Cabinet FIRST! One last time. (Long--sorry!)

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 157816


> Mike:
> > So what do we have?
> > 1. Draco knew about the cabinets before the LV summons. Most logical
> > canon interpretation.
> > 2. LV assigned DEs/ally to infiltrate Hogwarts. Canon.
> > Logical extrapolations:
> > 3. LV was informed of some method of secret infiltration.
> > 4. LV assigned DEs to be available to Draco, at least some from the
> > beginning.
> > Logical Interpretation:
> > 5. Draco told LV about the cabinets at the beginning.
> >
> > How about a compromise?
> 
> Magpie:
> Well, I'm not compromising on this thread at all, it seems, so I'll say no, 
> since that's not the way I read the story.:-)  I don't think a lot hinged on 
> exactly who was thinking what when at all times.  JKR's timelines seem 
> mostly only important in a very general way--X happened first in the story 
> and Y had to happen somewhere after A and before C but we don't know when 
> exactly.  The parts in canon that seem to be the important bits read to me 
> as:
> 
> 1. Draco hears Montague's story, either during fifth year or just after, and 
> figures out what it means at some point during or after that.
> 
> 2. Voldemort gives Draco the assignment to kill DD.  He has some DE help at 
> his disposal, and can use anything he wants.
> 
> 3. Draco decides to use Montague's Cabinets to get DEs into the castle for 
> back up to help him.  He begins this plan when he goes to get his 
> schoolbooks.

Pippin:
The trouble is, if Voldemort just told Draco to kill Dumbledore in some
way and left the means up to him, then Draco would have come up with
some half-baked plan like the necklace and gotten himself caught (and
killed, as Voldemort would expect) immediately.

That would be efficient, but that's not what a sociopath like Voldemort
would want.

Volemort wants drama. He wants Draco to struggle with his task and 
slowly realize that it's hopeless. He wants Draco to sweat and even
more, he wants Lucius sweat for him (we know that Ministry officials
are always going out to Azkaban, so Voldemort can let Lucius know 
what Draco is up to.)

Fixing the cabinets is ideal for Voldemort's purposes, assuming that
he thinks it can't be done. Draco will struggle forever, which means
Voldemort can keep the game going as long as he likes, or end it
whenever he chooses. It isn't in Draco's hands at all.

Support for this is the step both Mike and Magpie have left out:
 Bella teaches Draco occlumency. That must have
taken place before Draco's visit to Borgin and Burkes, and could
be the reason Sydney wants for Draco not going there sooner.
 
IMO, if Voldemort wanted the cabinet fixed, he would certainly have
instructed Snape to help Draco fix it. Snape was bound by the
vow to do it, too. But Voldemort wanted Draco to struggle uselessly,
so he fed Draco a story about Snape wanting to steal his 
glory, and made sure Draco learned enough occlumency to keep
Snape in the dark.


Pippin