TBAY: What Voldemort knew and when did he know it, was ESE!Bill

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 85859

Erin was pondering Jenny's question and  Jenny was still 
wondering where  she could get some decent eggs when 
George came over bearing a silver tray on which rested  two 
elegant  black-bordered engraved invitations:

~~ Breakfast at The Safe House~~

Erin picked hers up and examined it closely. "Er--" said George, 
"I wouldn't do that if -- oops!"

In a few moments the two women had left a congealing plate of 
runny eggs and two little heaps of ash  behind them and were 
strolling up the garden path to The Safe House, where those 
who ponder the doings of spies and the interweaving nets of 
conspiracy can always find a dish of eclairs, a change of clothes, 
or, in this case,  a hot breakfast. 

Sneaky the House Elf ushered them into the kitchen, where a 
roaring fire blazed, not quite drowing out the soft hum of the 
newly refurbished MAGIC DISHWASHER. A colorful string of 
get-well cards festooned the mantlepiece.


Seated at the table, sipping from a cup of red liquid, was a 
dark-haired woman wearing a cape and dark glasses. 

"Good morning! and welcome," said Pippin. "Just tell Sneaky 
here what you'd like."

"Two eggs, over easy, please," said Erin. 

"Eggs Benedict," said Jenny. "If it's not too much trouble."

"A specialty of the house, Madam," said Sneaky and set to work, 
wondering if non-Yanks will get the joke, while Jenny repeated 
what she'd been saying earlier at the Royal George:
---------
  "if Bill is evil, why didn't he tell Voldemort that only 
> Voldemort or Harry could retrieve the prophecy?
> 
> "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? With Rookwood being a  former Dept. of Mysteries 
worker and a Death Eater, the Order would have no cause to 
believe that someone in the Order had passed along  that 
information when it clearly could have come from Rookwood."

"Oooh, that's a stumper," said Erin. "If there's a traitor in the 
order, why didn't they tell Voldemort about not being able to get 
the prophecy?"

Pippin smiles. "And how do you know they didn't?"

"But Rookwood--"

"Yes, yes. But that took place well after Christmas, did it not? 
Voldemort knew about the mind link by then. So--"

Jenny looked thunderstruck. "The Rookwood scene was 
staged!"

"Exactly!  The traitor could have told Voldemort as early as the 
previous August that only LV or Harry could lift the prophecy from 
its shelf. Well,  Voldemort doesn't want Dumbledore to know 
there's a spy in the Order, so he has to feign ignorance until he 
can spring Rookwood from Azkaban. Because just as you say, 
with Rookwood being a former Dept. of Mysteries worker, the 
Order would have no cause to believe that someone in the Order 
had passed along information when it clearly could have come 
from Rookwood. 

"But Rookwood could have told Voldemort before..." Jenny 
ventures, "when he was spying on the Ministry during VW I"

Pippin shrugs. "But apparently he didn't, and Voldemort has 
reason to think that the Order knows he did not. Dumbledore has 
his spies too, you know, and Voldemort makes sure they tell 
Dumbledore only what Voldemort wants him to know.

So, to protect his spy in the Order,  Voldemort  goes so far as to 
make a couple of fake attempts to get at the Prophecy. You'll 
notice he never has any of his own people try to lift it. He uses 
Podmore and Bode. Then he sends Nagini, who doesn't try to 
get through the locked door at all, but only attacks Arthur. And 
finally, Voldemort stages this little scene with Rookwood and 
makes sure Harry finds out about it. 

"Bon Appetit!"

Pippin
wishing Pip a speedy recovery

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Canon:
> 
> 1) "And then you saw Rookwood, who worked in the 
Department of  Mysteries before his arrest, telling Voldemort 
what we had known all  along - that the prophecies held in the 
Ministry of Magic are heavily 
> protected. (OOP, Ch 37, p.829US)
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~