TBAY: Lars is bright tonight (part 2 of 2)

[Susan Miller]

No: HPFGUIDX 87646

This is the second of a two-part discussion of my theory concerning 
Quirrell and Scandinavia. For those who don't like TBAY, a follow-up 
post will present all the same facts and suppositions in an essay 
format.  So, into the Bay ...

<"((><   <"((><   <"((><   <"((><   <"((><   <"((><   <"((><  

Looking a little frazzled after serving a bunch of noisy Snape-
theorists their breakfasts, George returns to the corner table where 
Constance Vigilance is enjoying a plate of Scandinavian herrings over 
the pieces of a very problematic-looking jigsaw puzzle.

George has thoughtfully brought a fresh hot pot of coffee and sits 
down. While he was gone, Constance has moved the puzzle sections 
representing Durmstrang to Norway. They fit, sort of, but there are 
many pieces missing from that area, so it is impossible to be 
absolutely certain. Constance is chewing on a herring.

George pours them both fresh coffee. "That's quite a leap! First, 
locating Durmstrang in Norway on somewhat flimsy evidence, and then, 
putting Quirrell there? And all, basically, to solve the problem of 
how he managed to get a dragon egg from Norway?"

"Yes, it is a bit of a stretch. But I think there is good evidence 
that would make Durmstrang an attractive option for someone like 
Quirrell. Let's look closer. We know that he was an idealistic young 
man. He says so himself:"

"A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good 
and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was." (SS, US edition, 
page 291)

"We also know that he was a dedicated student of his craft. When we 
first meet him, he is getting a book on vampires. He gives exams on 
werewolves. Hagrid says he was a good teacher until he took a year 
off to travel. Only the most dedicated teachers take a sabbatical to 
get more experience in their subject matter. I think it would have 
been right in character for him to have chosen Durmstrang as a means 
to study the Dark Arts for the purpose of defeating evil."

"As a dedicated student at Durmstrang, not only might he have learned 
about the Dark Arts and how to perform wandless magic, but it would 
have put him in a perfect location to become skilled with trolls, and 
to learn about Norwegian dragons."

"But there is another puzzling thing about Quirrell."

"And that is ... ?"

"What happened to him? Voldemort believes he is dead." Constance 
sampled another herring. "But look carefully at what Dumbledore says:"

"(Voldemort) left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to 
his followers as his enemies." (SS, US edition, page 298)

"See? Dumbledore never says he died, only that he was left for dead. 
Furthermore, Quirrell was fortified with unicorn's blood. Firenze 
tells us, 'The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you 
are an inch from death, but at a terrible price.'"

George looked confident. "But! In GoF, we have proof that Quirrell is 
dead. I remember reading that Voldemort says, 'The servant died when 
I left his body.'"

"Yes, but all that proves is the Voldemort THINKS Quirrell is dead. 
Voldemort is known for jumping to conclusions. More importantly, if 
Quirrell died, where is the body? It's just a bit fishy. Which 
reminds me, do you have any more of these delicious herrings?"

George runs to the kitchen and brings back a fresh plate of herrings, 
served, as before, on the Big Paddle, which is beginning to be 
thought of as the Kinder, Gentler Paddle.

Constance begins again, "Let's look again at what we know happened in 
the dungeon."

"Harry jumped to his feet, caught Quirrell by the arm, and hung on as 
tight as he could. Quirrell screamed and tried to throw Harry off - 
the pain in Harry's head was building - he couldn't see he could only 
hear Quirrell's terrible shrieks and Voldemort's yells of, 'KILL HIM! 
KILL HIM!' and other voices, maybe in Harry's own head, 
crying 'Harry! Harry!'

"He felt Quirrell's arm wrenched from his grasp, hew all was lost and 
fell into blackness, down ... down ... down ..." (SS, US edition, 
page 294)

Constance looks up. "The next thing Harry knows, it's three days 
later and he's in the hospital. So, what happened in the dungeon? We 
know that Voldemort left Quirrell. Then what? Either Quirrell died, 
and the body went - where? Or he lived and escaped? How could an 
exhausted and injured Quirrell escape from Dumbledore? What if, 
without Voldemort infesting Quirrell's thinking, he and Dumbledore 
had a heart-to-heart, with the end result that Quirrell came back to 
the good side?"

"Let's see what happens when we put these Dumbledore pieces here in 
the dungeon with Quirrell and Harry and some other random pieces and 
see what happens."

Constance moves a kindly-looking section of Dumbledore pieces into 
the mirror room and connects Quirrell, the Lake with its portal to 
Durmstrang, and the Hogwarts plumbing all together.

The puzzle starts to hum and spin. The pieces begin to become three-
dimensional and come to life, a tiny holographic vignette. George and 
Constance lean in close, not to miss a word.

<begin vignette, highly edited for brevity>

Dumbledore pulls Quirrell off Harry. Voldemort flies out of 
Quirrell's head and out of the dungeon. Quirrell collapses, injured 
and exhausted, but no longer violent. He is near death, but conscious.

Dumbledore: Welcome back, Quirrell. Nice job on that troll a couple 
of rooms back.

Quirrell: I don't know how I could have become so dissuaded from the 
Path of Good. How can I ever repay the world for what I almost did?

Dumbledore: As a matter of fact, there is something you can do. You 
can go back to Norway and recruit the students of Durmstrang to our 
side. While you are at it, you can recruit the trolls, who, according 
to Scandinavian lore, usually fight alongside giants in any battle. 
They would be powerful allies.

Quirrell: But how can I get out there without Voldemort knowing that 
I lived?

Dumbledore: There is actually a direct way out of here. A young ghost 
known as Moaning Myrtle discovered that the Hogwarts plumbing leads 
directly out to the lake. And I noticed in a crystal ball gazing that 
about a year from now, we will have proof that at least some of the 
pipes are large enough for a person to get through. You can "flush" 
yourself out of the castle into the lake. Then you can take a First 
Years' boat through the portal to Durmstrang. But first, you will 
need some strength.

Dumbledore gets the Stone with its Elixer of Life from Harry's pocket 
and gives it to Quirrell.

Quirrell drinks the Elixer and regains his full strength. He then 
follows Dumbledore's suggestion and disappears for the next several 
books.

<end vignette>

The hologram fades back into a puzzle.

Constance and George look at each other.

George, remembering, says, "Interesting point about the Elixer. I 
think I remember Dumbledore saying about the Stone, 'As for the 
stone, it has been destroyed.' (page 297) He never says HOW it was 
destroyed. I suppose he COULD have given it to Quirrell, now that 
Quirrell was back on the Side of Good."

Constance nodded. "And then there is this last little bit. I think it 
was a private joke that was intended to last until the final 
denouement. Back in the castle, when Harry is in the hospital, 
Dumbledore says this:"

"What happened in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is 
a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows. I believe 
your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for 
trying to send you a toilet seat."

Taking a last bite of herring, Constance laughed. "If Quirrell had 
just flushed himself out of Hogwarts, the gift of a toilet seat is 
particularly appropriate, eh? I wonder if there is more than one 
Weasley who can 'see' when they are joking?"

"Now, I'm kind of tired of herrings, and it's about lunch time. What 
is on the lunch menu?"

<end>


Constance Vigilance