Was Harry in Danger from the Basilisk?

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 108725

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "zoe0coll" 
<neil.zoe.collishaw at n...> wrote:
> SNIP!
> 
> Geoff:
> > Re-reading this, it is taking on much more significance in my 
mind. 
> > Does this mean that Dumbledore knows about the Basilisk and is 
> > speculating, knowing that Voldemort is apparently out of the 
> > picture, as to which person now has the ability to open the 
Chamber?
> > 
> > Hmmm.
> 
Zoe:
> I think you're forgetting that Dumbledore doesn't actually know 
that 
> Tom Riddle opened the chamber and set a Basilisk on Moaning Myrtle 
> and the others.  Hagrid, with Aragog as the monster, was set up by 
> Tom as the culprit, and was expelled for it, even though Dumbledore 
> beleived he was innocent. Even if he suspected Tom, he had no 
proof, 
> or would have done aomething about it at the time.  We have no 
cannon 
> for anyone knowing that Tom was the culprit all along.  It is only 
> with hindsight (at the end of COS) that Dumbledore knows for a fact 
> that it was Riddle, due to Harry and Ginny's witness and the Diary 
> itself. 

Geoff:
My point is that if, as Riddle suggests, there were non-fatal attacks 
in 1942 on students, then presumably they were left petrified. So it 
is possible that Dumbledore has guessed what the source of the 
trouble was.

In 1992, a similar situation arises. Students are found petrified and 
there is evidence that the Chamber has been opened. Dumbledore makes 
the observation "How, I cannot say". Binns points out that there is a 
belief that the Chamber is inhabited by "some sort of monster". so 
Dumbledore must realise that there is a link; he obviously had a 
shrewd suspicion that Tom Riddle was involved because he kept such a 
close watch on him previously that the latter felt unable to venture 
into the Chamber again. He must have theories about what the monster 
is because of the the 1942 events and his comment I record above is 
more that he cannot (or dare not) reveal what he knows or suspects 
rather than a statement of ignorance.

And there is also his curious response to Professor McGonagall when 
he confirms that the Chamber is definitely reopened regarding 
not "who" but "how". If he suspects that Riddle opened it 50 years 
ago, then his thought may be moving along the line of "how" is 
Voldemort managing to control events, since he knows that Riddle is 
Voldemort.

This is why I think there are levels in this deeper tha the 
superficial.

An interesting side observation. Isn't it an extraordinary 
coincidence that in the latest attacks all the students manage to 
avoid being killed and only get petrified and on the previous 
occasion, several students must have got themselves petrified with 
only one fatality (assuming that we belive Riddle's version). There 
must be a lot of spilt water, mirrors, cameras and convenient ghosts 
around.....