[HPforGrownups] Re: The Dark Mark as Evidence

[Kelly Grosskreutz]

No: HPFGUIDX 60546


> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Jennie "jspotila" wrote:
> >
> > Now that everyone knows about the Dark Mark being used as a magical
> > tattoo on the Death Eaters, (after GoF) why can't the Ministry of
> > Magic check Sirius Black for the tattoo and clear him?
> (snip)
> > Interesting, although not unexpected, that Snape who also bears the
> > mark never mentioned this to Dumbledore.  Or if he had, even more
> > curious that Dumbledore has not suggested examining Black in this
> > way.
> >
>
Catlady wrote:
> I think that the Dark Mark is invisible when the Dark Lord is
> disembodied, so Snape's mark didn't show from Halloween 1981 to at
> least PS/SS, and neither would Sirius's if he had one. I think there
> must be some way that the Death Eaters can make their Dark Marks
> invisible to outsiders, or else it would have been a good way to
> identify bad guys during the Bad Years.
>
I got the impression the Mark didn't really start coming back until
beginning of GoF.  V was little more than a wraith for the time from
Halloween 1981 until Wormtail started taking care of him in GoF.  So Snape's
Mark was pretty much nonexistent, as was everyone else's, which is one
reason so many of them were able to get off by saying they were under the
Imperius Curse or whatever other excuses they used.

As for making the Mark invisible, I wonder about that.  If Snape and
Karkaroff could've made their Marks invisible in GoF, I think they would've.
Voldemort is also a guy who doesn't like people to deny that they are loyal
to him and/or serve him.  Don't know if he'd be thrilled about his followers
hiding the sign of their service like that, although one would think it'd be
an easy way to get caught.  On the other hand, I can see even the ones who
squealed, like Karkaroff, only saying so much to the Ministry but not
telling all.  Maybe the Dark Mark and its uses was one thing they all chose
not to divulge.  We don't know of any other DE who completely defected of
his/her own free will to DD's side aside from Snape.  I can see Snape
divulging everything about the Mark to DD, and the two of them deciding not
to tell about it so as not to make things difficult for Snape in his spying
job.

As to why Snape said nothing about Sirius's Dark Mark to anyone, two reasons
here.  One, there was nothing to see because it had not returned for any of
the DE's because V still had little to no power.  Two, for all we know, DD
and Snape are still entertaining thoughts about Snape resuming his spy
position, so perhaps for reasons of their own they want this bit of
knowledge to remain between the two of them for the moment.  Although this
last thought can easily be disproved by the end of GoF...

Kelly Grosskreutz
http://www.idcnet.com/~ivanova