McGonagall, Hagrid, 24 hours & another Pettigrew mystery

[jodel at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 42480

In a message dated 8/11/02 bboy_Mn writes:

<< I can easliy see Hargid taking care of the baby, but it doesn't seem
like Hagrid went back to Hogwarts. If he did go to his hut at
Hogwarts, it seems like everyone was too busy to stop by and see the
baby as I'm sure they would have done if they knew Harry was there. >>

If Hagrid did NOT return to Hogwarts how did McGonagall get the information 
of where Dumbledore was going to be that night out of him?

Dumbledore is the Headmaster. McGonagall is his deputy (we will assume). It 
stands to reason that Dumbledore was away from his office from the moment 
that it was known that Voldemort's attack had somehow gone awry (sometime 
Halloween Night) until after he left Harry on the Dursleys' doorstep. While 
we do not know for sure that McGonagall was already the deputy headmistress 
at the tme of Voldemort's defeat, it does seem likely. In which case she was 
probably left in charge. In order for her to get information out of Hagrid, 
she would have needed to know that Hagrid HAD information, and she would have 
needed to actually encounter him in order to get it out of him.

I suggest;

Hagrid returns to Hogwarts halloween night with Harry probably by portkey. 
(Portkeys, after all, DO work on Hogwarts grounds.) Dumbledore is already at 
the MoM. McGonagall, is still awake and waiting for news. Harry is probably 
howling his head off. Minerva heasrs a howling infant and goes in search. She 
meets up with Hagrid as he is smuggling Harry out of the castle, after having 
spoken to Albus over the Floo connection or whatever. Hagrid is very good at 
general stonewalling but not so good at keeping secrets. Minerva doesn't get 
very many direct answers out of him, but she does manage to get the "4 Privit 
drive, tomorrow night" info, and some clue as to the child's identity. She 
extrapolates that the child's parents must be dead.

They get the child treated at the imfirmary and Minerva reccomends that 
Hagrid keep him concealed in his hut.

By breakfast time it is clear that somehow the news of Voldemort's defeat has 
leaked. There is clearly not much teaching acomplished today. She cancels her 
classes, leaves the other three house Heads in charge and apparates to Privit 
drive to wait for Dumbledore.

At some time during the day Sirius Black shows up at Hogwarts. He was too 
late at Godric's Hollow to witness the attack or to meet up with Hagrid, but 
he hung around in his animagus form (which not even Dumbledore knew about) to 
listen to what the Ministry investigators had to say about events. At some 
point during the investigation Dumbledore showed up with Ministry officials. 
That's how Sirius got the news that Harry had survived and that Hagrid had 
taken him back to Hogwarts. Dumbledore probably also mentioned his intention 
of sending Harry to his mother's relatives.

Sirius was the child's godfather, and he may have met Petunia Dursley at some 
point during his and Lily's time at Hogwarts and wouldn't have thought much 
of that idea. He raced off (on his motorcycle) to Hagrid and made a valiant 
attempt to get Hagrid to turn Harry over to him, instead. Hagrid is very, 
VERY good at stonewalling. Once Sirius realized that he was not going to be 
able to "save" Harry from the Dursleys, he decided that at least he would 
avenge James and Lily's deaths. He "lent" Hagrid the motorcycle, hurried to 
Hogsmeade and disapperated. 

The loan of the motorcycle was something in line with "putting his affairs in 
order", he fully expected to be in Azkaban for killing Pettigrew by 
nightfall. The shock of Pettigrew making a catastrophic and complete getaway, 
leaving him to do exactly that is was what pushed him over the edge into his 
hysterical laughing binge.

McGonagall, in her stakeout at the Dursleys' missed all of this. By the time 
Albus showed up at the Dursleys, she was probably the least informed witch in 
all the UK.

Side note: We are all familiar with Dumbledore's theory that Harry's 
proximity to Voldemort's distruction has resulted in his having been granted 
some of Voldemort's power. But there is strong circumstantial evidence which 
suggests that Pettigrew was also at or near ground zero. What did he get from 
his proximity to that event?

Well, Voldemort's wand obeys him. (Another bit of circumstantial evidence 
that it was the overlay of Tom Riddle's power which prompted that wand's 
brother to choose Harry) He has sufficient power to perform the killing 
curse. We don't know what else. Can Peter also talk to snakes these days?

And this suggests that it wasn't just a random case of using what was 
available that led Voldemort to demand the flesh of this particular servant 
in enginering his return. That was quite the little "family" reunion there in 
the graveyard in Little Hangleton...

I'd say the multiple ties between Riddle and Harry may go in more than two 
directions. And that life debt of Peter's to Harry is as much of a wild card 
as the reward of a silver hand to a servant who has a werewolf for an enemy. 
Not we've deffinitely NOT seen the last of Peter Pettigrew. And I suspect 
that as much as he may like to scuttle about in the background, he isn't 
going to stay there.

-JOdel