Lucius Malfoy's Ambition

[thursday morning]

No: HPFGUIDX 126605


Richard wrote in 126456:
> (I still don't know why Malfoy was
> trying to get Tom Riddle reborn.  Maybe he didn't know that that
> would be a consequence of his plan or that the monster was a
> Basilisk.  Did he know it was Riddle or just the "Heir of
> Slytherin"?  There is no evidence in COS or GOF that LV knew of
> Malfoy's actions in COS.)

Honestly, I don't think he was trying to get Riddle reborn.  There are never just two sides to anything and I have no doubt that Malfoy is on side #3 - his own.  He knew, just as well as Snape and Dumbledore knew, that LV was coming back.  Getting the diary into the school gave him something to show LV as proof of his continued devotion.  (That or die as I'm quite certain LV can do more than just call his Deatheaters thru that mark.)

However, he hedged his bets by giving it specifically to Ginny Weasley.  So far general consensus has it that he did so because he hates Arthur Weasley.  I have no doubt that he honestly does dislike Arthur but I also think LM is a smart, smart puppet-master.  After all, he's been dancing on both sides of the knife his entire adult life.  I think he's studied the Weasleys (just as any good tactician studies all the players on the field) and I think his choice of Ginny Weasley was deliberate.  Diagon Alley was full of students buying their school supplies but he deliberately gave it to Ginny.  Why?  Because she was raised by two loving, supportive parents who were raising her to be honest and brave.  She knew the diary had not been bought for her.  Why did she not take it to her parents at once and ask "Where did this come from and is it okay for me to keep it?"  Having passed that option, why did she not take it to them when it started writing back?  They had certainly made themselves clear on the subject of sentient inanimate objects.  Failing that option, it still remains that Ginny was at school with *four* protective older brothers she could have gone to at any time.  Also, her family has at least a decade (probably longer) of trusting MM, who was available to her as her head of house, and far longer of trusting DD.  

I think LM had every reason to expect Ginny to go to *someone* and stop the whole mess long before it went as far as it did.  If it had gone the way he'd planned there would have been no active danger to the students but he'd still have the credibility he needed to survive the return of LV.

Also, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he sent Dobby to Harry with a general order to keep him away/get him away from Hogwarts.  After all, that would have upset DD's plans just as much as it would have protected a boy he has to be viewing as a possible tool for his own use.

thursday
--