Not a Dark Mark ?

[msbeadsley]

No: HPFGUIDX 139253

"M.Clifford" <Aisbelmon at h...> wrote:
> Well it could be a Dark Mark, but since there *is* reason for doubt,
> then why don't we call it a Werewolf bite ?
> <snip John Granger link and info> 
> Thoughts anyone? Or are we all as dumbstruck as me?
> Valky

Actually, it gave me chills...but mostly because I posted the idea of
Greyback biting Malfoy (shame on me, I'm so mean) as part of my Book 7
wish list ("what you hope will happen in Book 7") on the anniversary
mixer Q/A on OTChatter (#28744) a few days ago, before I'd ever heard
of John Granger.*

I liked the idea as outlined on John Granger's website for a minute or
two. Then something bothered me, so I went back and reread the scene
in Borgin and Burkes.

Malfoy is trying to bully Borgin into helping with the repair of (what
we now know is) the Vanishing Cabinet:

  Harry saw Borgin lick his lips nervously.
  "Well, without seeing it, I must say it will be a very difficult
job, perhaps impossible. I couldn't guarantee anything."
  "No?" said Malfoy, and Harry knew, just by his tone, that Malfoy was
sneering. "Perhaps this will make you more confident."
  He moved toward Borgin and was blocked from view by the cabinet.
Harry, Ron and Hermione shuffled sideways to try and keep him in
sight, but all they could see was Borgin, looking very frightened.
  "Tell anyone," said Malfoy, "and there will be retribution. You know
Fenrir Greyback? He's a family friend. He'll be dropping in from time
to time to make sure you're giving the problem your full attention."

It seemed to me that for Draco to have indicated the bite on his arm
and then follow up with "You know Fenrir Greyback?" was almost a non
sequitur. Why wouldn't he have said something like, "You know who gave
me this? Fenrir Greyback. He's a family friend..."

And then it hit me, why IMO this is nonsensical. The cases we know of
where children have been bitten by Fenrir, Lupin and a five year-old
child who died, their families angered Fenrir. There was no "family
friend" connection. Having a child bitten is punative. I just can't
imagine Borgin taking the threat, "Hey, I'll send the guy who bit me
after you" seriously. Besides, what does a werewolf bite look like?
Like something with big teeth got ahold of Draco's arm? Bill's wounds
are remarkable because they are cursed and can't be healed away;
typical werewolf bite, I'd imagine; but I hardly think that werewolves
are the only possible source of large, cursed bites.

The next reason this doesn't work for me is that I think it has yet to
happen. More specifically, I don't think we'd be seeing the same old
swaggering Draco on the train to Hogwarts if he'd been bitten already.
I think he'd be hiding in St. Mungos, having a nervous breakdown in
the room next to Lockhart. I went back and looked in PS/SS and it
isn't just movie contamination, as I'd feared: when Harry, Neville and
Draco are assigned Forbidden Forest duty with Hagrid, Draco's spoken
concern about going in there is -you guessed it- werewolves. It's
probably the form the  boggart took for him in his 3rd year. John
Granger (an uncle of Hermione's?) claims Malfoy's avoidance of the
sight of Greyback on the tower as Dumbledore is asking about Malfoy's
having "invited" him into the school where his friends are as evidence
for Malfoy's having already been bitten, but I see it as just one more
manifestation of Malfoy's already established fear of werewolves.

The last reason this doesn't work for me is that it is unnecessary.
There is enough going on with Malfoy in HBP; having him dealing with
getting the Vanishing Cabinet fixed, becoming an assassin with the
world's greatest wizard as his target, AND being a newly (do you say
fledged if it's fur to which you refer?) um, created, werewolf is just
gratuitous. The signs of fatigue, etc., we see in Malfoy are easily
attributed to what we now KNOW he had on his plate.

YMMV, this is just IMHO.

Sandy, aka msbeadsley, who will want serious Divination credit if and
when she turns out to be right and John Granger turns out wrong.

*"...Greyback will bite Draco before it's over, turning him into
something he's always feared and forcing the Malfoys in the end to
take up campaigning for civil rights for the marginalized..."