[HPforGrownups] Paranoia (was: 3rd Task was: Ludo Bagman Is Ever So Evil)

[Edblanning at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 34378

In a message dated 28/01/02 22:12:37 GMT Standard Time, lav at tut.by writes:


> IMHO it's impossible to stop people from trying accusing
> everyone around. Perhaps this topic will be over only when
> some another person will be accused. McGonagall, perhaps? ;)
> 
> 

I've been thinking about this, Alexander, and now you mention it......!
But I jest. No I don't think Minerva's a DE....BUT
I *do* think that we all should be getting a little paranoid. Well, very 
paranoid actually.
Hagrid gives us a little of the flavour of what it was like to live in the 
days of Voldemort's ascenency. You couldn't trust anyone, couldn't afford to 
make friends with anyone you didn't know. Even Dumbledore's team harboured a 
mole.
 Well Voldemort's back. He's gathering his supporters. There are the old 
suspects to worry about, there are the ones who claimed they were imperio'd - 
do we believe them or not? -  there are the ones who kept their noses clean 
and avoided suspicion, there will be the new recruits to the cause.
Because this is the dangerous thing about Voldemort: he's not just an 
incredibly powerful magician, he doesn't just want personal power, he has a 
cause, the kind of cause which in the muggle world has corrupted thousands of 
otherwise decent people, playing on their insecurites, their weaknesses, 
played on their desire for greatness, on that regrettable human tendency to 
want to put down those who are different.
His supporters will be everywhere: those who willingly embrace his creed of 
pure-blood supremacy, those who are forced, those who follow him out of fear 
for themselves and their families. He will use the strong and exploit the 
weak. The prospect is terrifying and Harry, our protagonist will be living in 
this dark world of fear and suspicion. 
If JKR is fully to engage us in this world, then we too must feel this 
uncertainty. Otherwise we are mere observers and this is not how we have been 
so far. Yes, as we read the books second time round, its fun to pick out the 
subtle clues, distinguising the genuine from the red herrings, but the first 
time, we see everything from Harry's POV .
So I for one, am not going to apolgise for suspecting anyone. ( And I'm 
usually such a trusting soul!)

Now I know I'm getting really paranoid, as Mahoney, by the use of one 
punctuation mark ( writing of Snape as ?ex-DE) has awakened my biggest HP 
nightmare: that Snape will turn out to have been evil all along.
Anyone who doesn't want to read far-fetched ramblings look away now :-) !

Ok, you have been warned...
What if he's been saving Harry to preserve him for that restorative (yikes!) 
*potion*?
Perhaps there was some problem with the Philosopher's stone solution to 
Voldemort's problems. Perhaps he was doubting Quirrel's loyalty to Voldemort 
and that was the reason for threatening him. Perhaps ( this gets even worse) 
he wants Harry's blood in the potion because he knows that it will make 
Voldemort vulnerable and he wants to be the Big Bad Wizard? Perhaps... (I 
told you I was paranoid)...

No more, I can't stand it . Someone bring back the Snape  I know and love.

Eloise. Off to find a stiff drink. Too early in the day. Damn! 


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