ELKINS AVENGED

[nkafkafi]

No: HPFGUIDX 130900

Boyd wrote:
> <snip>
> * I never liked the other memory charm theories--too messy, poor 
fit with
> the themes, IMHO. This one, however, seems much tighter. Though I'm 
not sure
> it is necessary to give Neville *any* memory issues of his own, 
given his
> familial propensity for highbrow oddity. He seems more the 
byproduct of a
> well-intentioned, but overly 1900's-era British pureblood 
household. And
> he's just not that smart at some things. But, as you say, the rest 
appears
> to float on its own.

Neri:
I don't have any real background in anything British, but I wondered 
about something: JKR mentioned in one of her interviews that she was 
given "Hons and Rebels" in her teens, and since then Jessica Mitford 
had been the biggest influence on her writing. She said she had even 
named her daughter Jessica after Mitford. Might this give us any 
insight into the role of old-fashioned well-meaning 1900' British 
household in the HP saga?


> * Are you sure neither Gran nor Strout are in on the action? 
Perhaps Fudge
> is exercising some Ministerial powers to gain their cooperation, no?
> Although Gran may simply be quite detached, Strout innocently 
overlooking
> the Devil's Snare seems a bit unreasonable.

Neri:
This is all possible, of course, but I was following my "keep it 
simple, stupid" policy regarding theorizing. Also, too many ESEs 
doesn't strike me as very elegant. If whenever you blindly throw a 
stone you hit an ESE, it takes the fun out of the game, IMO. But I'm 
quite open to any explanation that will manage to frame Gran or 
Strout in a convincing way.

> * If we don't find out via Lockhart, does that mean we'll be 
visiting
> Neville's room before the school year begins, to see all those 
wrappers?
> Could be fun, but what other purpose could it serve? Usually Jo 
knits a few
> useful bits together before she takes us somewhere new.

Neri:
I thought that, Gran being such a staunch supporter of Dumbledore, 
the new HQ of the Order might be in the Longbottom's house. It might 
even be called "Spinner's End", although I'd like this to be the far 
end of Knockturn Ally, as this is high in my list of magical placed 
to visit. 

> * This theory assumes that Fudge already knows that LV is a genuine 
threat,
> yet cares more for his career than for both the Longbottoms and the
> protection of the WW. But perhaps he has simply been in denial, 
proverbially
> sticking his head in the sand when it comes to LV. And perhaps when 
it
> becomes clear in HBP that LV has returned in full force, Fudge will 
be the
> one to finally see the light and make things right by the 
Longbottoms.
> Doesn't feel any better, but he is a cipher, that Cornelius.
> 

Neri:
We don't necessarily have to assume that Fudge ever agreed with 
Crouch's plan, or even knew much about it. I think the ELKINS AVENGED 
scenario would bang the loudest if he knows almost nothing, because 
this can leave Frank and Alice as the last people alive who really 
know how to vanquish Voldy. Fudge needs to know only enough to make 
him responsible. Perhaps he only knew that Crouch had some colossal 
failure that was connected with the attack on the Longbottoms, and he 
had made a deal with Crouch – Fudge's silence in return to Crouch's 
supporting Fudge for the Ministry. Keeping the Longbottoms sedated 
may have been part of the deal, and it's this deal that Fudge has 
been hiding. Later, of course, he also had to hide that he was 
sedating the Longbottoms, and for that he had to silence Crouch Jr., 
so as usually with these cases one thing just led to another.

Hmm. This has just gave me an idea: what if it was only Crouch Sr. 
who was sedating the Longbottoms all these years? After all, he also 
needed to hide the fact that he was keeping his son in his house. 
This would explain the seeming improvement in Neville's memory in the 
OotP year, when Crouch was dead. But it won't explain why Strout 
still has memory problems, why Frank and Alice aren't showing an 
improvement, and why would Fudge lose his job in HBP. As a whole, 
it's difficult to say how precisely the responsibility is divided 
here between Crouch Sr. and Fudge, but this only helps the theory. As 
Elkins noted in the MC symposium, flexibility is a hallmark of good 
speculation <g>.

Neri