The Triwizard Portkey

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 40490

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "ssk7882" <skelkins at a...> wrote:
> David and I were poking holes in the theory that Voldemort 
planned to  use the Triwizard Tournament Cup Portkey to 
transport himself and all  of his Death Eaters right into the heart 
of Hogwarts and launch an  immediate assault on the creme de 
la creme of wizarding society.  
> 
<snip>
> What I can't see, though, is quite how the plan would *work.*
> 
> [Amanda] wrote:
> 
> > I believe, therefore, that the whole plan was something along 
these 
> > lines:
> > (a) get Harry through the tournament as a winner
> > (b) get Harry to the graveyard for Voldemort's reanimation
> > (c) use the portkey to return to the grounds of Hogwarts
> > (d) make major offensive action against the gathered, 
unsuspecting 
> > might of the free world.
> > (e) sit back and mop up.
> 
> > It broke down at (b).
> 
> 
> That it did.  But if it hadn't broken down at (b), wouldn't it have 
> broken down at (c)?

> 

As one of the authors of the original theory, allow me to respond. 
Elkins and David raise some valid objections to the logistics of 
the thing, mainly that there are too many dark wizards to all touch 
the Cup at once. 

It would be easiest if you imagine that they aren't all limited to 
one portkey. Presumably it's not easy to program a portkey to 
take one to Hogwarts, but if you have one already, perhaps it's 
possible to make more. But, let us say, just to be difficult, that 
you can't, and that they all have to be touching the Cup to use it, 
they can't just be touching one another. 

I admit that arrival via portkey is somewhat disorienting and that 
it's not practical for all the DE's to show up at once. However...

The DE's also have an agent on the scene who can create a 
diversion to cover their arrival. In fact, he already has, by 
disabling Krum and Fleur. He may have also put a confundus 
curse on Fudge and Bagman so that they didn't immediately 
notice what was happening in the maze--the residual effects of 
this may  account somewhat for Fudge's inability to grasp that 
Voldemort has  returned. 

Dumbledore would have been notified by Snape as soon as 
possible once the Dark Mark burned, at which point he would 
certainly evacuate the students to their Houses, especially if he 
had realized by that time that Harry was missing. So most of the 
students would have been leaving the stands and the adults 
would be guarding the students. This is why Harry saw people 
moving in the stands when he returned. 

If all had gone according to plan, no doubt Voldemort would have 
signalled Barty via Dark Mark that he was about to transport to 
Hogwarts. Then Barty could have created another diversion to 
draw people's attention from the return site.

An assasination attempt on Dumbledore would be too risky. It's 
clear from Voldemort's words in the graveyard that he's still 
afraid of him and so are the other DE's. However, I think the 
terrorist purpose would be served if Voldemort was at Hogwarts 
long enough to drop off Harry's body, set off one of those blast 
spells like the one Peter used to kill all those people at once, 
laugh his unmistakeable  laugh, and portkey out again. He 
wouldn't need all the Death Eaters for that. If the blast was aimed 
at the Judge's Booth, he might very well succeed in killing Fudge, 
which would be perfectly adequate as far as demoralizing 
everybody and disrupting the WW.

Pippin