Mad-Eye and the Longbottoms

[hg_skmg]

No: HPFGUIDX 143984

Jen:
So assuming Mad-Eye was the one to bring the Pensieve four into 
custody, losing his eye in the process, he might have something left 
to share that he learned from the defendants. A clue he didn't 
realize was meaningful at the time, possibly something to do with 
the horcruxes. It seems possible Bella knew there was at least one 
horcrux when she said: The Dark Lord, in the past, entrusted me with  
his most precious--" (chap. 2, p. 29, Scholastic) At the very least 
she thought his immortality experiments worked and he was not dead, 
and that lead to the torture of the people looking for him.

hg:
What if the reason he wasn't there was that he was recovering at St. 
Mungo's -- could we assume that had he come, he'd have told 
everything?  

I'm wondering if he had information he DID realize was critical, and 
if he'd withhold it.  But would he have discussed it with 
Dumbledore?  I'd think so.  That's not to say I think Moody 
understood that Voldemort had Horcruxes, but I do wonder if he'd tell 
something to Dumbledore that he wouldn't bring up at trial, even if 
he could have been there.  Perhaps there are some Moody/Dumbledore 
discussions swirling around in Dumbledore's Pensieve.

Jen:
And if any of those elaborate memory-charmed Neville theories in the  
archives are true, this would be the point to bring them into the 
story! I suspect his memory loss is more symbolic though, that life 
has always been difficult for him and there are many things he would 
rather forget. :(

hg:
I think there's more to it than symbolism, especially seeing his 
power emerge in OoP, as compared to the sledgehammered point JKR had  
made since book 1 about his forgetfulness and fumbling.  How this 
could play out in the story, though, I'm at a loss to envision.  Any 
ideas?

What I want to know is why Dumbledore didn't try to get memories from 
Alice & Frank, or if maybe he did and we just aren't aware of it 
yet.  It seems it might be possible, despite their inability to 
cooperate (because of Dumbledore's interview with Morfin Gaunt -- he 
was able to get information from Morfin despite his addled state).  
Perhaps the purpose of the Longbottoms being so badly impaired was to 
deter speculation that they'd have something to contribute, but one 
might think they'd be dead if that was the case, rather than alive 
and brain damaged. 

hg.