[HPforGrownups] Who's going to betray the Order?

[Wendy St John]

No: HPFGUIDX 75786


acoteucla wrote:

"I think most people would agree that there is going to be a major 
betrayal (most likely in book 7).  Assumedly it will be someone we 
trust enough that it will be a huge shock.  I'm hoping to stimulate 
some discussion on who it will be.  Here are my thoughts on the 
various suspects.  Make sure to mention any likely suspects I might 
have missed."

<snip some possible suspects>

"The other Weasleys:
I've personally seen no evidence that any of the other Weasley's 
might turn spy.  But speak up if you're in favor of ESE!Molly, or 
something like that."


Now me (Wendy):

While ESE!Lupin is my first choice for betrayer of the Order, I also do
have a bit of an Evil!Molly thing festering in my brain. Well, maybe Evil!
isn't the right word - more of a Betrayer!Molly. I don't think Molly is or
ever was "evil," and I don't even think she's come to a "turning point" yet
(meaning in Harry's 5th year/OoP time-line). But the scene with her Boggart
(OoP, The Woes of Mrs. Weasley chapter) really brought home just how much
she (poentially) has to lose in the upcoming war:

(OoP, page 176, US hardcover):

"I see them d-d-dead all the time!" Mrs. Weasley moaned into his [Lupin's]
shoulder. "All the t-t-time! I d-d-dream about it . . ."

(And then on page 177):

I'm just s-s-so worried," she said, tears spilling out of her eyes again.
"Half the f-f-family's in the Order, it'll b-b-be a miracle if we all come
through this . . . "


Molly is scared, and she's got good reason to be. A few lines later, Lupin
reassures her by telling her the Order is better prepared this time, but if
I were Molly, frankly, that wouldn't make me feel better AT ALL. Think
about the death toll in the last war - when Moody shows Harry that photo,
it is really disturbing to hear just how many Order members were killed.
Why in the world should anyone think it will be any better this time,
regardless of Lupin's reassuring words? Sure, it's nice to hope that things
will be better, but it's the beginning of a war and it is really impossible
to guess just what is going to happen (unless you're JKR, anyhow <g>). And
the odds for the Weasleys are actually worse, IMO, than half; Molly,
Arthur, Charlie and Bill are active members of the Order. But I assume
George and Fred will be joining the Order now that they are of age and no
longer at Hogwarts. Ron, as Harry's best friend, is probably the Weasley
with the biggest target on his forehead. Oh, and wasn't Ginny there for
that battle at the Minstry, too? (That's a rhetorical question <g>). So,
Molly has solid, tangible reasons to worry about pretty much every member
of her family, with the exception of Percy. Depending on what happens with
him in the future, he may or may not be a particular target for Voldemort,
and in a war no one is safe, so she might as well worry about him with the
rest of them.

So . . .  how to say this without making it sound like I hate Molly, or
that I'm making wild unfounded speculations as an excuse to have something
to post <g>?  . . . I don't think Molly is evil. But I'm very afraid that
she may decide, out of desperation and fear, to go to Voldemort and make a
deal: "I'll tell you what you want to know, and you promise not to kill any
of my kids." I like Molly, really I do, and can empathise with her - as a
mother myself, there are a few areas in which I have Molly-esque fears for
my child. We saw in OoP that she can be unreasonable and even ruthless when
it comes to protecting her "family." I'm thinking specifically of how she
fought with Sirius over who was the better "parent" for Harry. She was
convinced that she knew what was best for Harry, and she wasn't about to
back down. This seems to be the way she goes about parenting - Molly knows
best, and she's not quiet about it. Put this together with the fact that
she is TERRIFIED, and rightly so, and I see a real possibility that she
might do something drastic to protect her family. I personally think it is
very unlikely that all the Weasleys will survive this war. If I were Molly,
and I were afraid for my loved ones, I know it would cross my mind that
perhaps I could do something to save them - something like going to
Voldemort and making that deal. I'm not saying I would do that (I like to
believe that I would never be capable of that sort of betrayal). But the
question is: is Molly capable of it? 

Ages ago (long before OoP), I was writing a post about Evil!McGonagall, and
I noted that, at the end of GoF, Dumbledore sends McG out of the room
before "outing" Sirius and sending Snape on his "mission." But Molly was in
the room for both those things. At the time, I made a joke about hoping
that Molly doesn't turn out to be the evil one. Well, after reading OoP,
the idea doesn't seem so funny - nor so outlandish - to me as it did
before. Also, if there is some truth to the "Missing Weasley" theory - that
the Weasleys lost a child in the first war - that would certainly give
Molly *far* more motivation to do anything possible to prevent any further
harm from coming to her family.

The one argument against Betrayer!Molly (other than simply believing in
Molly's innate goodness) is that I don't see her being willing to betray
Harry. I don't think she would ever give him to Voldemort - she considers
him to be one of "her own." However, if she thought there was any way she
could betray the Order while saving her family and Harry, I *know* she
would consider it. Who wouldn't  *consider* it? Whether or not she'll
actually *do* it? Well, we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?

:-)
Wendy