Possession/Quirrell's death

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 89926

I have to admit that I didn't take message 89817 in fully when I 
first read it; it was late at night. However, following Kneasy's 
exhortations to read it again, I did. I found the Tom/Voldemort link 
intriguing. Partly because, while I was perambulating around the 
glorious scenery of Exmoor with my dogs this afternoon, my mind 
suddenly latched on to a scenario which I thought lent parallels to 
this.

Back about 1953, the BBC transmitted the granddaddy of television sci-
fi serials, one which became a benchmark for other programmes of the 
same genre – "the Quatermass Experiment" by Nigel Kneale. It may look 
fuzzy with rather stilted dialogue and bad props by today's standards 
but, at the time, it had the UK sitting on the edge of its chair each 
week. 

The story is of a rocket launched with three scientists on board 
which loses contact for a couple of days with Earth and then returns 
where it appears that there is only one person on board. However, as 
the story progresses, it becomes obvious that this person has the 
amalgamated personalities of all three scientists and also has an 
alien intelligence which is gradually dominating the others. The 
being begins to pose a threat to the future of life as we know it 
(Jim?) and finally (in the TV series, not the film), the head of the 
research group which sent the rocket up confronts the entity and 
appeals to the remnants of human conscience within it and, in so 
doing, brings about its destruction.

This immediately linked with Kneasy's suggestion that perhaps 
Dumbledore was trying to reach a remnant of Tom's personality by 
using his name and is trying to "induce a form of schizophrenia" 
between the two personalities and so possibly cause self-destruction. 
This is a fascinating theory; I haven't worked out yet whether I 
would subscribe to it  but it is worthy of some discussion.

****

Changing tack slightly on the subject of possession, I think it has 
been raised in the past that there seem to be at least two levels of 
possession. Quiirrell is possessed by Voldemort but retains his own 
thoughts and self-awareness. But then


"'I didn't want anyone to talk to me,' said Harry, who was feeling 
more and more nettled.
`Well, that was a bit stupid of you,' said Ginny angrily, `seeing as 
you don't know anyone but me who's been possessed by You-Know-Who and 
I can tell you how it feels.'
Harry remained quite still as the impact of these words hit him. Then 
he wheeled round.
`I forgot', he said.
`Lucky you,' said Ginny coolly.
`I'm sorry,' Harry said and he meant it. `So
 so, do you think I'm 
being possessed then?'
`Well, can you remember everything you've been doing?' Ginny 
asked. `Are there big blank periods when you don't know what you've 
been up to?'
Harry racked his brains.
`No,' he said. 'Then You-Know-Who hasn't ever possessed you,' said 
Ginny simply. `When he did it to me, I couldn't remember what I'd 
been doing for hours at a time. I'd find myself somewhere and not 
know how I got there.'

(OOTP "Christmas on the Closed Ward" pp.441-42 UK edition)

In your theory, I wonder which category a Voldemort possession of Tom 
Riddle would fit?

****

Finally, changing tack yet again and returning to the question of 
Quirrell's death and your comments on manslaughter. If the same 
criteria apply in the Wizarding World, I'm sure I could see 
prosecutors having fun trying to prove that Harry injured Quirrell to 
the extent that Voldemort left his body and in so doing brought about 
his death.

I stick with my theory that Voldemort was not forced to leave 
Quirrell but chose to, probably knowing the outcomes for Quirrell, 
but realising that he was no longer a suitable "vessel" because his 
possession of Q's body had been revealed and he needed to find new 
quarters.