Leading into Temptation/the Light that Failed

[Melody]

No: HPFGUIDX 47492

Stepping out of TBAY now, since it can be a bit exhausting at times.

JOdel wrote:
> Melody gives us a very nice extrapolation of the "Bait" or
>"Non-Bait" theories.

:)  Thank you.  Glad I managed to come off that way.


> May I add a couple of possible fine-tunings.

Of course, you may.


>The Gringotts connection is highly sound. I am convinced that the
>fact that the Stone had been sitting in a Gringotts vault had some
>significance. But what we do not have any information on is how long
>the Stone had been there, or whether it had been placed there by
>Dumbledore or by Flamel.

You hit the nail square on the head with that one.  We *don't* know.
There is no canon to contradict which is why it is hard to argue one
way or the other.  But let us try...

You suggest that Flamel could live without the stone for at least a
year, so it is possible that stone was in Gringotts for at least a
year but probably longer.  Kind of like with the British crown jewels.
 They are not needed everyday, so they sit well protected until that
day.  So when the queen needs to practice wearing the Imperial State
Crown when she feeds her corgis or wants to hit Prince Phillip over
the head with that diamond sceptre, she must go - wait, excuse me -
*send* someone to go and fetch them for her.

I would tend to agree with you JOdel.  It is highly likely that the
stone was placed in Gringott's a while ago for that purpose.  I like
the view that Gringott!stone was there to lure Voldemort from Albania,
but really it does not infringe on your idea.  Really whichever view
you have of the purpose the stone was really there, the main bulk of
the stone's purpose is in why the stone was removed in the nick of
time and what was it's purpose after than time.  Which comes to your
next point.


JOdel theorizes:
>Obviously, in this case the area (Voldie's Albania) is monitored, and
>Dumbledore is one of the people who gets reports on who and what has
>been sighted there.  And consequently, he recieved a report, at some
>time earlier in the year, that Quirrell had shown up and investigated
>the area. *small snip*  In which case, he, and those of his staff
>that he let in on the secret, already knew that Quirrell had been
>gotten to, but did not know by what method, or whether Quirell was a
>willing participant.

Do you not find it the least bit curious that Quirrell just *happened*
to wander to Albania of all places and just *happened* to find
Voldemort.  I mean, I have not been to Europe yet, but do a lot of
people vacation in Albania?  [Frankly, I had to go get out my atlas to
find where the silly little place was.]  I really think Quirrell was
gently pushed there, but then again I subscribe to the notion that
Quirrell was already had ever-so-evil tendencies.

But my views aside, you are saying that Dumbledore knew Voldemort was
in Albania, and Quirrell did not.  Then when Quirrell came back, he
was "infected" with Voldemort without Quirrell's consent.

I guess my point of wonder is: it was Quirrell that brought Voldemort
back to Hogwarts on Quirrell's own free will.  Voldie did not "impose"
himself onto Quirrell in the forest and possess him.  Quirrell had his
choices to make, and he chose to be in the league of Voldemort.  That,
in my opinion, makes him ever-so-evil.

I also think Dumbledore knows that Voldie cannot possess people
without this consent.  Voldemort may be able to impose himself on
animals, but on people that is another thing.  Yes, Quirrell say
Voldie wanted to keep a closer watch on him and thus attached himself
to the back of Quirrell's head, but is that by force?  Voldie could of
threatened Quirrell somehow and coerced Quirrell into giving a
consent, but I do not thing Vapourmort swept down on Quirrell in his
sleep.  It seems they had a nice long chat about the issue by the fire
one night.

It was Quirrell that decided to drink the unicorn's blood, and
Quirrell that let the troll in.  He kept making choices from his
QuirrelMort self and thus was being just as evil as Voldemort.  He was
never taken over.  Seduced possibly, but it is still his fault and on
his head.  This is not a Diary!Riddle possession after all.  I doubt
Quirrell could claim the same protects that Ginny could.


>Now the question becomes whether the elaborate trap that Dumbledore
>set up was intended primarily to capture and somehow contain
>VaporMort (who Dumbledore knew could not be killed while he was in
>that form) or to isolate and somehow attempt to rescue Quirrell.

>And they could not let Quirrell know what they were up to, either.

Um, JOdel.  They did let him know.  It was *his* troll before the
Snape's logic puzzle.  So, he knew the series of obstacles.  He knew
where the stone was.  He just could not get past Fluffy.

Do you mean they did not want Quirrell to know the *real* intent of
the maze as bait for *him*?  If that is so then why did they not let
it slip earlier that Fluffy just had to be sang too?  Seems the faster
Quirrell fell for the plot, the sooner all would be made better.

But, if Dumbledore needed Harry down there too, then they had to push
off the d-day.


>I think, (and I've mentioned this before) that Dumbledore let Harry
>in on the secret of how the Mirror of Erised worked because he
>intended for Harry to be the one to retrieve the Stone *after* the
>shouting was over and the danger was past. **snip, snip** Retrieving
>the Stone was a safe, appropriate adventure for a child to be
>entrusted with.

The mirror shows the deepest desire of Harry's heart.  When Harry is
alone with the mirror, he deepest desire is his parents.  When he is
on the quest, his deepest desire was to find the stone before
Voldemort.  How is it that this is not the deepest desire of
Dumbledore, McGonagall, or Snape?  Seems they too could retrieve the
stone, since their deepest desire then would be to keep it from
Voldemort as well?  They also wanted to find it *and* not use it.  To
say otherwise, taints their halo so to speak, doesn't it?


>Instead he gets back to encounter a panicy Granger and Weasly who
>tell him that Harry has followed Quirrell into the labrynth. He
>reaches the chamber of the Mirror in time to save Harry's life, but
>Quirrell was lost and they did not trap Voldemort.

The first thing Dumbledore said upon stumbling upon Ron and Hermione
in the entrance hall was "Harry's gone after him, hasn't he?" and
"hurtled off" to the mirror. (PS/SS, Ch17).  They did not tell him.
Seems, Dumbledore somehow *knew* Harry was going after the stone and
was just making sure.

I am not sure if they were trying to trap Voldemort in the mirror
room.  Destroy him as Quirrelmort yes, but trapping seems rather
impossible given that he is still in vapour form.  I do agree that
Quirrell is lost whichever way since it was the leaving of Voldemort
that killed him.


>If Hogwarts is on the Floo network, all it would have taken would
>have been for QuirrellMort to take off his turban and sit with his
>back to the fire.)

Hehehe, I can see McGonagall coming in and giving Quirrell a very
queer look at the way he had himself situated.  Plus the stench had to
be horrific.


>The awarding of House points to rule breakers was a bit tactless,
>given that Slytherin appears to have honestly earned the house Cup
>that year.

After the cheating and rough housing of Quidditch and the attempt of
Malfoy to get The Three in trouble over the dragon egg, can you really
say Slytherin won those points honestly?


Melody