[HPforGrownups] Re: Ginny Haters/ a bit of Draco

[Magpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 152214

Carol:
> Do you see a different sequence of events, with Voldemort actively
> recruiting Draco? Certainly LV assigned him the job of killing
> Dumbledore ("It''s my job; he gave it to me"), but I'm not aware of
> any canon evidence that the original contact between Voldemort and
> Draco was Voldemort's idea. Draco was proud of his discovery and eager
> to share it with LV, both for his own "glory" and revenge against
> dumbledore and Harry.
>
> I can't see Voldemort coming to Draco, saying, "I have an assignment
> for you: Murder Dumbledore," and Draco saying, "Oh, I have the perfect
> way to do that. I'll fix the Vanishing Cabinet and create a passageway
> between Hogwarts and Borgin and Burkes." At which point Voldemort
> would either need to use Legilimency or require an explanation to know
> what he was talking about.
>
> It must have been the other way around; Draco told LV about the
> passageway and volunteered to fix the cabinet, after which Voldemort
> gave him the additional assignment, or ultimatum, of killing
> Dumbledore, with the DEs as back up.
>
> At least that's how the evidence reads to me.


Magpie:
I definitely see another sequence of events because what's described as not 
making sense is the whole plot of the book.  Voldemort gives Draco an 
assignment to kill Dumbledore.  It's the only assignment anyone ever talks 
about throughout the books.  All the reasons this is ridiculous are brought 
up and dealt with in canon when we learn that Voldemort has not recruited 
Draco, really, he's just using him as a way to punish Lucius.  The whole 
Draco involvement is a cruel joke on Voldemort's part.

The Vanishing Cabinets are the thing that raise it to another level, and 
those were Draco's idea entirely.  They are the thing Draco thinks will let 
him surprise everyone by actually succeeding.  He may have told Voldemort 
about them immediately or told him later, but we never see any hint that 
Voldemort has any plan involving DEs in Hogwarts except killing DD. They are 
there to make sure DD gets killed, either by Draco or by Snape.  We do have 
some reason to think that since Snape at least says "he wants me to do it in 
the end."

But the bottom line is everyone agrees that Voldemort has given Draco an 
assignment to kill Dumbledore which is really a plan to get Draco killed to 
punish Lucius.  We also know that Draco was a willing would-be DE.  But the 
Cabinet plot is always linked to the murders.  There's no evidence at all of 
Draco coming up with a plan to get DEs into Hogwarts for some other reason, 
presenting that to Voldemort and then having the killing added on as a 
surprise. I think that would have come out with everything else on the Tower 
if it was important to his story.

The book's theme centers around killing and its effect on the soul.  That's 
the task Draco is supposed to do, and if he doesn't others will be killed. 
That's what Snape has to do, and if he doesn't he'll be killed. Narcissa is 
trying to prevent Draco from being killed.  Tom kills people to split his 
soul.  Harry almost kills Draco.  Draco almost kills two people.  Harry's 
still mourning Sirius who has been killed.  We've even got the return of 
Buckbeak who was not killed. JKR's going for very simple, straight lines to 
the heart of the matter.  Overcomplicating, imo, dilutes the effect. It's 
like imagining that fixing the TWT was Barty Crouch's idea and then 
Voldemort surprised him by adding the twist of Portkey-ing Harry to him at 
the end, so if Barty hadn't gone to him with that plan none of this would 
have happened.  Voldemort's not passive.  He's the man with the plan.

-m