cleaned 
up 
> later to discuss a murder?
> 
> I think the answer might have to do with Wormtail's reluctance to 
> follow the plan and to kill people (note that Voldemort, not 
> Wormtail, kills Bryce).  I speculate that V wanted Wormtail and 
> Crouch Jr. to kill Moody and have Crouch Jr. assume his identity.  
> Wormtail and Crouch Jr. are ordered to go to Moody's house, subdue 
> him, question him about his habits, etc. at leisure, then KILL 
him.  
> 
> But things don't go according to plan.  Wormtail has cold feet, and 
> Moody puts up a big struggle so that the cops and Arthur Weasley 
> come.  They don't have time to question Moody then kill him, so 
> Wormtail and Crouch Jr. stun/Imperio Moody instead and keep him 
> alive.  
> 
> Why do they deviate from V's plan in this way?  Well, Crouch Jr. 
> tells us that they need Moody alive to keep making the potion.  But 
> I'm not sure V would agree with that assessment.  You can make 
> polyjuice potion with a single hair, so Moody's mane of hair ought 
to 
> have plenty to make the potion even if Moody were dead.  Perhaps 
> Wormtail doesn't like to kill, and Crouch Jr. wanted Moody around 
to 
> get the information he needs to pass himself off as Moody.
> 
> The upshot is that JKR lets this change from "curse/obtacle" 
> to "murder" go through because it is more consistent with this plot 
> detail as described above.  But why bother making the change at 
all?  
> Why not just look the other way and leave it as "curse/obstacle"?  
> 
> Well, it could be that Moody is going to make an appearance in OoP, 
> and JKR needs Voldemort to be surprised that the real Moody is 
alive, 
> and the way to do that is to firm up V's assumption that the real 
> Moody is dead.  Voldemort has no way of knowing at the end of GoF 
> that the real Moody is still alive because (under my theory) V 
> ordered Moody killed ages ago.  (And I think V believes that Crouch 
> Jr. still has his soul at the end of GoF, BTW).  This raises all 
> sorts of interesting possibilities, including having the real Moody 
> assume Crouch Jr.'s identity to spy on V, which is how we can get 
all 
> manner of juicy details about what's going on in V's camp.
> 
> Anyway, I know that this theory is quite wobbly, but it is all I 
can 
> think of to have these changes from the original text make any 
sense 
> at all.
> 
> Cindy (who is way, way out on a limb on this one)