Why Leave Harry at HW at the End of HBP?

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 148169

Angie:
> I understand that LV wants to be the one to kill Harry.  What I
> don't understand is why LV wouldn't want them to bring Harry to
> him, given the chance.  Why "must" they leave him????  Why go to 
> all the trouble to break into Hogwarts and then leave Harry behind
> when clearly, they could have taken him with them?

Jen: Your post made me think of another question rather than an 
answer: What exactly *was* Voldemort's goal in HBP? 

We can piece together he expected Draco to fix the Vanishing 
Cabinent under threat of death to himself and parents, even though 
likely he didn't expect Draco would be capable of killing DD. For 
that job, his 'spy' placed at Hogwarts for 16 years was the more 
likely of the two to complete the job. That's speculative from 
Snape's words but fits with Voldemort's thinking.

So Voldemort's goal was to get Dumbledore out of the way, but not in 
order to kidnap Harry. In fact, it's possible Dumbledore was even 
aware Voldemort had another goal because when you think about it, 
Dumbledore didn't make any obvious attempt to protect Harry after 
his death. Fawkes left, Snape left. The Order didn't immediately 
spring into action and take Harry to a secure location. For whatever 
reason Dumbledore seemed to believe Harry was safe even if he died. 
It's interesting. Makes you wonder if there are some other 
protections he set up which are activated upon his death or the like.

Saraquel (hi,SQ!) suggested maybe Snape wasn't going back to 
Voldemort, that he and Draco instead went to some protected location 
and that's why Snape pretended the DE's weren't to touch Harry as a 
means of protecting him. I'm thinking Snape's use to the good side 
is as a spy though, and if he can't spy and he's a wanted man, what 
good will he be to the Order except protecting Draco? It's the harsh 
world of spying that you are only as good as your information and 
Snape seems to have accepted that arrangement if he's loyal to 
Dumbledore. So I do think he *was* following orders not to bring 
Harry, and that Voldemort must have had another goal in mind with 
getting Dumbledore out of the way. 

I guess LV could have found out Dumbledore was chasing the horcruxes 
and thought he could get rid of him before he told someone else. Or 
he wants something at Hogwarts and needs Dumbledore out of there. 
Trelawney maybe? He does seem awfully obsessive about knowing the 
prophecy.

Didn't someone already propose that the DE's actually *did* take 
Trelawney with them when they left because she wasn't at the 
funeral? It was odd there was no mention of her; I figured she was 
partying in the Room of Requirement and lost track of time. But 
maybe a couple of DE's never left the ROR and simply kidnapped 
Trelawney back through the Vanishing Cabinent before it was disabled 
by the Order.

Jen, letting her mind wander aimlessly, wondering why Voldemort was 
so quiet in HBP...