Bode's murderer (long)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 97398

caesian wrote:
<snip> 
> Who murdered Broderick Bode, and why? <snip>
> We know that the sallow-skinned, unblinking Bode, of the sepulchral
voice and very  mournful face [OotP 135 US H] is first identified to
Harry as an Unspeakable ("From the Department of Mysteries,
top-secret, no idea what they get up to") by Mr. Weasley at the 
> Quidditch World Cup, in the company of his fellow Unspeakable
Croaker [GoF 79 UK H].  
><snip>

> As of yet, Bode's murder is unsolved, but there are a few odd bits
of information floating around that could pertain.  
> 
> 1) It seems probable the murder was committed by someone who knew
him (and who we know), so who were his associates?  Bode has only two
known associates, his colleague Croaker and his old visitor (and these
could be one and the same).  In addition, there are the dubious
"associates" Lucius Malfoy, who held him under the Imperius Curse, and
Avery, who evidently suggested to Voldemort that Bode would be able to
remove the prophecy and was punished for it later.  We know little
about Avery, and do not know why  he would have suggested Bode could
do this.  <snip>
> We have never been given a description or full name of Bode's
colleague Croaker, but he seems a likely candidate as the old visitor,
because he is Bode's one named associate. (According to the HPLexicon,
"croaker" - someone who habitually predicts evil; it has that 
> sense because croaking is a noise made by crows and ravens, who
really are death omens as they are carrion eaters -- MLW.)  
> 
> However, Croaker is also an Unspeakable, and the likelihood that he
was privy to the plan that Bode should attempt to remove the prophecy
seems small - he should know, as Rookwood did, that Bode would be
unable to do it. Therefore, while I do not rule him out as the
visitor, I don't think he's an agent of Voldemort.
> 
> Another possibility is that the visitor was the stooped, very old,
and feeble-voiced member of the Committee for the Disposal of
Dangerous Creatures.  We could probably expect Harry, Ron or Hermione
to recognize this wizard if they saw him, although it was clear that
he was ahead of them in the cue, and they may not have seen his face.
Bode might not have known this wizard, but as he was completely addled
at the time of the visit, it doesn't make much difference. <snip>
> 
> So, I suppose we must ask ourselves, what does the murder of Bode
portend?  (groan!) <snip>


Carol:
Only a few comments on this long and interesting post, which I hope
I've snipped sufficiently without losing the thread of the argument.

First, you ask why Avery would have suggested that Bode might be able
to remove the Prophecy if he were Imperio'd. I think the answer is
simple: He's an Unspeakable who works in the DoM. Croaker would
presumably have been the alternate choice.

Second, the name Croaker may suggest a raven, but it also suggests the
slang verb "to croak," meaning to die. So Croaker's name doesn't bode
any better than Bode's does. (The names struck me immediately when I
first read them in GoF: Uh oh. These two are going to be early victims
in the war.)

Third, a think the old visitor may be a red herring. He arrives at
about the same time the gifts are sent anonymously, but he isn't
carrying them when Harry hears him ask about Bode. He could just be
Bode's old father or grandfather coming for a visit. (He probably
isn't the Death Eater Nott, unless Nott is in disguise. LV doesn't
want any tottering old DEs with ear trumpets.) The ear trumpet does
seem like the kind of detail that JKR uses when she briefly alludes to
a character in disguise--compare the large nose of the "witch" in the
Hog's Head pressing against "her" veil. So the visitor could be a
genuine old man or he could be a spy (good or evil) or he could be the
murderer. But since he wasn't carrying the plant or the calendar and
Healer Strout says they were sent anonymously, not brought by a
visitor, he probably isn't the murderer. He probably visited briefly,
saw that any attempt at conversation was futile, and left before Harry
and the others arrived.

As for what the murder bodes, I'm not sure. I would have thought,
based on his name, that Croaker would be next, but with the DEs in
Azkaban and the Prophecy orb broken, he's probably safe.

Carol, who thinks that Malfoy sent the plant and the calendar and
wonders what the fancy hippogriffs portend