In Defense of Scrimgeour & Offense against DD

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 179610

lizzyben wrote:
> >
> > They both died within weeks after DD visited them, shortly after
DD himself says that he used powerful magic to extract their real
memories (with great difficulty). After damaging their minds & bodies
beyond repair, DD decided that they had served  their purpose, &
disposed of them.
> > 
> > *Adds Morfin & Hokey to the DD death toll.*
> 
> Mus adds:
> 
> On the other hand, we don't know that DD disposed of them directly.
We only know that LV did away with Jorkins, and this sounds like an
immediate death.  In the case of Morfin and Hokey, the deaths occurred
some time after DD broke the Charm.  
> 
> If death results inevitably from the breaking of the Charm, then
LV's offing of Jorkins at least gave her a quick death; DD seems to
have left Hokey and Morfin to die slowly.  <snip>

Carol responds:
You're comparing apples and oranges here. No Memory Charm was placed
on Morfin or Hokey. Tom simply placed his own memory of killing the
Riddles and/or Hepzibah into their heads without destroying or
replacing the true memory. Just as the true memory was still in
Slughorn's mind (and easily accessible by Slughorn himself under the
right conditions), all DD needed to do was access the true memory and
painlessly remove it from Morfin's and Hokey's heads. (Both he and
Snape do the same thing to themselves rather frequently with no ill
effects. There's no Memory Charm to break.

Carol, who thinks that the efforts to absolve Morfin and Hokey should
be chalked up on the list of DD's *good* deeds or at least as acts
with good intentions which unfortunately failed (like Harry's attempt
to save Sirius Black)

There is absolutely no evidence that DD "damaged their minds and
bodies beyond repair." Morfin had been in Azkaban, no health spa, and
Hokey was already ancient. In contrast, LV says stragiht out that he
*murdered* Bertha, and she shows up among the people AK'd with his wand.