Minerva and Tom: 6 theories

[luna_loco]

No: HPFGUIDX 153851

The simplest explanation for McGonagall not having any useful memories
is that she was not close enough to have seen anything about Tom other
than the image that he intentionally presented to the Hogwarts faculty
and students.  The type of memories that Dumbledore was looking for
were the type that would help show Tom's inner thoughts.  As we have
been shown that Tom was careful to protect his public image during his
time at Hogwarts, there would be few people outside his small circle
of followers that would have had access to this type of memories. 
Minerva's lack of special knowledge seems to indicate nothing more
than her not having been particularly close to Tom while they were
both students.

While I agree that it is very likely that Tom and Minerva would have
met during their time as students, that does not prove that she would
have the type of memories that Dumbledore was looking for.  The two
were in different houses, and there is no reason to believe that
McGonagall hung out with the same people as Tom Riddle.  The
timeline's indication that the two were not in the same year at school
would also make it likely that they shared few if any classes together
as students.  Unless we speculate about some kind of romantic affair
between Tom and either Minerva or one of Minerva's close friends, (I
think Tom was too self-centered as a student for this possibility)
there is no reason to believe that she would have gained any type of
special knowledge or insight on Tom Riddle during her years as a student.

As Sigmund Freud once said, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." 
Based on this saying, McGonagall's inability to provide special
insight about Tom Riddle could be nothing more than she never learned
anything special about him in the first place.

Allen

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "chrusotoxos" <chrusokomos at ...>
wrote:
>
> 
> Hi, I'm sorry if this question has been addressed before - I was
wondering when Minerva 
> McGonagall will tell us more about Tom Riddle and why she has not
done so until now.
> 
> We know from the timetable that she was born in 1925, he in 1926 or
'27. So she must 
> have known him for at least six years, probably personally - I'm
prepared to bet that she 
> was prefect and Head Girl, so she must have shared chappy meetings
with Mr Perfect-bu-
> t-Overlord-of-Evil-Prefect. If Riddle was indeed quietly organizing
his gang while at 
> Hogwarts, Minerva must have noticed. As we see in the series and in
real life, students 
> often know a lot more than teachers about people and news in the school.
> 
> Dumbledore insisted that it was very difficult to get people to
talk, and indeed, to find 
> people to talk to. Is he implying that Minerva McGonagall, though
Deputee Headmistress, 
> right hand and founder member of the Order is too scared to offer
her memories of 
> Riddle? It seems doubtful to me.
> 
> So why doesn't she talk? I can only think that
> 
  >>>Various theories snipped
> 
> What do you think?
>