Malfoy/Karkaroff

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 92702

Eloise wrote:
If Karkaroff was released from prison for incriminating the other DE's
(There's no mention of Lucius at Karkaroff's hearing) why would Lucius
want to send his son to a traitor for wizard training? Even LV knows
in the graveyard scene in GOF that Lucius hasn't renounced the 'old'
ways. 
It's not clear how public this hearing was or whether the 
> proceedings were publicised beyond those present in the chamber at
the time.
<snip> So perhaps Lucius simply did not know that Karkaroff was a 
traitor.

Jen responded: 
Although we don't know exactly how much publicity there was, I 
seem to remember a young version of Rita Skeeter being there. 
(I don't have the books with me here so I could be remembering 
this wrong, but I think I'm right.)
 
It's not stated that she was definitely there covering the trials as
a reporter, so we don't know for sure anything was ever published 
about it, in the Daily Prophet or any other publication. But just the 
mere fact of her presence, coupled with what we know about her 
personality, makes it probably safe to assume that anything Rita 
Skeeter knows about is not going to be secret for long.


Carol:
It's Ludo Bagman's trial (or hearing) at which Rita Skeeter is
mentioned as being present, complete with acid-green quill (GoF, Am.
ed., p. 591). I can understand her being there in hopes of disgracing
a sports hero. And, remember, she says (in OoP) that she could tell
Hermione things about Ludo Bagman that would make her hair curl. I
think if she'd suspected that Karkaroff was or had been a Death Eater,
she'd have gone after him in GoF. Anything for a story, and that would
make a scandalous one. I also think that Harry would have noticed her
presence if she'd been there for Karkaroff's testimony against his
"friends" or the sentencing of Barty Jr. and the Lestranges. Those
seemed like more serious occasions than Bagman's hearing, though,
probably not open to the wizarding public or reporters. 

Since Draco refers to Karkaroff as his father's friend and talks about
having almost been sent to Durmstrang, it seems unlikely that Lucius
knows about Karkaroff's betrayal. OTOH, since he got off scot-free,
maybe he doesn't care who else Karkaroff betrayed. Given Lucius's
self-serving nature, though, I'd say the first possibility is more
likely. 

Carol