Troll Question

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 154534

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Laura Lynn Walsh <lwalsh at ...> wrote:
>
> Since this is about Book 1, it has probably been discussed
> before, but I have a question about the troll.  If Quirrell's
> contribution to guarding the Stone was to bring in the troll,
> then Dumbledore at least would have been aware of that.
> Knowing that Quirrell had done so, how could he have not
> informed Snape and the rest of the teachers that Quirrell
> probably let the troll in at Halloween?  How could Quirrell
> act so afraid of the troll in front of McGonagall and Snape
> in the dining hall and in the bathroom scene?  Wouldn't
> that automatically compromise his believability?
> Laura

Carol responds:
I think his believability *was* compromised. Snape must have known
that Quirrell had used a (different) troll to protect the stone, and
his suspicions were immediately aroused by the "coincidence" of
Quirrell supposedly discovering another troll in the dungeons, and by
Quirrell's show of fear of a troll. Snape immediately goes to the
third-floor corridor to thwart him--as he would not have done had he
not known of Quirrell's affinity for trolls. I don't think McGonagall
knew, but DD certainly did. I think Snape reported (as usual) to DD
and that DD had him keep an eye on Quirrell from that point on (which
he would have done in any case, IMO) but without clear evidence, DD
could not confront Quirrell.

But I agree with hounyhnm (Yes, I know that I messed up the spelling!)
that the real mystery is how DD knew that the stone was about to be
stolen from Gringott's in the first place. The mysterious silver
instruments? What would they tell him? Or maybe Snape's Dark Mark was
becoming more pronounced (though still faint), so they both knew LV
was on his way back?

Carol, wondering if JKR is under the delusion that she's answered all
our questions about the earlier books

Carol