[HPforGrownups] one more death question

[Trond Michelsen]

No: HPFGUIDX 55000

On Wed, Apr 09, 2003 at 02:20:40AM -0000, peabwain wrote:
> Who is Voldemort talking about when he says, "one more death and
> our 
> path to Harry Potter is clear"? (US paperback GoF pg 10) Why
> can't 

He's actually talking about Mad Eye Moody. Sometime during the writing
of GoF, JKR obviously changed her mind about Mad Eye's faith. This
passage has been changed in the British editions, where it says "one
more disappearance", or something like that.

Why did she change her mind? Why was it important that Moody survived?
Well, we can only speculate, but the best theory I've heard so far, is
that if he was killed, then he would have turned up as a echo during the
Priory Incatatem scene the end. That should of course have made Harry
scream "Mad Eye is an imposter" the second he returned to Hogwarts.

> Voldemort commit the murder himself? He was able to kill Bertha 
> Jorkins and Frank Bryce.

Executing defenseless people isn't quite the same as overpowering the
best (and most paranoid) Auror in the wizarding world.

> Or have I completely 
> missed the Hogwarts Express and Voldemort is talking about the real 
> Mad-Eye Moody.

See, you did miss the express ;)

> But even then doesn't Moody need to remain alive
> in order for the Polyjuice Potion to work?

That's another theory as to why he had to be kept alive. But we don't
really know enough about how PJP works to say that he couldn't have just
shaved off all of Mad Eye's hair. It should be more than enough for a
year's supply of PJP. We don't even know if it's possible to PJP
yourself into a dead person. 

-- 
  // Trond Michelsen
\X/  mike at crusaders.no