ACID POPS and Teenager Draco

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 157519

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "snow15145" <kking0731 at ...> wrote:
 
> Me snipped:(Snow?)
> 
> What was the underlying reason for Voldemort's request 
> from Draco? (was)... Voldemort is really pissed off at 
> Lucius. ...
 
 
> 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. ...
 
 
> Snow:
> 
> Buy then it would simply be an act of revenge! I feel 
> confident that Voldemort would make more of such a 
> situation than that. ...
> 
> Voldemort ... was pissed at the misuse of the Diary 
> Horcrux but he could benefit from it by means of his 
> (Lucius) son and better yet Narcissa! This would flush 
> out the true supporters. 
> 
> Remember that Narcissa in taking the vow with Snape 
> showed that she put her son above Voldemort. ...
>

bboyminn:

While I am not discrediting all the things that have been 
said so far, but let us not forget that Draco went to 
Voldemort with the Vanishing Cabinet Plan. I suspect Draco 
thought he would get big time credit for bringing this info 
to the Dark Lord, but he didn't necessarily expect to have 
to carry out any plan. 

Suddenly, Voldemort leaves it up to Draco to fix the cabinet 
and as an added special treat decides to induct him into the 
Death Eaters. I'm not sure that's what Draco expected, but 
fixing the cabinet and letting the DE's do the dirty work 
might not be so bad. Plus, he has alway assumed he would 
eventually be a DE, so it is just coming a little sooner.

But Voldemort is a master manipulator with his own agenda, 
once Draco is in too deep, Voldemort present Draco with 
the extreme priviledge and treat of killing Dumbledore 
himself. I doubt Draco had bargained on that, but now that 
he was in, he knew he couldn't refuse and he knew he couldn't 
negotiate.

I think Voldemort also took Draco's standard resources away 
from him to make the task harder; no Crabbe and Goyle, no 
Snape, and no running to mummy. He was assigned a few DE to 
assist him and be his outside contacts, and that was it. 

I further think that only involved people knew specifically 
what the plan was. Narcissa may or may NOT have know the 
plan. Certainly she knew there was a dark and dangerour 
plan that centered around her son, and to a mother, that 
alone is enough to worry you. I suspect the same it true 
of Bella, she knew generally but not specifically. Yes, I 
know some will cite 'Spinners End', but no one in that 
scene actually reveals what they know. 

I still say that a substantial part of Draco's stress was 
Secrecy. He couldn't go to Snape or his mother for help. 
He couldn't reveal to his best friends and helpers the 
secret of his mission. Though I readily admit to the teen 
angst, urge to grow up and prove himself, desire for glory 
and recognition, and all the other aspects that others have 
spoke of. But I think the up-front limiting factor on Draco 
was secrecy; he couldn't reveal the secret because to do 
so surely meant death.

Some see Draco out of character in this book, but Draco is 
also out of his characteristic situation. Up until now all 
he had to think about were schoolboy pranks, now the stakes 
are extremely high. Much much much higher than Draco has 
ever had to operate at before. It is easy to be smug and 
arrogant when the stakes are a few lines or a detention or 
two, but Voldemort will not give 'lines' for failure.

Draco fancied himself getting into Voldemort's good graces 
with the information about the cabinet, but I suspect 
Voldemort, step by step, raised the stakes to far beyond 
what Draco ever imagined. Yes, part of that was vindictive. 
He was putting tremendous pressure on Draco, perhaps even 
putting him in harms way as a way of tormenting Draco, his 
mother, and his father. But that was not the objective, that 
was just a side benefit. Naturally with a completely secret 
way into the castle, the Dark Lord would want to use it. 
The School and Dumbledore are prime strategic targets for 
Voldemort; he simply couldn't pass it up.

I think he kept Snape out of it because he didn't want to 
compromise Snape's spy status. By leaving Snape out, no 
suspicion could fall on him regardless of the out come. 
That way he would always have his inside man at Hogwarts. 
Also, if Draco really did fail this year, he could always 
come back next year, and with Snape help then, fix the 
cabinet. Or have Snape fix it over the summer. Draco's 
failure itself doesn't close the door. Although Draco 
getting caught most certainly would.

Just a few thoughts.

Steve/bboyminn