Harry's fate in book 5 & Amos Diggory

[linda_mccabe <lmccabe@sonic.net>]

No: HPFGUIDX 49256

Wendy and Jo Serenadust
I wanted to post a reply into the thread about Harry's fate in Book 
5 as to whether or not the Wizarding World would believe that 
Voldemort returned or if they might suspect that Harry was someway 
responsible for Cedric's death.

You see, I've done a lot of thinking about that and I think Harry is 
going to be painted in a *very* unfavorable light.  I think Fudge is 
going to make Harry, Sirius Black and Dumbledore look like they are 
responsible for all that is wrong with the Wizarding World.

I also think that Amos Diggory will soon come to believe that Harry 
killed Cedric and will subsequently do anything in his power to get 
at him.

Here is my poisoned pen rendition of what the Daily Prophet might 
run.  



Has the Dark Lord Returned?
Ministry of Magic dismisses rumors
By Hearst Seldes, Managing Editor

   Yesterday the offices of the Daily Prophet received a deluge of 
owls from concerned parents throughout the British Isles.  They are 
worried about the possibility that You-Know-Who has returned.  
Three days ago at the annual leaving feast at Hogwarts School of 
Witchcraft and Wizardry, the embattled headmaster Albus Dumbledore 
startled everyone with the announcement that You-Know-Who had not 
only risen but that murdered Hogwarts sixth year student and 
Triwizard champion, Cedric Diggory.
   The Daily Prophet had previously received unconfirmed reports of 
the death of one of the Triwizard champions, but now it can be 
stated that Cedric Diggory was killed during the third task of the 
tournament on June 24th.
   It seems that during the third task of the tournament, two of the 
champions, Diggory and Harry Potter (the boy who survived an attack 
by You-Know-Who when he was just a baby) disappeared for a period of 
about half an hour.  
   When they suddenly re-appeared outside the maze, Potter was 
bleeding and clutching both the Triwizard cup and Diggory's
corpse.
  We have been unable to determine where Potter and Diggory were 
during this lost period of time.
   It is commonly known that one cannot Apparate or Disapparate on 
the grounds of Hogwarts, so any claim that Potter and Diggory left 
Hogwarts, saw You-Know-Who rise again and then reappear at Hogwarts 
grounds should be treated with great suspicion said a source from 
the Ministry of Magic.
   It was also rumored that Harry Potter has an Invisibility Cloak, 
which would add another layer of intrigue regarding 
the `disappearance' of those two champions.
   The Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge refused to answer questions 
regarding rumors that he had summoned a Dementor and that someone 
within the castle walls had received a Dementor's Kiss that night.
Fudge did have this to say regarding Cedric Diggory's death. 
   "The Triwizard Tournament has a long history of fatal 
accidents.   Dumbledore had assured us that this year would be 
different, as they had supposedly taken great precautions to assure 
everyone's safety.  
  Since Cedric was the son of one of our Ministry's officials,
Amos Diggory, all of us at the Ministry of Magic have been hit 
hard.  It is as if we all lost a family member."
   In regards to You-Know-Who's possible return, Fudge 
responded, "I've seen no evidence of that happening. 
Frankly, I think Dumbledore is being very irresponsible and is 
listening to the ravings of what appears to be a very disturbed 
young man who has his own suspicions about him.  After all Potter 
can converse with snakes, he has episodes of unexplained convulsions 
as well as an unexplained disappearance in which he then returned 
holding a dead rival.  The other two champions had been stunned in 
the maze.  It seems that Dumbledore may be trying to cover up for a 
favoured student."
   Others also cast questions regarding Potter's reputation as
being a hero.  Narcissa Malfoy complained to this reporter that her 
son Draco and his classmates Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe had 
been attacked by Harry Potter and his friends on their ride home on 
the Hogwarts Express.
   "My son was only going to extend his congratulations to Potter
on winning the Triwizard Tournament when he was viciously attacked 
and left unconscious for hours in the hallway of the train.  I 
became worried when he hadn't disembarked from the train when all
the other students had."
   At this point, Mrs. Malfoy began to cry.  "Imagine my shock
when I found my son and his two friends sprawled out with footprints 
on them.  All those boys had to be treated at St. Mungo's for the 
jumble of hexes that were placed on them.  I sincerely hope that 
Dumbledore will punish those responsible, but given his history with 
Potter – I'm not holding my breath."
   Dumbledore has long been considered a controversial headmaster.  
He's hired a werewolf and a half-giant to teach his students.  It
is also reported that he allowed Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody to
place students under the Imperius Curse as part of their Defence 
Against the Dark Arts lessons.
   Two years ago, Dumbledore was briefly removed by the school 
governors after four students had been attacked and petrified by 
something within the castle. 
   There was a fantastic story at the end of that year that Harry 
Potter and his friend Ronald Weasley were in a hidden chamber in the 
bowels of the castle and fought a thousand year old basilisk that 
supposedly was left there by Hogwarts co-founder Salazar Slytherin.  
There was no evidence to support Potter's wild tale at that time, 
but it was enough to garner Dumbledore's praise and four hundred 
house points, which assured the House Cup to Gryffindor.  (Note:  
that was Dumbledore's House also.)
   Another curious note regarding that episode is that renowned 
author Gilderoy Lockhart was injured in the company of Potter and 
Weasley.
   This famed hunter of werewolves, vampires and other dark 
creatures cannot verify anything of Potter's supposed encounter
with a basilisk as he is still an inpatient at St. Mungo's with 
severe memory problems suffered that fateful night.  
   The previous year there was the wildly reported story that Harry 
met You-Know-Who in another (!) secret chamber at Hogwarts and 
fought with him over a Philosopher's Stone.  According to this 
legend, the Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor, Professor 
Quirrell was possessed by Voldemort.  
   This incident in the chamber caused the death of Professor 
Quirrell and for Dumbledore to lavish enough points on Gryffindor to 
snatch the House Cup from Slytherin for the first time in eight 
years.
   One should carefully weigh rumors of the Dark Lord's
reappearance with the sources of this information.  Unfortunately, 
neither Headmaster Dumbledore nor Harry Potter could be reached for 
comment on this story.  
   One other side note, our own reporter Rita Skeeter who had been 
covering the Triwizard Tournament and had been critical of Harry 
Potter is missing.  She was last known to have been trying to cover 
the Third Task.  Another disappearance linked to Potter, perhaps?   
  Might his survival years ago against an attack by You-Know-Who 
have been a sign that Harry Potter is destined to become an even 
more powerful dark wizard?  Only time will tell.




---Yes, you don't need Rita Skeeter's information gleaned from the 
Hospital wing in order for Harry and Dumbledore to be painted very 
badly in the press.

Athena

http://www.schnoogle.com/authorLinks/L_C_McCabe/   (BTW, that was an 
excerpt from chapter 4)