What were the Malfoys DOING there?

[Hannah]

No: HPFGUIDX 113851

> Hannah originally wrote:
> <snip>
> > Malfoy then hands out the diary, either deliberately to Ginny 
> > because of her father (depending on his motive) or just because 
> sheis the first young girl about to start at Hogwarts that he 
comes across.  Tom finds out all about Harry from Ginny (and she's 
got a huge crush on him, so she's going to be only too pleased to 
tell Tom his life story, even without prompting).  He then makes 
Harry his new target.
 
>Hannah
> 
Then Mac replied:
> <snip>
> 
> No, No, No, not his 'new' target: I'm sorry to KEEP belabouring 
this 
> point, BUT why oh why does everone seem to keep ignoring 'Dobby's 
> warning'? when it is so strongly a cannon point? Dobby *knew* the 
> plot was about HP from the start. *HOW* we don't know. Even so, 
> there just doesn't seem to be any other explanation of Dobby's 
> behaviour in CoS.

Hannah now: I'm not ignoring Dobby's warning to Harry.  I just don't 
think that necessarily means the whole plot was aimed at him.  
Perhaps it was - I consider it to be a possibility, though I think 
it was only for whatever benefits removing Harry might have for 
Lucius, not because he wanted LV back.  

But Dobby may still have warned Harry even though the plot wasn't 
specifically aimed at him.  Dobby knew there was a plot that would 
involve attacks on non-purebloods.  Knowing that Harry was a half-
blood, he feared that Harry would be attacked, and warned him.  OK, 
other students would be as well, but Harry is the one that Dobby 
cares about enough to defy his master by warning.  

Or perhaps he overheard Malfoy's plan to oust DD/ discredit Weasley 
and realised that Tom Riddle wasn't going to settle for killing off 
just any mudbloods once he'd heard of Harry Potter.  Maybe Dobby 
judged future events more accurately than his master?

Hannah