What were the Malfoys DOING there?

[scoutmom21113]

No: HPFGUIDX 113096

Hannah now: The real question here is what Lucius Malfoy was hoping 
to achieve with the diary. I can think of three possibilities:
1. Restore LV to power through diary Tom
2. Kill off as many mudbloods as possible, and get the school shut 
down.
3. Discredit Arthur Weasley, hopefully killing some mudbloods along 
the way.

If 1 or 2 were his ultimate aims, it wouldn't have mattered which 
student he used. If 3 was his goal, he had to use Ginny (none of the 
boys would have written in a diary).

<snip> Also, he couldn't give the diary to just anyone. It needed to 
be someone who would be likely to write in a diary (probably 
female), and someone young and vulnerable enough to pour out their 
heart and not be suspicious of the diary, at least until it was too 
late.

SSSusan:
Personally, I'm going for #2, with the change from yours that Lucius 
simply wanted to bring about DD's OUSTER from Hogwarts. <snip> My 
gut reaction is that he did intend to try to set up Ginny. Perhaps 
to discredit Arthur, perhaps because of the Weasley ties to Harry, 
perhaps because she was, as you say, young & impressionable.

Geoff:
So I think all his actions were directed to unseating Dumbledore who 
is probably the most difficult obstacle for Malfoy to deal with. The 
other possibilities would be merely spin-offs from the main game - 
helpful no doubt - but not the major aim. In fact, I'm not totally 
sure that he would try very hard to restore Voldemort.....

Bookworm:
In general, I think he was trying to stir up trouble. If it would 
bring back Voldemort, great. If he gets rid of Dumbledore and/or 
Arthur Weasley, even better.  Geoff makes a good point.  Is Malfoy a 
loyal DE or just using Voldemrot to gain his own power? 

Either giving the diary to Ginny was a bonus, or Malfoy was spying 
on the Weasleys. He probably is now (post OoP) but it doesn't
seem likely back in CoS.

Someone pointed out that Malfoy wouldn't necessarily have know
the Weasleys were in Diagon Alley that day, but he did know that 
Gilderoy Lockhart would be. IMO, Lockhart is someone who would write 
in a diary.  He's not young, but my pop-psychology says he was
very insecure (vulnerable) and definitely would not have been 
suspicious of the diary.  All Tom would have to do was stroke his 
ego. :-)

Ravenclaw Bookworm