Lars is bright tonight (essay format)

[Susan Miller]

No: HPFGUIDX 87648

Because some people don't like the TBAY format, I am presenting the 
same information here in essay format that was posted under the 
title "TBAY: Lars is bright tonight" parts 1 and 2. Although I think 
TBAY was really the better presentation format for this subject 
matter, I didn't want to exclude readers for whom the TBAY format is 
problematic.

As before, the title "Lars is bright tonight" is intended to convey 
my belief that Scandinavia will become important if the Potterverse 
follows the path that this theory espouses.

This theory is based on several premises:

1 - Quirrell is a key character
2 - Durmstrang is in Norway
3 - Quirrell is related to Durmstrang

Here we go:

The problem with Quirrell is that there is so little of him. He is 
barely given any screen time and then he is killed off. What should 
we have learned from him? Why should we care? Let's see what we know 
about him.

He is, or was, a dedicated and apparently competent teacher of the 
Dark Arts. Hagrid and Percy both comment that he was a fine teacher 
until went on sabbatical and came back changed. Only the most 
dedicated of teachers would want to branch out from theoretical 
knowledge and make that commitment to go out and gain the practical. 
When we first meet him, he is adding to his library by buying a book 
on vampires. We know that Hermione studies for an exam on werewolves, 
so his grasp of the subject matter seems to be up to snuff. I think 
we can conclude that he was a credit to his profession.

He seems to have a connection to Scandinavia. We know this because of 
two things. One, he has a special skill with trolls. Trolls are 
especially prevalent in Scandinavian lore. Also, when he needed to 
get a dragon egg for Hagrid, he chose to get a rare Norwegian 
Ridgeback egg. Where would one get such a rare egg? Possibly from a 
dragon reserve somewhere in Europe? Maybe. But I think it is most 
likely that he got it from the source - a nest somewhere in Norway. 
Why Norway? If he needed a dragon egg, why not make it easy on 
himself and get a local Welch Green?

I think it was that he was most familiar with Norwegian animals. 
Furthermore, I think he was in a hurry and needed to get the egg and 
get back in the least amount of time. First, because he didn't want 
to be missed. Secondly, because if the egg gets too cold, the baby 
dragon will die. And this sort of rules out the possibility of 
getting an egg from a dragon reserve in Europe, too. You still have 
the same travel and time problems. I think he must have got it from 
Nowary. But how to get to Norway and back quickly? Apparate? No - you 
can't apparate in or out of Hogwarts. Knight Bus? No - it won't go 
under water, and besides, he wants to keep his activities a secret. 
Portkey? Requires Ministry of Magic approval. Broomsticks or 
thestrals? Too slow. Ask someone to bring him an egg? They would be 
subject to the same travel issues, and besides, there is the secrecy 
problem. 

There is one other way into and out of Hogwarts. It leads north. One 
can travel in secret. I'm talking about the Lake. But the lake leads 
into or near Durmstrang. The Lake portal will only be of help if 
Durmstrang is in Norway. Can Durmstrang be in Norway?

All we know about Durmstrang is that it gets cold, winter nights are 
short and there are lakes, mountains and forests. Norway works, 
check, check and check. But then we run into a problem. How do we 
justify a school in Norway sporting a German-sounding school name 
with staff and students that sound like they belong in Eastern 
Europe? These names would be exceedingly uncommon in Norway.

>From listee Berit Jakobsen (message 87528), we learn that during 
Muggle War II, when Norway was occupied, the Nazis shipped thousands 
of Yugoslavians to Norway for slave labor. I think it is possible 
that a German Dark Wizard cooperated with the occupying force, taking 
over a wizarding school in Norway, giving it a German name and 
populating it with young wizards from Eastern Europe for the purpose 
of learning the Dark Arts for global mischief. In fact, we know of 
one Dark Wizard who could have done exactly that. I think Grindelwald 
was that Dark Wizard.

This brings us full circle back to Hogwarts. Dumbledore was teaching 
at Hogwarts in 1945. I think it is possible that he created the 
portal through the Lake to Durmstrang, traveled north and defeated 
Grindelwald in 1945. We know that the portal is still active. 
Presuming that the portal works quickly, this would provide a means 
for Quirrell to get to Norway and back with a dragon egg before it 
got cold enough for the baby dragon to die. But how would he be 
familiar with Durmstrang?

We know that Durmstrang today is known for its teaching in the Dark 
Arts, and attracts students from all over Europe who want to study 
the Dark Arts. This could be another source for students and staff 
with foreign (to Norwegian ears) names. We know that Draco Malfoy 
considered attending Durmstrang. I believe that Quirrell was a 
student at Durmstrang. I believe he was as idealistic a young wizard 
as he was in his early days teaching at Hogwarts. I think he could 
have attended Durmstrang with an eye to learning the Dark Arts for 
noble purposes. In addition, spending his formative years in Norway 
would give him ample opportunity to learn about trolls.

So - if these suppositions provide Quirrell the background to become 
what he became, how does this matter to us now?

Let's review what happened in the dungeon.

Harry is holding on to Quirrell who is screaming with pain. Voldemort 
is yelling "Kill him! Kill him!" Then Harry hears someone calling his 
name just as he lapses into unconsciousness. The next thing we know, 
he is awakening in the hospital three days later and has a 
conversation with Dumbledore. But what happened in the meantime?

Let's go back into the dungeon and take another look.

Harry is unconscious. Voldemort flies out of Quirrell's head and 
leaves the scene. Quirrell collapses, near death. What next? Does he 
die? But Quirrell is fortified with a double dose of unicorn blood, 
which, according to Firenze, will keep you alive, even if you are an 
inch from death. Let's see what Dumbledore says about it "(Voldemort) 
left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers 
as his enemies." (SS, US edition, page 298) Dumbledore does not say 
he died, only that he was left for dead. We know that Voldemort 
believes he is dead. In GoF, he says, "The servant died when I left 
his body." But we know that Voldemort jumps to conclusions and is 
usually wrong. More importantly, if Quirrell died, where is the body? 
I think Quirrell survived.

So, let's hypothesize what happened next. Did Quirrell escape? 
Doubtful. How could an exhausted and injured Quirrell escape from 
Dumbledore? I think that with the Voldemort parasite out of his head, 
he and Dumbledore were able to have a heart-to-heart and Quirrell 
turned back to the Good Side. One problem left. How did he get out of 
Hogwarts without anyone, especially Voldemort, finding out that he 
was still alive?

I think we need to look into the next few books for that answer. From 
Moaning Myrtle, we know that Hogwarts plumbing empties into the Lake. 
>From Chamber of Secrets, we know that at least some of the pipes are 
large enough for a man to pass through. I think Dumbledore gave 
Quirrell the Elixer of Life to restore his strength, then 
Quirrell "flushed" himself into the lake, where he borrowed a First 
Years' boat and portalled out to Durmstrang. I think he is, even now, 
recruiting the Dark Arts students there, and maybe the trolls, too, 
for a last-minute cavalry charge for the Good Guys.

And that is why I think Scandinavia will become important somewhere 
in the next two books.

There is one postscript which is pretty comical, given the scenario 
that I have just described. Here is what Dumbledore says to Harry in 
the hospital:

"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."

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?


Constance Vigilance