Malfoy's Goal in CoS (was: Re: Lucius Malfoy, Voldemort and World Domination)

[a_reader2003]

No: HPFGUIDX 78693

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "KathyK" <zanelupin at y...> wrote:

(heavy snip)
> I think Lucius Malfoy is a careful and sneaky fellow in general so 
I am inclined to believe he did know what giving the Diary to Ginny 
> Weasley would ultimately accomplish:  The return of Voldemort?  Not 
> exactly.  As evilshelly mentions above, Malfoy would love a 
Voldemort in his debt.  It would give him even more power.
> 
> And to expound on that idea, it would make Malfoy the one in 
charge.  Perhaps he believes that this sixteen-year-old boy can be 
molded into whatever Lucius finds appropriate.  I would imagine that 
even thoroughly muggle-hating sixteen-year-old Tom Riddle could still 
be influenced.  After leaving Hogwarts, he went off to learn all he 
could about the Dark Arts.  
> 
> This Tom Riddle could do the same, only his good friend and mentor, 
> Lucius Malfoy is there this time to give him a helping hand.  
Malfoy could set him on a similar path to the one he had before, 
aiding him in his goals, which have been theorized on recently.
> 
(heavy snip)

> KathyK

CW comments:

Kathy, in CS, p231 (UK edition), the text reads:
 (Riddle talking) " 'How did you escape with nothing but a scar, 
while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed ?' There was an odd red 
gleam in his hungry eyes now. 
'Why do you care how I escaped ?' said Harry slowly. 'Voldemort was 
after your time.' 
'Voldemort' says Riddle softly, 'is my past, present and future, 
Harry Potter...'
etc etc (the anagram scene of his name)

To me, this passage clearly indicates that the Tom Riddle of the 
diary is fully aware of his future, and who he became, and is indeed 
one and the same person in this scene, so I am not sure how Lucius 
Malfoy could have thought he could manipulate a schoolboy Voldemort. 
But perhaps Lucius misunderstood the nature of the 'being' that was 
held between the diary's pages ?

Personally, I thought it suspicious that Lucius just happened to have 
this diary on him whilst shopping for Draco's schoolbooks at Flourish 
& Blotts, especially as he could not have known that the row with the 
Weasley's was going to occur. The only reasonable explanations are 
that (a)he was on his way to sell it (or store it) at Borgins & 
Burke; or (b)there was a definite plan to slip the book into a 
Hogwarts child's pocket, but the row with the Weasley's gave Lucius a 
sudden malicious new idea as to who that should be, and he gives it 
to Ginny. 

As it is clear from what Dobby tries to tell Harry that some plot has 
been cooking up over the summer at the Malfoy's, I incline to 
explanation (b), and I would have thought that the initial target for 
the diary was either Hermione or Harry, either of whom would appeal 
to Malfoy as suitably ironic people to open up the Chamber of Secrets 
again. 

But as to what Malfoy's real intentions were in doing this, I agree 
it is debatable. Perhaps his only intention was to get the Chamber 
open again, so that the Basilisk could wreak havoc, kill lots of 
Mudbloods and get the school closed down etc, and he didn't realise 
it could potentially bring back Voldemort as well. Perhaps Voldemort, 
in his long, dark evil planning gave this diary long ago to Malfoy 
for safe keeping, without explaining fully what it could do (one of 
his deep plans to cheat death). It would fit with Voldemort trusting 
no one, not even an important DE like Malfoy.