Remember Vauxhall Rd ? (was Re: The Grangers and Fighting LV)

[a_reader2003]

No: HPFGUIDX 94419

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "drjuliehoward" 
<drjuliehoward at y...> wrote:

Given that LV previously impacted the muggle world and muggles also 
were looking for Sirius, what about the idea of muggles (namely the 
Grangers) join in fighting LV?  I have no idea what this would look 
like, given that they would not fight with magic like the members of 
the Order, but if they may be a target (as the previous post 
suggests), may they actually become an ally?  
> 
> Just a thought.

Carolyn:
Aha.. an opening for my Vauxhall Rd theory ! Its my belief that 
muggles are also working with Tom Riddle and Lucius Malfoy. Muggles 
and wizards have intermarried down the centuries, right ? I find it 
extremely unlikely that it hasn't occurred to a wicked muggle or two 
that they could use a bit of magic for their own purposes.

Based entirely on the evidence of Tom Riddle's diary being a muggle 
artefact bought in an area of London he had no reason to be in 
(because it was wartime at the time he bought it, and if he did live 
at the Stockwell orphanage, it had been evacuated - we have verified 
this), but which IS near the Houses of Parliament, my theory is he 
was there to meet a muggle. An important muggle, either in the House 
of Commons, the House of Lords or otherwise connected with the 
government or military of the time. See the lengthy thread starting 
86517 investigating the chronology, the topography.....the 
opportunity.

This muggle bought Tom the diary and various other school things, and 
in fact has been funding Tom through Hogwarts. A benefactor, who 
knows exactly who Tom is, and his Salazar ancestry, and who is also 
in a position to help Tom Riddle's muggle father and grandparents out 
of an embarassing spot of bother when the child is born, as 
unfortunately, Tom's actual muggle parentage don't see it this way - 
they are appalled to find their son has married a local witch (bit 
like Vernon and Petunia), and want it all hushed up.

And why should a senior-ranking British muggle want to do this ? 
Well, its good old right-wing conspiracy theory. Wartime, a state of 
flux between the social classes, the old order going forever, that 
sort of stuff. This muggle, who has done much reading in the dark 
arts and necromancy, thinks that this orphan boy, with his special 
powers might be a weapon to win that struggle for his side. Possibly 
even envisaged an alliance between pureblood WW and pureblood 
muggles. 

In this sense, Tom Riddle is not half-blood at all. His wealthy 
muggle parentage puts him in their ruling classes, and his Salazar 
parentage puts him in the WW ruling class (in the view of people like 
the Blacks and the Malfoys at least). He is the classic Pretender to 
the throne - all the looks, the heritage, but hasn't got the actual 
job yet. A magnet for the disaffected and wannabee king-makers.

However, Tom doesn't prove so easy to control as he grows up; he is 
far more powerful than anyone realises. He kills his father and 
grandparents and goes off to study dark arts on his own, becomes Lord 
Voldemort. He ends up with a deeply ambiguous attitude to muggles. On 
the one hand he hates and loathes them, spits on and on about 
mudbloods and purebloods, yet he knows his own background, and knows 
who has supported him when he was a child. He felt justified in the 
murders he committed, but not indifferent to the support of 'dark' 
muggles perhaps.

Muggle/WW liaison has continued down the years, although the plot 
suffered a serious setback in 1945 with the defeat of the dark wizard 
Grindewald by DD (aka Hitler ?? Many have speculated).

Lucius Malfoy ('my slippery friend') is the current negotiator, using 
Fudge and his contacts at the highest level in the muggle government 
to continue the plotting, and Voldie is aware of this. His view is 
probably that the muggles might be useful in some way at the current 
juncture, but he will kill them when he actually gains power. The 
muggles probably think they can nuke him if necessary when he has won 
them power.

So, yes, I think the Grangers might well be drawn in, in the guise of 
ordinary decent citizens trying to do the right thing. Don't rate 
their chances much, (unless they can get Voldie on to a dentist 
chair - that would be seriously funny..), but I feel the final 
conflict will bring the muggle and wizard worlds into battle 
together, on both the evil and the good sides.