TBAY: Bill Weasley is Ever So Evil parts 1 & 2

[abigailnus]

No: HPFGUIDX 85858

After drinking all those cups of tea, Abigail decides that it might be 
best to avail herself of George's facilities before continuing to discuss 
ESE!Bill with Erin.  When she returns, however, she finds that Erin has 
already struck up a conversation with someone else.  Wearing a glum 
expression, Jenny is delivering what she obviously believes is a death 
blow to ESE!Bill.

"If Bill is evil, why didn't he tell Voldemort that only Voldemort or Harry 
could retrieve the prophecy?"  She insists.  "Dumbledore told Harry that 
*we*, not *he*, had known all along what Voldemort didn't learn of
 until Rookwood informed him(1), meaning that the Order, not just 
Dumbledore, knew this. And if Bill knew this, why would he have not 
informed Voldemort?"

Before Erin can so much as open her mouth, Abigail jumps in.  "It's a 
pickle, I admit, but I hardly think you should look so upset about it."

"Well, on top of everything else, my eggs were runny again."  Jenny 
says ruefully.

"Runny eggs?  Well, we can't have that."  Abigail motions to George 
over Jenny's head, and ushers her to a table.  "George gets a bit 
overburdened at breakfast time, but he'll have some proper eggs 
over here soon enough.  Now, about this objection of yours, I think 
I may see a way around it."

Jenny looks doubtful.

"It all comes down to information, you see."  Abigail continues 
undaunted.  "Information and communication are important themes 
in OOP, and this theme is mirrored not only in Harry's experiences, 
but in the structure of the two major warring organizations that we 
encounter in the book - the Death Eaters and the Order.  In fact, the 
readers themselves suffer from lack of information - we learn next to 
nothing about the Order and it's internal structure."

"So, what, you're saying that Bill didn't know the whole truth about 
the prophecy?"  Jenny asks.  "I just told you that Dumbledore says 'we'."

"But which 'we' is he referring to?"  Abigail insists.  "Let's look at what 
we do know about the Order and the war that it's fighting.  As those 
wacky folks in the Safe House keep reminding us, the war between 
Voldemort and the Wizarding World is primarily a war of spies and 
intelligence, with the occasional violent flare-up.  We know that 
Voldemort is careful to set his followers up in cells, so that one 
member can't give the entire organization away.  With the 
introduction of Legilimency in OOP, the need to compartmentalize 
information becomes even more pressing."

"But the Order members clearly know about the prophecy."  Jenny 
points out, as George delivers her eggs fried to perfection.  "Why else 
would they agree to stand guard outside the DoM?"

"The membership in general knows about the existence of the 
prophecy."  Abigail admits.  "That much is obvious from their reactions
 to Harry's questions when he first comes to Grimmauld Place, as well 
as from the twins' deduction that the Order is protecting something 
important to Voldemort.  However, it needn't follow that the entire 
membership knows who can pick up the prophecy orb.  What would be 
the point of that?  Some members clearly need to know these things, 
but why would Bill?  He's a young man, a fairly junior member and a 
recent recruit, who, by all rights, should have little or no interaction 
with Harry.  There's no justification for giving him such sensitive 
information."

Abigail spears a bit of Jenny's eggs and chews them thoughtfully.  
"Tell me something, Jenny.  Do you believe that the entire membership 
of the OOP knows about the contents of the prophecy?"

Jenny starts to speak, and then pauses.  "No.  It wouldn't make any 
sense.  The members of the Old Crowd probably heard about it when it 
was first given, but there's no call to tell the new members about it."

"And the same was probably true of the information on the people who 
could pick it up."  Abigail concludes.  "Plus, it's not such a stretch to 
believe that Dumbledore would expect Order members to follow his 
orders unquestioningly.  He does it with Harry, Sirius and Snape in OOP, 
and in GoF he specifically give McGonagall orders that make no sense, 
without trying to explain them at all.  I wouldn't be surprised if there 
were members of the Order who only knew that there was something 
that needed guarding in the DoM, but never even knew what it was."

"I don't know."  Jenny takes a sip of her coffee.  "It seems a little 
convoluted.  Now we have to start discussing who in the Order knew 
what and when they knew it."

"Well, as it so happens, I have another way to beat your objection, 
although I'm not sure Erin would approve."

"Why?"  Erin, who had been silent thus far, pipes up suspiciously.  
"What are you planning to do?"

"For starters, I'm going to insist that ESE!Bill is dependent on 
Imperius!Arthur."  

"Well, I'm insisting on Imperio'd!Arthur as the parent of Evil!Bill at 
all costs."  Erin informs her.

"You are?  Oh, how nice."  Abigail smiles.  "But you might not like 
this next bit.  I'm going to suggest that Bill isn't Evil."

"What!"  Erin explodes.  "After I folded my theory into yours!  This is 
all about that stolen canon, admit it!"

"Let me finish!"  Abigail tries to calm her.  "Bill isn't Evil, by which I 
mean that he hasn't joined the DEs yet, but he's well on his way.  
Remember Peter Pettigrew?  He was passing information to Voldemort 
for a year before LV's fall, which indicates that there was a time before 
that in which he wasn't a spy.  His claim that he switched sides because 
Voldemort was taking over everywhere supports that.  Everyone's 
talking about the modern traitor - well, as you've described ESE!Bill, he 
isn't a traitor.  In order to betray someone you first have to have an 
allegiance to them - otherwise you're just a spy.  You've suggested that 
Voldemort's resurrection prompted Bill to seek out the DEs.  Maybe that 
hasn't happened yet.  Doesn't mean the seeds haven't been sown by, 
just as the seeds for Peter's betrayal were probably sown years before it 
happened.  At this point, however, Bill has no reason to reveal the 
crucial information about the prophecy to Voldemort."

"Well, what about Percy?"  Erin asks.  "You were so keen on Bill revealing 
to Percy that Arthur had been Imperio'd."

"He still might have."  Abigail replies.  "You remember that I wasn't that 
thrilled with the notion that Spy!Bill's first mission in enemy territory 
was to subvert the young and impressionably secretary of the MoM to 
a point of view that he was already well on his way to holding.  This way, 
Bill may have revealed the truth to Percy as a way of purging himself, 
letting out his frustrations, or he might have been so upset that he said 
something without noticing that made Percy suspicious.  His motives 
might even have been malicious.  Perhaps he was so rattled by Percy's 
admiration of his father that he decided to knock down Percy's idol."

"So Bill isn't Evil, but he's going to be?"  Erin wonders.  "Isn't that directly 
opposed to JKR's insistence on free will and the importance of choice?  
No one can be predestined to be evil in the Potterverse."

"Bill the person has free will."  Abigail concedes.  "But Bill the character 
goes where JKR tells him.  If there is a traitor, then within the Potterverse, 
if such a place can be said to exist, he or she chose (or will choose) to 
betray.  Outside the Potterverse, however, the choice was never theirs."

Abigail gets up, clearly feeling very pleased with herself.  "All that 
talking's made me thirsty.  How about it, girls?  Is it too early for some 
TBAY brandy?"

Abigail