DD and Draco's murder attempts WAS: Draco and Harry

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 153378

 
> Alla:
> 
> I guess I am saying that after Kathie's injury DD did not have a 
> luxury to wait anymore and had to act immediately.
> 
> Yes, to seize Draco right away before he did anything is wrong, but 
> after Katie is hurt, I don't think it would be wrong anymore.
> 

Pippin:
So, um, let me get this straight. AFAWK, Dumbledore had *no* 
direct evidence that Draco was involved in the attack on Katie. All he 
knew, assuming Snape reported truthfully everything that 
happened at Spinner's End,  is that Draco had  a motive to try and 
smuggle a cursed object into Hogwarts. Snape and Dumbledore
suspected Draco on that basis, while Harry suspected him on general
principles. Draco was not observed to purchase the necklace and
not observed in Hogsmeade. Dumbledore ordered Snape to question
Draco and had him tailed, (as did Harry) but neither discovered
anything more, except that Draco was spending time in the Room
of Requirement. 

(Harry did learn that Trelawney had been attacked, but as he
neglected to report this, Dumbledore can hardly be blamed for not
acting on the information.)

Do you honestly think  Dumbledore had enough evidence to 
throw a sixteen year old child into Azkaban???  The report of a 
secret informer and the suspicions of three people whose
track record on suspecting the right person you yourself have 
criticized many times? 


 Leaving aside the not so small matter of whether that would force 
Snape to fulfill his vow,  how long do  you think Draco should 
have been imprisoned without a trial? I'm assuming there wouldn't
have been one, since there obviously isn't enough evidence to
convict him of anything.

I understand your concern for the students, but surely turning the WW
into a police state is not JKR's idea of the answer. Is Crouch  Sr. your 
idea of  how Dumbledore should behave? After all, on the evidence of
the pensieve, most of the people Crouch sent to Azkaban deserved
to be there. 

 I don't think Dumbledore's hats conflict as much as you think 
they do. Consider what Harry said in PS/SS : "Haven't you heard
what it was like when [Voldemort] was trying to take over? There
won't be any Hogwarts to be expelled from! He'll flatten it, or
turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't
matter any more, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you
and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the House Cup?"

 I ask, do you think Voldemort would leave Hogwarts alone if
Dumbledore stopped opposing him?


Pippin