4 Voldemort Phases (was re: Pureblood DE and Knights of Walpurgis)

[Tamee Livingston]

No: HPFGUIDX 78920

Salit wrote:
>>>You forget that Voldemort has several projects going in parallel, with
Harry being only one (albeit important) one. He's recruited the dementors,
most giants and perhaps others already. He has already split the wizarding
world and is seeding conflict and confusion - just see the state of the
Ministry of Magic - supposedly the centerpiece of resistance to him. It is
implied that he is talking to the goblins (imagine him taking over the
financial resources of WW). Then let's not forget Trelawney's second
prophecy about him rising "greater and more terrible than ever before". No,
I think you grossly underestimate him. >>> True, he is obsessed with killing
Harry, but he does not let that take him away from the rest of his plans. He
was in stealth mode  until now, that's all.<<<

But why did he come out of stealth mode just when he did?  That's what bugs
me.  You're right about what Voldemort's been doing; he hasn't been entirely
inactive.   However, it seems to me that his chief focus is Harry and his
secondary focus is the resumption of power, and if the secondary goal gets
in the way of the first then he just lets it fall to pieces.  The thing that
drives me nuts is that for most of OOTP Voldemort seems to be working a good
plan of lying low, quietly recruiting giants and dementors, having the
wizarding world at large believe that news of his return is the results of a
delusional publicity seeking boy and a senile old geezer.  That is clever;
that works for me, but then it is all blown out of the water when he makes a
personal appearance at the ministry of magic.  The illusions blown and a
bunch of his followers, some who would be more useful free, are taken down.

What I don't understand is the point of the Dept of Mysteries trap.  I mean
if a bunch of death eaters can creep in there and I guess skulk around for a
few hours waiting for Harry to show up and grab the prophecy, then why
couldn't they have used the same circumstances for Voldemort to slip in, get
the prophecy, and get out with no one being the wiser.  Despite what Lucius
says Voldemort does take the trouble to go there in the end, while there's a
running battle which I assume is what attracted the aurors and exposed
Voldemort.

I think my problem is that Voldemort seems to be very clever on one side and
mindnumbingly stupid on the other.  The only thing that I can determine is
that his desire to destroy Harry is allowed to override all other
considerations even when it sets back other plans significantly.  It's
annoying.  I want to think that he's got clever backup plans in the works,
that he's going to take advantage of a backlash against Fudge to get another
of his people in place, but the fact is I don't believe it.  He's powerful,
he's dangerous, but still he's one dimensional and annoying, and I wish I
could respect him as a villain.  I'm still willing to be convinced that this
is all part of his master plan, though.  All ideas and speculations are
welcome, because this is really bothering me.

Tamee