What's he up to?

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 94793

Kneasy wrote:
> Every  so often there's a trickle of posts wondering about "the 
> small thing in CoS  that will  have a bearing later" that Steve 
> Cloves mentioned during an interview. 

Siriusly Snapey Susan:
How fortuitous!!  Just this a.m. I was thinking how very much I'd 
like to get a thread started on what people think this "small thing" 
could be, that would actually go on for a long time w/ lots of 
input.  Trouble is...I had no theory myself.  So thanks, Kneasy!

Kneasy: 
> However, there is something in CoS that bears  thinking about - and 
> it isn't small (except physically) and that concerns Dobby. 
> What I want to concentrate on is not what they are or how they are 
> treated but what Dobby actually  *does*. There could be a very big 
> clue lurking in there somewhere.
> 
> Dobby himself tells Harry that House Elves are bound "...to  serve 
> one house, one family." They're not  interested in strangers, only 
> in serving the Family they are attached to. Yet Dobby adds that he 
> has "...come to protect Harry Potter, to warn him..." And once 
> again Harry misses the chance to ask some pointed questions.
> 
> Well, there are two possible scenarios that could explain Dobby's 
> actions. The  first, one that I put forward last year, is that 
> Harry *is* a member of the family that Dobby serves. 

Siriusly Snapey Susan:
Oh, dear.  All I can think of to say to this is...what would the 
Harry/Draco SHIPpers do if they turn out to be *family*?  ;-)

But on to the good stuff!

Kneasy:
> But a new (to me) idea has been percolating through my 
> admittedly twisted and conspiratorial mind.  
> What started me thinking was how often Dobby managed to get away 
> from chez Malfoy during that year. He seemed to be spending an 
> inordinate amount of time with Harry and at Hogwarts. How many 
> instructions could Lucius give that could be misunderstood? 
> And the timing; 

Siriusly Snapey Susan:
Yeeees, this is something I'm sure many of us have wondered about!

Kneasy:
> But suppose, just suppose, that Lucius *sent*  Dobby with strict 
> instructions to  stop Harry from attending Hogwarts that year and 
> if necessary to warn him of danger. What  could that mean? 
> 
> So although we can assume that Lucius wanted the Basilisk out and 
> about, eyeballing the students, he seemingly didn't want Harry 
> wandering around with a bulls-eye on his back. Why not?  He's on 
> Voldy's team isn't he?
> 
> Maybe. Although even Voldy  seemed to wonder about Lucius's motives 
> when they were re-united in the graveyard. He  claims to smell 
> guilt and tells Malfoy he expects a more faithful service in 
> future. And Malfoy's response -  "My Lord, I was on the alert..." 
> You bet he was, but for what? Thieves fall out, a truism, but does 
> it apply here? And why would Lucius get Harry involved in an 
> possible internal DE power-play? Well, Harry  is supposed to be 
> Voldy's nemesis. A fairly risk-free option would be to make sure 
> Harry survives to adulthood and the long anticipated showdown and 
> meanwhile Malfoy quietly builds a power base - Fudge, the Ministry, 
> the right people in charge of Hogwarts.  Malfoy for Minister. 
> Sneaky. Could even work.

Siriusly Snapey Susan:
Okay, I'm with you so far, Kneasy, and I like this possibility, 
but ....


Kneasy: 
> All this assumes that Malfoy is a thoroughly bad lot and totally 
> committed to the Dark side. Is he? Consider, who does  Snape hang 
> around with, when he hangs around with anyone? Lucius. And Snape is 
> supposed to be the link man between Voldy and DD. What if there's 
> more than one link in the chain? Voldy would be mad to trust Snape, 
> but he trusts Malfoy, at least up until now. It would also solve 
> the problem of how Snape overcame his past betrayal to Voldy by 
> simply by-passing it. He doesn't need to grovel before Voldy hoping 
> like hell that Voldy's wand won't twitch and that Nagini has 
> already been fed if Lucius is the main source for the Order's 
> intelligence. Add in the interview with DD at the end of CoS. Lots 
> of folk have expressed surprise that DD went so easy on him after 
> he had caused so much trouble. A case of "You scratch my back and 
> I'll scratch yours," perhaps? Seduction instead of brute force?
> 
> So Malfoy plays both ends against the middle, cooperating with both 
> sides to a certain extent until he can pick the winner.


Siriusly Snapey Susan:
Okay, HERE is where I think I'm losing it and need more detail, 
Kneasy.  Are you saying that Voldy KNOWS Snape **is** the one who 
left forever, but that it doesn't matter because Snape's NOT really 
spying on Voldy, NOT really back in his service?  That Snape's 
working only with Lucius...Lucius, who's really the ORDER'S SPY?  Am 
I getting this, or have I totally screwed it up??

I DO like the part of this which goes to what kind of character 
Malfoy really is, and "power-hungry" and "opportunist" are two terms 
which jump into my mind.  I've wondered why Voldy didn't give him a 
HARDER time in the graveyard...and yet there was that diary set-up 
which I *thought* did show a certain level of Voldy loyalty.  So how 
would the diary have fit in, Kneasy?  Just nastiness, to kill a 
few "mudbloods", but not really an attempt to bring Riddle back?

Let's hear more!

Siriusly Snapey Susan