Snape & the DEs, Reprise (Long, of Course)

[cindysphynx]

No: HPFGUIDX 34924

Elkins wrote:

> And Cindy, if it will make you feel any better, I have always 
firmly 
> believed (on the basis of no canonical evidence whatsoever) that 
the 
> information Snape passed on to Dumbledore led Evan Rosier straight
> into the ambush in which he was killed by Alastor Moody.  
> 
> There now.  Does that satisfy a bit of that blood lust?  
> 
> No?  Still thirsty?  
> 
> Well, then why not add a chaser of Wilkes?
> 

Oh, my.  This is just making me feel all squishy inside.  Finally, 
*someone* else (besides George, who I still don't fully trust) buys 
on to the Ambush idea.  ::dabs at eyes::  Elkins, can I offer you a 
few cheap trinkets that probably won't give you a bad skin rash if 
you remember to take them off at night?    

Actually, Dolohov is in my ambush as well, and I'm willing to let 
Frank Longbottom have a bit of the glory.  I will note for the 
record, however, that I think there were three Death Eaters in the 
ambush (Dolohov, Rosier and Wilkes). That makes my ambush *bigger.* 

::hitches trousers::

Heck, maybe Frank can have *all* of the glory in the ambush.

<theory>

This is shades of Eric, in a way, but maybe not.  You see, Moody and 
Longbottom were the Aurors who were going to take out Snape's 
buddies.  Moody wanted to find a way to talk Rosier down peacefully, 
but Longbottom was having none of it.  Moody, being senior, prevailed 
and tried to be reasonable with Rosier.  This was a mistake.  Rosier 
blasted Moody squarely in the face.  That left Longbottom alone to 
bring in the Death Eaters singlehandedly.  As he was outnumbered 
three-to-one, this took some fancy wand fire.  The Legend of Frank 
Longbottom was the result, which was why he was so very popular.  
Longbottom, like Moody, is quite Tough.

*******

Elkins again:

> Poor Misunderstood Avery

<snip>
 
> And boy, he sure does crack fast when Voldemort starts accusing his 
> DEs of ideological infidelity, doesn't he?  I mean, the poor 
bastard 
> just goes all to pieces.  

Yes, Avery is a difficult case to sort out.  Still such a blank 
slate, and only three books to go.  

Unlike Hagrid, I can't write Avery off as insufficiently Tough, 
though.  Oh, sure, he doesn't have the good sense to keep his head 
down when Voldemort is looking for an opportunity to polish his 
Crucio skills.  Yes, he writhes and shrieks, but who wouldn't?  But 
he proved he can shake off a Cruciatus Curse, he was willing to 
chance a graveyard appearance, and he can wrangle his way out of 
trouble.  We don't have any evidence that he is a screw-up or 
anything.

What Avery needs is a compelling backstory.  I have deduced that 
Avery is the head of the Department of Magical Catastrophes ("DMC" 
for short) in MoM.  Where's the canon?  

::pulls self up to full and rather insubstantial height::

First, it seems that lots of Death Eaters are in MoM, no?  MacNair, 
Rookwood, Bagman. :-) It's hard to imagine that Avery, in Voldemort's 
inner circle, has a shop selling shoes when all of his buddies are 
well-placed at MoM.

Second, DMC is one of only three departments that doesn't have a head 
(the others being the Department of Mysteries and Accidental Magical 
Reversal).  Avery probably isn't head of Mysteries because Rookwood 
used to do that, and (as Elkins suggests) Sirius would be very 
concerned if Avery were Tough and dangerous enough to be running the 
show there.  Avery probably isn't head of Accidental Magical Reversal 
because Arthur Weasley would have mentioned him.  

No, Avery is and has been head of DMC since the Potters were killed.  
That means that Avery would have been in charge of cleaning up 
Godric's Hollow and in charge of cleaning up after the duel between 
Peter and Sirius.  Avery would have been perfectly positioned to do 
things like recover Voldemort's wand.  Avery would have also been 
positioned to do things like dispose of any evidence that would have 
proven that Pettigrew was still alive after Pettigrew blew up the 
street.  You know, confiscate Sirius' wand to prevent him from being 
exonerated with a Priori Incantantem spell.

Now that things have settled down, Avery is leading a quiet life as a 
middle-aged bureaucrat, still in the same comfortable job making the 
same comfortable salary.  Fudge was Avery's underling in the DMC, but 
Fudge was on the fast track due to his keen political instincts and 
affable nature.  

Elkins again:

>All of the Death Eaters are quite naturally 
> frightened, but Avery would seem to be tottering on the edge of 
> nervous collapse: his reaction to Vold's suggestion that some of 
his 
> DEs might now owe their true allegiance to Dumbledore is not merely 
> fearful, it is quite literally hysterical.


Yes, why does Avery become unhinged in the graveyard?  After all, 
Avery did nothing more or less than Lucius did.  Both claimed they 
were under the Imperius Curse, and Avery has to know that.  "Toady" 
certainly seems to fit, quite frankly.  

But maybe Avery's behavior can be explained another way. It could 
also be that Avery is kind of senior.  Not in age, but in position.  
So maybe he feels a responsibility to have done more than keep 
punching a clock all of these years.  So he steps forward in the 
graveyard and, uh, takes one for the team.

Really, all Avery needed in the graveyard was a good . . . lawyer.  
Someone to say, Avery, don't answer that question, and whatever you 
do, don't admit guilt.

Elkins again:

> <Elkins whips out her shiny new S.Y.C.O.P.H.A.N.T.S badge and pins 
it 
> to her chest with an ill-concealed grimace of self-loathing.  
Having 
> thus assumed her role as the founder of the Society for Yes-men, 
> Cowards, Ostriches, Passive-Aggressives, Hysterics, Abject 
Neurotics 
> and Toadying SYCOPHANTS, she prepares to pontificate.>

::smirk:: Uh, would it be a fair assumption that S.Y.C.O.P.H.A.N.T.S. 
members are not Tough?  Do they watch a great deal of daytime 
television and read a lot of self-help books while they eat pint 
after pint of high-fat ice cream?  :-)  

Cindy (who thinks Dumbledore ought to give Karkaroff another chance 
and bring him on as the DADA teacher)