Draco's Mission and What did DD do about it? (Long)

[Mike]

No: HPFGUIDX 157518

I find it interesting how these threads evolve to the point that 
they don't come close to resembling the title on the message board. 
It's also interesting how the same topic shows up on multiple 
threads by the evolution of that thread. Once we get on a topic, if 
the spigot is on fast enough, it floods the whole house.

In an attempt to reverse inertia, I'd like to pull several threads 
into one. Snow, you're batting leadoff. (Liberal snipping throughout)

***************************************************************
Snow:
Forgive the intrusion but I've been watching this continuing debate
and have to ask, any of you, what you think Voldemort personally
asked Draco to do and under what capacity, because it is very
important to the scenario? 

The most that we absolutely know is that Draco was ordered to kill
Dumbledore (and will most likely fail- nothing about cabinets or
opening Hogwarts for the deatheaters) 
****************************************************************

Mike:
I asked a similar question. Betsy answered, then I wrote this 
summary:

****************************************************************
OK, I get it. This was a terrorist action. From the beginning,
Draco (or an accomplice) was to signal when DD was out and the
connection between cabinets was ready. Then, after raising a
little hell, someone sends up the Dark Mark to lure DD back,
whereupon Draco heads off to meet his doom. Is that right, Betsy?

Betsy Hp:
Yup. <g>
****************************************************************

Mike:
So, that was our guess as to what Voldemort's objective was, at 
least as far as why the DEs were being introduced into Hogwarts.
But in this exchange, a slightly different take on the topic.

****************************************************************
Mike:
But it just begs the question: Did he think this whole plot through 
at all? Why was he repairing the cabinet, how would that help him 
to kill DD?

Magpie:
The DEs were supposed to give him the ability to kill DD--which they 
did in the end. After that the DEs were actually Draco's undoing 
by acting like exactly what they were supposed to be: backup

Mike:
You say, iirc, that he thought he was bringing in backup. Draco, on 
the tower, only told DD that there were DEs in the school.

Magpie:
DD, I believe, refers to them as reinforcements, understanding that 
they are supposed to be there to give Draco the opportunity to kill 
Dumbledore. I'm sure Draco did ask himself what the DEs were there 
for and thought of them as the thing he needed to do it.
****************************************************************

Mike:
So combining these three posts, we have a some contradictions. Did 
LV order Draco to introduce DEs for the purpose of terrorist action? 
Or was the introduction of DEs, as backup, purely Draco's idea? Or 
was it, as Red Hen postulates, a double cross set up by LV to ensure 
Draco didn't come out of it alive, successful mission or not? 
Because we have another reason for this possibility.

****************************************************************
Snow:
What was the underlying reason for Voldemort's request from Draco?
The reason Faith has been given is that Voldemort is really pissed
off at Lucius. Could be but wouldn't that be a bit lame. Wouldn't
Voldemort aim a bit higher than revenge on a supporter?

Magpie:
No, it wouldn't be lame. It would be, imo, one of the best plans 
Voldemort's ever come up with. If it puts Snape in a position to 
prove his loyalty all the better, but I see no reason for anything 
other than what we're given for Draco in HBP. Lucius destroyed a 
Horcrux, a piece of Voldemort. Voldemort destroys Lucius' child. 
What is more dramatic than murdering a man's son in revenge?
****************************************************************

Mike:
OK, I'm going to pick my favotites, I invite you to do the same.
I like Betsy's idea that LV set it up as a terrorist action. She 
also pointed out that LV didn't expect them to meet any opposition, 
that was intrinsic to the plot (vastly underestimating DD!). By the 
same token, these weren't his A-Team, he didn't really care if they 
were lost. As Magpie points out, Draco deluded himself into 
believing they were there as his backup. Actually, after they were 
done raising hell, they were to make sure that, if Draco 
miraculously survives the encounter with DD, he doesn't get out of 
the castle alive.

Now LV knows about the UV that Snape took (Bella would have told LV, 
making sure that to tell it in a way that won't get Narcissa in 
trouble), and, as Magpie says, the testing of Snape's loyalty is 
just a bonus. He doesn't let Snape in on the plan, but he does 
instruct the goon squad to stand aside if he shows up and let him 
take over the lead.

Most of the plan worked out the way LV hoped. He didn't get *as* 
much terrorizing as he would have liked and Draco survived. But DD 
is dead and his right-hand man proved his loyalty, so he's not 
displeased with the overall outcome.

        ><OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO><

How much of this was what DD wanted to happen and how much was 
outright orchestrated by DD? I'm going to rely heavily on Red Hen's 
analysis for this part. If you'd care to read her entire post, here:

http://www.redhen-publications.com/Exeunt.html

I will warn you, it is very long and covers much more ground than 
what I'm including here.

Red Hen starts with the question:

****************************************************************
We not only needed to ask whether or not Albus is really dead — and 
we did need to at least ask that — but whether, and by just how much 
was he taken by surprise by the events that overtook him the night 
of his death. And by which ones, exactly? How much of that 
performance was under his own control?
****************************************************************

Mike:
Up on the tower we got the everpresent DD debriefing only this time 
he used a question and answer session with Draco and it came a 
little earlier than usual. We learned everything that Draco could 
tell us about the plan, but of course we got it from Draco's PoV, 
for the most part. How much of this was news to DD? Let's look at 
one particular exchange:  (HBP, pg. 586-7, US)

****************************************************************
Malfoy . . .. "I had to mend that Vanishing Cabinet that no one's 
used for years. The one Montague got lost in last year."

"Aaaah." Dumbledore's sigh was half a groan. He closed his eyes for 
a moment. "That was clever ... There is a pair, I take it?"
****************************************************************

Mike:
Now I know that Dumbledore is smart. But this seems like awfully 
quick deducing and he's not in the best of shape right now. Is it 
possible that DD already knew about the cabinet repair project?
 
Doesn't it seem particularly coincidental that the very moment that 
Draco fixes the cabinet, DD is summoning Harry to take him out on an 
adventure? Remember, part of Draco's order was to wait for DD to be 
off campus.

Red Hen has a theory on this part:

****************************************************************
And he messed with Draco's mission to ensure that the invasion would 
take place on his signal, and not one minute before.

Oh. Yes. He also knew that facilitating an invasion was part of the 
assignment.


Once it had been reported that Malfoy and the cabinet had taken up 
residence in the Room, all the cards were in Albus's hands. After 
any evening that Malfoy had been reported spending time in the Room, 
Albus would make a visit that night and undo what Malfoy had done, 
stringing the whole project out . . .. And then . . . , he went and 
repaired the cabinet himself — all but a simple detail or two — and 
waited for Malfoy to enter the room again and discover it.

Once Malfoy was reported entering the room, he sent for Harry.
****************************************************************

Mike:
So why did Snape bother trying to get info out of Draco if he and DD 
already knew the plan? Aaah, that UV required him to watch over  
Draco, so why not see if he can gather intel while he's fulfilling 
his promise to Narcissa?! And if Snape can just get the boy to 
listen, maybe he can convince him to accept an offer that he knows 
will be forthcoming from DD. Not likely? Well, it's worth a try.

There lots of theories on why DD is dying. And there are too many 
people to attribute with all the various reasons. Suffice it to say, 
sufficient quantity of listers believe DD orchestrated his own death 
on-stage because he knew he was dying anyway. Why not use his death 
to further his cause?! 

Well, if you believe DD was dying and you fall in the DDM!Snape 
camp, you have no problem believing that DD orchestrated his own 
public execution for the purposes of getting Snape into deep cover 
at LV's right-hand side.

        ><OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO><

I would like to thank Red Hen and all the HP4GU listers whose posts 
were used herein. 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/157509
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/157379
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/157506
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/157510

Mike