Why Leave Harry at HW at the End of HBP?

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 148337

Dung:
> Voldy *could* have set up a plan to do the whole lot in one go,
> but it would have *had* to involve Snape if he wanted it to
> succeed, and Snape could have slithered out of action again (with
> DD's help) by making sure that the plan failed. One of Voldy's
> goals was to test Snape's loyalty; a plan like that could easily 
> have ended up with DD escaping, Snape having kept his true
> allegiance under wraps *again*, and possibly even with Draco not
> getting punished for Lucius' mistakes. No, Voldy's a Slytherin!
> 
> I'm also 99% convinced that Voldy prompted Bella and Cissy's visit 
> to Spinner's End – not explicitly, but Bella could easily have
> been lying when she told Cissy "I know the Dark Lord trusts him". 
> Voldy  may have hinted that Snape might need an extra motive to 
> make sure that Draco didn't mess up too badly. Cue the sisters.

Jen: At the very least I think Voldemort was aware Narcissa planned 
to ask Snape for help and didn't intervene. At the most I'd say 
Voldemort had a hand in the Unbreakable in some form, although 
that's hard to prove so far. From the plotting of the other books, 
LV has a history of handing over the rope for a person to hang 
him/herself and it seems likely to me *someone* in the room at 
Spinner's End was being manipulated. As you pointed out, it's 
putting an awful lot to chance to risk Snape not following through.  

So I do agree with a scenario where at least one of the party at 
Spinner's End appeared to be acting completely independently but was 
being pulled by a string in the back. Maybe it was LV finally 
forcing Dumbledore's hand with the DADA job by demanding Snape find 
a way to get it 'or else'. Maybe it was Voldemort using Narcissa's 
desperation for Draco to suggest Snape might be of service to Draco 
during the year. Heck, I personally wouldn't put it past Narcissa to 
be lying to both Snape and Bella and she was actually sent to get 
the Unbreakable in exchange for Draco's life! If Snape tried to 
legilimens her he would likely see only her fears for Draco in that 
moment. I mean, Bella along for the ride when Narcissa ostensibly 
didn't want her there was convenient when it came time for the 
bonding ritual. 

Dung: 
> See, I reckon Voldemort's been reading the evil overlord handbook
> in the holidays. No "bring him to me so I can challenge him to a
> duel and have the pleasure of proving myself to be the stronger", 
> no "give him a long and painful death (from which he can
> heroically 
> escape) so the old fool can really appreciate just how much I hate 
> him"... Just a nice and simple "get the job done and I won't kill 
> you and your family" to Draco, and a "you'd better be on my side 
> after all Snape, or you're dead," via Bella and Cissy.
> Neat, no?

Jen: Neat, yes. I like. I like any plot which incorporates Voldemort 
more in Spinner's End. To me that would follow what we're supposed 
to believe about Voldemort, that he is the master behind all these 
plans and is incorporating his 'gift for spreading discord and 
enmity' among his DE's here. That the DE's, even Snape, are pawns in 
his game. 

> Dung:
> Too rational for Voldemort? Hmm. It seems to me (off the top of my 
> head and after absolutely no perusal of canon) that Voldy's evil 
> overlord mistakes are always in the heat of the moment – giving 
> Harry back his wand, turning up to the MoM in person etc. His 
> planning doesn't seem to suffer too much. The GoF and OotP plans 
> were really remarkably clever, they failed through last minute 
> problems, not through being badly organised. But you might 
> disagree...<snipping> Fixations, certainly, but has he not shown
> that he can be remarkably patient? Got any good canon for the
> irrationality? Not that I think you haven't, I just think that
> given his goals, his fixations and obsessions are really quite 
> rational, but he's cunning enough not to let them obscure his
> other goals

Jen: I meant that his plans fail because they are based on 
irrational fixations to begin with. Like going to the MOM or 
attempting to kill Harry as a baby. Both plans were likely well 
thought out and carefully organized, but in each case his basis for 
making the plan is due to an obsessive fixation with faulty wiring: 
He must kill Harry because the prophecy is true; he must obtain the 
prophecy to find out why he can't kill Harry; he must have Harry and 
only Harry sent to the graveyard to be reborn; he must be the one to 
kill Harry even though he's failed four times. Do you know what I 
mean, even if you don't agree? 

For this reason I tend to think killing Dumbledore will *not* serve 
the purpose Voldemort thinks it will. There will be something about 
DD's death he is overlooking as he did with Lily or with taking 
Harry's blood, etc. And it might be as simple as he's made a mortal 
enemy out of Snape who will do anything to defeat him even if it 
means siding with Harry (not amicably of course). Or it could be 
something more magical at work which will come back to haunt him. 

Dung:
> I just have this suspicion that in the way that HBP was all about 
> Snape, Harry Potter and the Key to Everything will be all about 
> Dumbledore. But just what we're going to find out about him is 
> anyone's guess...

Jen: Oh, I hope so. I seriously thought HBP would give us insight 
into Dumbledore, not Voldemort. Maybe it did and it's hard to 
recognize until the story is complete? I mean, Voldemort is not the 
only obsessed person in the series <g>. When we finally hear about 
Grindelwald, perhaps the root of Dumbledore's obsession with 
bringing down dark lords will have more meaning. Mostly I think he's 
doing it for the good of the WW, but he wasn't *always* the greatest 
sorcerer in the world with only the good of humanity on his mind, 
was he? At one time maybe he was a boy and young man a bit like 
Harry, a reluctant hero making mistakes and leaning on others for 
help. Might be an interesting addition for Harry to hear about as he 
faces a seemingly insurmountable task.

Jen R.