Lucius, Dobby and side #3 was:Lucius Malfoy's Ambition

[thursday morning]

No: HPFGUIDX 126760


Greetings Hannah, Magda, Nora, Richard, a_svirn, Vivian, Valky et al,

I've just discovered that my email has been soft bouncing
apparently random messages (I didn't know it could do that) so I've
gone back to yahoogroups to retrieve those I missed.  This message 
is something of an amalgamation.  I hope no one minds.

To begin, I think the theories about Dobby's motivations in
protecting Harry (in this thread at least) are heavily dependant on
Lucius' loyalties.  If Lucius is in fact a devoted Death Eater then
Dobby had to have been acting entirely on his own.  However I
suspect that Lucius is on his own side.  While this certainly does
not place him in Dumbledore's camp it does mean he is not a
loyal DE.  He's all for seeing both sides tumble as long as he and
his are left standing in the end.

So, if Lucius is not a loyal DE, does not believe whole-heartedly
in Voldemort's party line, why did he join in the first place?  A
snaky-faced lunatic cruciating his followers indiscriminately isn't
going to acquire much of a following without one hell of a
reputation.  That reputation, however, could certainly be created
by a charasmatic and handsome man advocating a change in government
(with his followers in positions of power of course) and a change
of policies that he says are certain to bring disaster.  The
comparisons to Hitler are easy to make but these are the roots of
many revolutions throughout history.  Lucius would have been a very
young man at the time he was recruited.  Young men are inclined
toward dramatic actions and romantic gestures.  Even now, at 40+
(very young by wizard standards), he paints a rather romantic image
of himself.  The frequent crucios and raving lunatic leader would
have been later complications - sure signs of a doomed movement
come too late for an easy out.

Like Richard I think Lucius will be less concerned with *which*
side wins than he is with ensuring his own survival - and it seems
to me the light side would appear easier to manipulate than above
lunatic leader.  Therefore, he can be counted on to be sabotaging
both sides as he determines it best suits his own ends.  Situations
where he can throw both sides off balance must be manna from heaven.

Nora thinks we are overestimating Lucius' skills citing a lack of
subtlety and suggesting he is "shockingly, a genuinely devoted
ideologue."  If Lucius is not as intelligent as he'd like to appear
then I'd say she's exactly right.  All aspects of my theories about
both Lucius and Dobby are dependant on his being intelligent as
well as goal oriented.  If Nora is correct then Lucius is probably
out of the game at this point.  We can probably take it as given
that Dobby was working on his own as well.  However, relative
intelligence levels aside, I don't see how Nora's theory
accommodates Lucius' pride - the one characteristic of Lucius' I've
never seen anyone argue didn't exist.

Richard and a_svirn (interesting screenname) both think Lucius will
manage to talk his way out of trouble if not actually turn his
incarceration to his own advantage.  I agree the ministry isn't
going to make anything stick as things stand and, if he stays in
Azkaban until the shit is done hitting the fan, I agree he'll have
the perfect alibi no matter which side wins.  I'm less certain
he'll be able to stay out of a game I think he'd prefer to be
manipulating.  Would anyone care to speculate how he could continue
to manipulate the situation from inside Azkaban?

BTW Magda, I agree he wasn't "scouring Diagon Alley looking for a
likely Weasley to frame."  I do think he was in Diagon Alley with
the diary on that particular day to plant it on *someone* and was
delighted with the opportunity to plant it on a Weasley.  The best
plans are flexible.

No one else seems to think that Dobby could have been sent by
Lucius.  a_svirn's suggestion that Dobby could have been set up is
the only post that even approaches it.  <sigh>  Ah, well, *I* still
like the theory.  As I hoped, you've all given me quite a lot to
think about even if it didn't turn my theories around.

Magda, you said you think Dobby was  "too terrified and emotional
all through COS for him to have been obeying his master's orders."
I didn't read it like this.  I even went back and reread ch2 of COS
('Dobby's Warning') and I really don't see Dobby terrified.  JKR
actually used the term 'slyly' when they got to the topic of the 
letters.  No, I've always read Dobby as being a little drama que-
er, drama elf.  I don't think Lucius micromanaged Dobby's actions
but rather sent him off with the barebones "Keep Harry Potter alive
and preferably away from Hogwarts" and Dobby came up with the
specifics of how to do so.  I don't see how this prevents him from
being an "overall good guy character who we're expected to admire."

Hannah also expressed concern that "if Lucius sent Dobby, it
undermines the whole character and purpose of the elf."  How?
Hannah, you also pointed out that Kreacher "managed to bend the
rules when a direct order wasn't prohibiting him."  Does the idea
of only a general guideline instead of specific orders make you
view my theory any differently?

Vivian suggested Dobby was acting properly in warning Harry if
Dobby used to be a Potter family elf.  This made me wonder how long
house elves live.  Do we have any canon information?  How would it
affect the relationship between elf and master if Dobby was around
to change Master Lucius's diapers and teach him his manners?

Valky, I'm totally missing the gist of your theory.  How would a 
diary left behind when he finished his NEWTs make him a pureblood?

Here's another little tidbit question about the diary that all of
you have probably already discussed:
If the diary maneuver had been sucessful, would there be *two* dark
lords running about?  There wasn't any sign of the disembodied,
older version in the Chamber waiting to occupy the newly restored
young body.  Newly restored young body appeared to be occupied
already.  Would the two versions work together? or compete for
control of the DEs?  How different might things have been in the
later adventures if the younger version had survived and dominated?

Goodness this list is fun.

Thursday

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