[HPforGrownups] Re: HBP - Draught of Living Death Potion??

[rebecca]

No: HPFGUIDX 153310


> honeykissed:
> Justcarol...there is a very interesting website that discusses this
> information, www.cosforums.com - This is where I began thinking that
> the Draught of Living Death is what was used.  The writer of the
> article is a lot more eloquent than I am at explaining the facts and
> have read the books, obviously more than once (like me).  I would
> recommend it.  She really connects the information together.  If you
> get to read it let me know what you think.  I still believe it's the
> draught of living death that is in the lake.  I believe Voldemort has
> the power to make a lake containing this potion.
>

Bec:

I've read a few editorials here and there (including the one you specified) 
and the main problem that I have with the lake potion theory is 
unfortunately, a great number of things including the fact that enchanted 
Inferi are all within it could render the lake affected in an "unnatural" 
manner by way of magic.  Remember, the Harry's response outside the cave:

"How can you tell?" Harry spoke in a whisper. "It has known magic," said 
Dumbledore simply. Harry could not tell whether the shivers he was 
experiencing were due to his spine-deep coldness or to the same awareness of 
enchantments"

That "awareness" of magic in the immediate vacinity also happened, albeit 
slightly differently, earlier in the book when Dumbledore visited Privet 
Drive to pick up Harry.  So I don't think it's too far fetched to speculate 
that rather than the lake be potion (the unnatural glassiness), the lake is 
effected by all the magic in the enclosed area of the cave, not to mention 
all the enchanted Inferi underneath it. Since touching the water makes the 
Inferi rise, it also could be speculated it's "booby trapped" which could 
just have easily been done with a wand. The latter of the prior sentence is 
more likely, because we know from Harry that Voldemort planned the water to 
be disturbed (again, by having the potion drinker want water desperately 
after the potion he drank) so the Inferi could do their thing:

"Harry knew, instinctively, the only way left to get water, because 
Voldemort had planned it so ... He flung himself over to the edge of the 
rock and plunged the goblet into the lake, bringing it up full to the brim 
of icy water that did not vanish. "Sir - here!" Harry yelled, and lunging 
forward, he tipped the water clumsily over Dumbledores face. "

Dumbledore does say that he believed that Voldemort would have wanted to 
keep the drinker alive for a bit to find out why he was there - so, 
curiousity is killing me here as to how that would have happened. Like, for 
example, Harry thought he was going to be pulled into and under the lake to 
lay with the dead Inferi.  If that's what Voldemort intended, how's he going 
to question anybody? They'd kind of be dead and drowned, wouldn't they?

rebecca