JKR says no, and she's no Dobby (was: Prince of Walpurgis ...)

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 103978

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Phil Boswell" <phil_hp7 at y...> 
wrote:

Phil:
> IIRC what Dobby actually said was something like "not ...
> HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED ..." whilst giving Harry a significant look
> which Harry totally failed to spot. This was in response to a direct
> question from Harry the precise phrasing of which fails me now but I
> expect someone out there has the book surgically attached to their
> keyboard :-)

Geoff:
As one of the surgeons-in-residence at the Harry Potter Canon Clinic, 
my diagnosis is as follows:

'"What terrible things?" said Harry at once. "Who's plotting them?"
Dobby made a funny choking noise and then banged his head madly 
against the wall.
"All right!" cried Harry, grabing the elf's arm to stop him. "You 
can't say, I understand. But why are you warning /me/?" A sudden, 
unpleasant thought struch him. "Hang on - this hasn't got anything to 
do with Vol - sorry - with You Know Who, has it? You could just shake 
or nod," he added hastily as Dobby's head tilted worryingly close to 
the wall again.
Slowly, Dobby shook his head.
"Not - not He Who Must Not be Named, sir."
But Dobby's eyes were wide andhe seemed to be trying to give Harry a 
hint. Harry, however, was completely at sea.'

(COS "Dobby's Warning" p.18 UK edition)

'"I've got just one question, Dobby," said Harry as Dobby pulled on 
Harry's sock with shaking hands."You told me all this had nothing to 
do with He Who Must Not be Named, remember? Well -"
"It was a clue, sir," said Dobby, his eyes widening asthough this was 
obvious. "Dobby was giving you a clue. The Dark Lord, before he 
changed his name, could be freeyl named, you see?"'

(COS "Dobby's Reward" p.249 UK edition)

I would agree that this does not appear to be a "mistake" on Dobby's 
part and that the elf is making a conscious, deliberate 
differentiation between Tom Riddle and Voldemort. Let me say that I 
have not joined in this debate because it seems to be producing 
wackier and wackier solutions. My only question would be that, having 
used this "deception" before, would JKR repeat the same thing which 
almost amounts to a play on words (or names)?