CoS theories

[frankielee242]

No: HPFGUIDX 46824

> Pippin wrote:
> >  (the following includes quite a bit of speculation):
> >
> >I am convinced that Lucius and the Diary plotted together, but in
> >typical evil-conspiracy fashion, with neither revealing to the other
> >their actual objectives. I am sure that if Lucius Malfoy had ever
> >had the slightest inkling that Tom could escape from the Diary
> >and act autonomously he would never, ever have let it out of his
> >control.

Then Carol wrote: 
> It never made sense to me that Lucius would take this kind of risk.
 He has 
> to be aware that Voldemort is trying to come back and if he did come
back 
> and found Malfoy to be a scheming traitor, he'd not be too kind to 
> Malfoy.  And Lucius has to know that.  ---SNIP---  When Voldie
speaks to the DEs gathered in a circle, he berates them 
> for not having come to his aid during the last 13 years.  He says,
"They, 
> who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against mortal 
> death?"  I suppose this could refer to something else, but it also
seems 
> like it could refer to the diary.  I've thought for a while now that
the 
> DEs knew about that diary.  I also believe that Malfoy knew exactly
what 
> that diary was for.
> 
---SNIP---
> 
> So why is it that Voldemort seems to know nothing about the diary 
> event?  Why doesn't Lucius tell him?  Even if Lucius did want to use
it to 
> his own ends, I just can't believe that Voldemort wouldn't know
about it 
> and wouldn't be extremely displeased with Lucius since he'd have to
then 
> know that Lucius tried to use the diary for his own purposes.
> 

I agree whole-heartedly with Pippin, and I must take issue with Carol
(sorry, Carol). If anyone wants a long read, I wrote up a TBAY on this
very subject, message 45653, titled Wildcard!Lucius. It's length is
due to all of the supporting canon I could find.

In short, Lucius Malfoy was (and is) Lord Voldemort's right-hand man.
With Lord Voldemort around, Lucius Malfoy can only ever be
second-in-command. Who wants to be number two again when they've had
thirteen years at the top?

After Harry defeated Quirrelmort in PS/SS, and LV was again reduced to
a vapour form living in Albania, I think Lucius breathed a sigh of
relief. 

I think, and have the canon to back it up, that Lucius Malfoy used the
diary to continue gaining power in the WW. Power for himself.

I also agree with Pippin that Malfoy is in possesion of a number of
Lord Voldemort's old belongings and knows (roughly) how they work. By
giving the diary to Ginny Weasley, Malfoy knew Tom Riddle would posess
her, open the chamber and cause mass panic. Using the chaos to his
advantage, Malfoy stepped in and removed Professor Dumbledor by
extorting signatures from the other governers.

As far as plotting with Tom Riddle's diary, and both parties planning
to double-cross each other, I agree with Pippin.

I agree with Carol on this point-- Malfoy would not have become
headmaster of Hogwarts himself, and Karkaroff seems like the most
obvious choice.

Please note I said "Tom Riddle" and not Lord Voldemort. The diary
contains an ambious sixteen-year-old boy, NOT the current Lord
Voldemort. The current LV, from the end of PS/SS to the end of PoA is
a vapor. A shadow. A disembodied mind that has to will itself to
survive, minute by minute, hour by hour, possessing rats and snakes in
the forest. LV himself tells us this at the end of PS/SS and again at
the end of GoF-- Peter "Wormtail" Pettigrew sought out LV by
communicating with other rats. LV is not in any position to keep tabs
on anything except his own survival until Peter shows up.

As for Malfoy's other objective in slipping the diary to Ginny
Weasley, there's the activities of a little organization called the
Ministry of Magic to consider. Halfway through CoS, it's obvious that
the Minister, Cornelius Fudge, is in Malfoy's back-pocket. In the
conversation Malfoy has with Professor Dumbledore at the end of CoS,
we learn that Arthur Weasley's Muggle Protection Act that would have
failed if his daughter were caught attacking muggle-born students.

I don't think Malfoy was in favor of this Muggle Protection Act.


> Pippin wrote:
> >Tom dare not defy Lucius openly until he is strong
> >enough to leave the Diary, or Lucius will simply repossess it,
> >and him. In fact, when Ginny is taken,  Lucius rushes to the
> >school at once, arriving only shortly after the Weasleys and
> >Dumbledore himself. But of course it's too late.
> 
> I just don't see the evidence to suggest that Tom won't defy Lucius
or that 
> Lucius would risk making Tom angry with Voldemort still skulking about 
> trying to come back to power.  Surely the DEs must know he's trying to 
> regain power after the Quirrelmort episode the year before.  As for
Lucius 
> appearing so quickly at Hogwarts, I thought that was because he was
in a 
> huge rush to get Dumbledore out of there.

I have to agree with mostly Pippin again, but I agree with Carol that
if Tom had left the diary, he would have defied Lucius Malfoy. But
Malfoy would have destroyed him. 

Tom Riddle in the diary is just a sixteen-year-old boy. An ambitous,
warped, manipulative and angry sixteen-year-old boy, but Malfoy can't
possibly be the current Lord Voldemort's right-hand man with out a few
nasty tricks up his sleave. Tom Riddle, upon leaving the diary, would
undoubtedly seek out LV, his "past, present and future." 

If Tom Riddle had escaped the diary, gotten away from Malfoy and found
the current Lord Voldemort, LV could have possessed himself (what an
odd thought) and regained a body. Which would have thrown a wrench
into Malfoy's plans of gaining power for himself.

Besides, at the end of GoF, we find out that Barty Crouch expected
Lord Voldemort to torture and/or kill the unfaithful DEs...

 
Frankie, who can not wait to see what wrenches JKR will throw into all
of our lovely theories in OoP!