The Cabinet Plan...again (was:Re: The UV (was ESE, DDM, OFH, or Grey?)

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 162843

SSSusan: 
> I think you're right, Betsy, that DD said what he said on the tower 
> because he either believed or hoped that Draco didn't *want* to be 
a 
> murderer "in his heart of hearts" (or just his plain old heart 
> <g>).  It does not take away the fact, however, that Draco did 
> intend and try to become one and was only foiled by circumstance 
> and/or bad planning.  

zgirnius:
Dumbledore was saying a bit more, I think. (Though, naturally, he/I 
could be mistaken). It seemed to me that he was suggesting Draco 
picked methods so elaborate and unlikely to succeed as a subconscious 
form of self-sabotage; his heart not being in it had practical 
consequences. So yes, he was lucky, but on the other hand the plans 
he made would have required considerable (bad) luck to work.

SSSusan:
> (Unless you would actually argue that Draco sabotaged himself in 
his 
> first two schemes and tried not to succeed?)

zgirnius:
I should read the whole post before starting to respond! But yes, 
this is what I believe. In Dumbledore's words,

> HBP: "Draco, they have been feeble attempts.... So feeble, to be 
honest, that I wonder whether your heart has been really in it."

zgirnius:
I'm not sure that he is therefore necessarily feeling very guilty, 
though. Here we can agree. In some ways that is a separate issue. 
Sirius Black comes to mind. We are to believe he did not intend to 
kill Snape, in the prank. But he certainly seems to feel little or no 
guilt about the whole thing, ever, even after it has been pointed out 
to him that he might have, if he hadn't been lucky/possessed of a 
friend like James. Presumably because noone was irreparably harmed, 
after all. Snape kept Lupin's secret and James and Snape both 
survived.