The Stone and the Mirror

[jodel at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 43654


ats_fhc3 writes;

<< Actually, Harry was trying to escape from...someone (I can't remember who 
because I don't have my books and my mind has been poisioned by the 
film-that-must-not-be-named), and he took some wrong turns and wound up in 
that empty classroom. Now, unless Dumbledore IS omnipotent, there is no way 
for him to calculate Harry's going into the restricted section in the middle 
of the night, then taking the exact amount of wrong turning that would take 
him to the mirror. >>

Harry was dodging Snape and Filch after the restricted book let out a shriek 
which chased Harry out of the Library. (And Mrs Norris)

Which brings up a few other possibilities. One of my other lists went into a 
full examination of Stone with an intent to justify a reading that Dumbledore 
and Snape suspected Qurirrel from very early on  and were in cahoots 
throughout that whole book to trap him. (We did a pretty good job of it, but 
I won't go into that at length here.) There are grounds to base such a 
reading on. It is clear that something was planned for the Hufflepuff match 
(with Snape refereeing) which was upset when Harry caught the snitch too soon.

Under this reading; Dumbledore is an experienced intellegence officer, and he 
knows kids. He knows that Harry and Ron have hitched up with their year's 
preminent bookworm. He knows that they are aware that Nicholas Flammel is 
significant. Normally he would expect to be watching for Hermione to make a 
raid on the Restricted section -- but she has gone home for the Christmas 
break. Since he suspects that Harry and Ron will probably make at least one 
effort during the break, he decides to turn the inevitable to use. 

1. He has the Mirror set up in a room on the same floor, not too far from the 
Library. 

2. He sends Harry his father's cloak.

3. He drops a word in Filch's ear to keep an eye on the Library area over the 
holidays. 

4. He discusses his intention of letting Harry retrieve the Stone afterwards 
with Snape, tells him where he has had the Mirror set up. and lets him know 
that he expects a raid on the library during the break at some point from 
Christmas on. (Snape would have been told about the cloak at this time, if he 
had not deduced its existence earlier. Snape would also have probably been 
throughly grumphed over the decision, but Dumbledore is his boss.)

5. He goes to the room where the Mirror is set up Christmas night and waits.

When the book set up its howling, both Snape and Filch (WITH Mrs Norris -- 
and her little cat's nose, which can track things she cannot see) were in 
place to intercept Harry and herd him in the direction of the room with the 
Mirror. While I doubt that Filch was fully conversant of what was going on, 
Snape was able to follow Harry's progress by the opening and closing of doors 
and knew when they had sucessfully maneuvered him where Dumbledore wanted 
him. 

Hey, I don't say that my interpretation is necessarily the truth, but pretty 
well all the facts fit it without the need for fudging on the part of any of 
the actual actions taken. FWIW, I think the whole series of "task" chambers 
was intended as a trap for Voldy's agent, rather than as an actual bar to 
getting hold of the Stone. I'd say that Dumbledore could even have engineered 
that "urgent message from the Ministry" which called himself away as a signal 
for everyone to be ready to pounce when the agent broke his cover, except 
that no one seemed to have taken it as a signal to take their places for 
springing the trap. 

-JOdel