the Voldy CV (was "Eleven years")

[a_reader2003]

No: HPFGUIDX 106265

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Annette Hamel" 
<annettehamel at h...> wrote:
> I don't have the books at hand at the moment, but I've recently 
started 
> re-reading the series, and noticed that in the first chapter of SS, 
where 
> the wizarding-world is all atwitter about the happenings at 
Godric's Hollow, 
> JKR says something to the effect of "it was the most exciting thing 
that had 
> happened in eleven years."
> 
> So, what happened eleven years before?  Am I forgetting some big 
event in 
> the WW?
> 
>
Carolyn:
The quote is from DD 'You can't blame them,' said Dumbledore 
gently. 'We have had precious little to celebrate for eleven years.'

Dumbledore is speaking on 1st November 1981, the day after James & 
Lily were killed. Eleven years previously takes us back to November 
1970, the beginning of Voldemort's reign of terror, as confirmed by 
Hagrid in Chapter 4 of PS/SS: 'Anyway, this - this wizard, about 
twenty years ago now, started lookin for followers. Got 'em too -'

Voldemort would have been 43 at the time. The Lexicon believes 1970 
was the year Dumbledore became Headmaster at Hogwarts, and reminds us 
that Lucius Malfoy was in his 6th year at school. Harry's parents 
(and the other Marauders and Snape) may just have started at school, 
or may have started the following year.

Voldie's exploits certainly seem to go in fits and starts. After 
murdering his father and grandparents at age 17 he disappears for 
some time, no-one knows where, and sinks himself in the Dark Arts. He 
doesn't officially re-surface for some 25-26 years, though some 
speculate he was present (aged 18) in some way at DD's defeat of 
Grindewald in 1945, perhaps even taking over that evil mantle.

Between 1970-1980 he does finally get to have some evil fun and 
games, and then a spy reports to him half Trelawny's prophecy in 
June/July 1980 'shortly before [Harry's] birth'. This clearly bothers 
him a lot, and as Kneasy has recently pointed out, he is so uncertain 
what to do that he inexplicably waits some 15 months before trying to 
kill a baby, gets zapped for his trouble, and disappears for another 
11 years.

After various ineffective attempts between 1991-1995 to re-emerge, he 
finally gets re-born in the summer of 1995, and has currently had 
just one year of his new existence, most of that spent lurking in the 
shadows.

Really, when you look back over the CV, he does remind you of one of 
those awful corporate has-beens, who endlessly trade on the one big 
job they finally landed after years in the wilderness. Don't most 
successful big shots spend their early years fighting their way up 
the greasy pole, stabbing people in the back etc? 

What on earth has he been doing skulking around in the shadows for 
most of his life ? Trying to nerve himself to do the unthinkable? You 
couldn't really say he's made an unqualified success of things. 
Sounds to me like he made a wrong career decision early on, has gone 
through the classic mid-life crisis, and should now seriously 
consider a complete change of direction for his remaining couple of 
years before Harry has to finish him off in Book 7.

More travel perhaps? A cruise? Learn a new language (an easy one like 
troll, given the short time available)? In another classic 
contribution, Kneasy suggested growing begonias, but this is really 
too cruel, no one should be forced that low. But if its that or day-
time TV, well, I suppose..

Carolyn