Case for Marauders (was Re: Marauders, Voldemort and the Map)

[romulusmmcdougal]

No: HPFGUIDX 109222

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Eustace_Scrubb" <dk59us at y...> 
wrote:
> 
> Eustace_Scrubb:
> But Dumbledore says (SS/PS, Ch. 1):
> "My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call
> him by his name? All this `You-Know-Who' nonsense – FOR ELEVEN
> YEARS I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his 
proper
> name: Voldemort." Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who
> was unsticking two sherbet lemons, seemed not to notice. "It all 
gets
> so confusing if we keep saying `You-Know-Who'. I have never seen any
> reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name." (my emphasis)
> 
> Now,it is assumed that Dumbledore is saying this in 1981, meaning 
that
> Lord Voldemort had been quite open about his Dark Arts affilations
> since about 1970.  Now, exactly when Dumbledore figured out that Tom
> Riddle had become Lord Voldemort is open to question.  But I think 
it
> is out of the question that Dumbledore would have hired Lord 
Voldemort
> to teach DADA during years that correspond pretty much to the height
> of Voldemort's rebellion against the wizarding establishment.  

Eustace, 
Good point based on that quote.  Here is another quote from Hagrid in 
PS/SS:
<<"Nah -can't spell it. All right -- Voldemort. " Hagrid 
shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this -- this wizard, 
about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, 
too -- some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause 
he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't 
know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or 
witches... terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, 
some stood up to him -- an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only 
safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-
Know-Who was afraid of.
Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway.
"Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew.
Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why
You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before... probably 
knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with 
the Dark Side.
"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em... maybe he just wanted 'em
outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where
you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year 
old.
He came ter yer house an' -- an' --">>

Several things about Hagrid's statements.
1.  As he made the statement in 1991 to Harry, 20 years previous 
would be about 1970 - 1971.
2.  "started lookin' fer followers" implies that he is in the 
beginnings stages of his recruitment.  And we know that he was not 
open about it until later when he gained in strength.
Based on these two things 
- Voldemort began his recruiting around 1970;
- Dumbledore has been trying to convince people to call 
him "Voldemort" since 1970;
makes it stands to reason that the use of Voldemort's name is not 
comfortable with people for some reason that may have nothing to do 
with what the Dark Lord was or was not up to, openly or in secret.

"Voldemort" may hold some other significance, which makes people 
afraid to say the name.

Anyway, we know that Voldemort had not shown his true colours as 
yet.  That came later.  
So, in 1970, Dumbledore insisted that people use Tom's new name, 
since maybe Tom had insisted on it and it was proper to have people 
call you by your proper name.  Maybe the nature of the name is what 
first put people off, and maybe Dumbledore was put off by it, but 
that is what this person's name was, so by golly, call him by his 
name -- even though the name is "normally not spoken in polite 
company"!!  Perhaps it's a swear word in the WW, or it may signify 
something politically incorrect.

3.  Hagrid's statement: <<One o' the only safe places left was 
Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of.
Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway">> can imply 
many things.  He laid low at the school if he was teaching there, 
knowing that he could not take over the school until he had gained 
enough adherents to the cause.
I keep insisting on his presence at the school due to the fact that 
most of the Death Eaters were attending school in the 1970s.
They had two months, in essence, outside of school to be 
indoctrinated or attracted by Voldemort in any given year.  School 
year ended in late June and started in September.   If Voldemort was 
not at the school, he had agents at the school actively recruiting. 
How else does he gain his following?
Perhaps BOTH scenarios apply!
Voldemort makes the Chamber of Secrets his headquarters, and brings 
his disciples in through the work of teachers at the school.
His activities escape the notice of everyone, except the Marauders, 
and they stumble into his operation and thus into his power.

> 
> I mean, I know that many have questioned Dumbledore's hiring 
practices
> over the years, both  for the DADA post (wimps, werewolves, dandies,
> impostors) and others (half-giants, ghosts, centaurs), but I think
> suggesting that he'd knowingly hire the greatest dark wizard of all
> time for the post would be ludicr...

Again, I do not believe that Dumbledore would hire someone knowing 
that he was the greatest dark wizard of all time.
The fact that Dumbledore insists on people calling Tom by his proper 
name does not necessarily mean that Voldemort was known as the 
greatest dark wizard of all time yet.

A couple of side notes.
1.  The word vol-de-mort.  I asked a French language professor about 
the word "vol".  I noted that it can mean "thief".  I asked if it 
could mean "cheater" as well.  My professor answered "Yes, it can 
bear that interpretation."  So, that makes it a possible meaning 
of "Cheater of Death" or "DeathCheater" if you will.
Note his disciples are called "DeathEaters".  For some reason they 
don't get the "ch"???

2.  Secondly, in the quote from Hagrid above, he says that Lord 
Voldemort killed the Potters on Halloween ten years ago.  However, 
there is a contradiction here.  Ted the Weatherman necessarily 
implied it was October 27, 1981 by his comments on the tele!
Who are you to believe -- Ted the Weatherman in 1981, or Hagrid's 
memory in 1991?

RMM