The eyes have it (Malfoy & The Diary)

[macfotuk at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 114641


Having just posted about 'what became of the CoS', I went to the 
usual DD/Harry debrief scene to re-read if there were any clues 
there that I'd missed - Answer: No, not that I could see anyway, but 
instead I came across this (apologies if this was already noted):

" ...
'Don't you want to know how Ginny got hold of that diary, Mr 
Malfoy?' said Harry.
Lucius rounded on him.
'How should I know how the stupid little girl got hold of it?' he 
said.
'Because you gave it to her,' said Harry. 'In Flourish and Bloots. 
You picked up her old transfiguration book, and slipped the diary 
inside it, didn't you?'
He saw Mr Malfoy's white hands clench and unclench.
'Prove it,' he hissed.
'Oh, no one will be able to do that,'said Dumbeldore, smiling at 
Harry.
... "

Smiling at Harry... SMILING at Harry (?). How can DD *know* Harry is 
right (and he *does* know)? - his smile is like a 'Well DONE sir!' 
kind of congratulation. Harry worked it out without DD (though of 
course Dobby gave a crucial clue). Even so, how does DD know? he 
wasn't there in F&B's?

Answer is he's just spent the last few minutes getting the truth 
from Lucius by legilimency: here are the quotes (with my emphases):

(Lucius bursts into DD's office)

...

'So!' said Lucius Malfoy, his cold *eyes fixed on Dumbeldore*.

...

(DD) held up the small black book with the large hole through the 
centre, *watching Mr Malfoy closely*.

...

'I see ...' said Mr Malfoy slowly to Dumbeldore. 

(Lucius sounds rather mesmerised here doesn't he?)

...

'A clever plan,' said Dumbeldore in a level voice (hypnotic?), still 
*staring* Mr Malfoy *straight in the eye*.

...

Later comes the first quote (at the top), with Malfoy's behaviour in 
the meantime being interpretable as that of someone in, and then 
coming out of, a trance. The cleverness in JKR's writing makes it 
equally possible to interpret Malfoy's behaviour throughout as that 
of someone caught red-handed and embarassed to be found quite so 
obviously devious. Clever writing, as usual. 

JKR has, indeed, provided the clues to read, even if it takes the 
5th-10th time through (in my case)to spot them and ooP to tell us 
what to look for (legilimency/occlumency).

I am left, like so many before me, fearing I must yet again read all 
5 books *again* to (more) closely determine how DD (and Snape) behave
(s) when in conversation with diverse characters. Oh well, not an 
onerous task at least.