DD and Draco's murder attempts - No Evidence!

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 153386

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dumbledore11214"
<dumbledore11214 at ...> wrote:

> 
> Alla:
> 
> ...edited....
> 
> How MUCH Dumbledore knew about Draco's activities in your opinion? 
> He did not know about the cabinets? True, that seems to be supported 
> by canon, but now you are saying that after attack on Katie 
> Dumbledore STILL did not know that Draco was involved?
> 
> Dumbledore seems to be very clear that he knew who was behind 
> attack  on her in his conversation, no?
> 
> And if he indeed knew FOR SURE that Draco is involved than my answer 
> is YES, Draco should have been restrained ASAP, but of course only 
> if Dumbledore knew for sure. IMO of course.
> 

bboyminn:

Sorry, but I think you are suffering a case of a reversal of time.

The first event to happen was the attack on Kate, yet you say,
'...Dumbledore ***STILL*** did not know that Draco was involved'.
There is no 'still' to it, this is the first significant event, and
they have proof positive that Draco was NOT directly involved. Draco
was not in Hogsmeade that day; he was in detention with McGonagall.
I'd say that is a pretty good alibi. Further in the second significant
event that resulted in the poisoning of Ron, there is no way to
connect Draco to it. 

Yes, at the end, at the top of the tower just before Dumbledore died,
he was able to bring the various fragments of information together and
combine them with was Draco was saying in the moment, but that doesn't
mean he had all that information all that time. 

Everyone knew Draco was up to something, partly because Draco is
always up to something. This is just the first time that what he is up
to is gravely serious. Yet, not knowing what he is up to means that
they also have no way of knowing just how /gravely/ serious his
actions are.  

I really don't think it is fair to expand Dumbledore's conclusion at
the end backward in time and assume he always had that information.
Certainly, Dumbledore had suspicious, but he lack any proof or any way
to connect the events to Draco. If he had brought this to court, they
would have laughed at him, even the very eager 'War' courts of
Scrimgeour couldn't have made a case of what Dumbledore knew prior to
the events on the tower.

It is one thing to /think/ or suspect, but quite another to truly have
enough evidence to act on.

Just adding my own perspective.

Steve/bboyminn