Voldemort: Evil Overlord or Careful Planner? (WAS: Is Harry More Powerful..)

[marinafrants]

No: HPFGUIDX 43018

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "grey_wolf_c" <greywolf1 at j...> wrote:

> As I've said, Voldemort had to be lying about the lingering doubts.
If 
> the DE doubted Voldemort powers, why are they still afraid of him?
Why 
> did they answer his call? 

Because they're hedging their bets.  They may have doubts about
Voldemort's current strength, but they're not about to stake their
lives on that doubt by not showing up when he summons them for the
first time in 13 years.  They want to *see* how much power he
currently has before they decide which way they're going to swing. 
Voldemort knows this, which is why he decides the duel is necessary.

That's why it's called a doubt rather than a conviction, after all. 
If the DEs were convinced that Voldemort is too weak to hurt them,
they'd drop him in an instant.  But they're not convinced, they're
only doubting.  


>Why are they still loyal to him after 13 
> years, especially after watching his master dwarfed by Harry in the 
> graveyard once again? 
> Truth is that Voldemort is still powerful enough 
> to kill all of them, and there is no real reason to assume that
there 
> could be "lingering doubts" about Voldemort's power, or else they 
> wouldn't risk going to him once more.

What risk?  If they go to him only to discover that theyir doubts were
right and Voldemort is weak, then all they've lost is one wasted trip
to a graveyard.  On the other hand, if they stay home and play
pinnochle only to discover that their doubts were wrong and Voldemort
is more powerful than ever, they're royally screwed.

Voldemort was defeated by a toddler, then disappeared for over
thirteen years.  That's more than enough reason for his followers to
at least consider the possibility that he's not as powerful as he used
to be.  

The thing is, for all his posturing and evilness, Voldemort is in a
really shaky position after his rebirth.  He's been gone a long time,
and during that time most of his followers (those who aren't rotting
in Azkaban, anyway) have regained their good standing in society and
moved on with their lives.  Many are now secure and wealthy and hold
positions of respect in the current order.  They're older, more
settled, many have spouses and children now.  They're not necessarily
going to want to run out and start waging a terrorist war again unless
they're *really* convinced that a) they're on the winning side; and b)
they'll be in deep trouble if they refuse.  If Voldemort had beaten
Harry in a fair duel, it would've gone a long way toward establishing
both these things.  (Or that's how Voldemort sees it, anyhow.  I still
think he would've been better off slitting Harry's throat while Harry
was still tied to the gravestone.)

Marina
rusalka at ix.netcom.com