Dark Mirror, Part 1: Hairy as Lupin...

[Talisman]

No: HPFGUIDX 163728

::Talisman peers into the inky depths of  a dark and elaborately 
wrought hand mirror:: 

Speak again, O oracle of the Deathly Hallows

...

::gives it a few whacks on the table::

Come on then, what do you mean by: "hairy as Lupin?"

Is that supposed to be a personal crack? ... or ...hmmmmmmmmm.  

(She pauses to consider possibilities that had, frankly, gone right 
out of her iniquitous little head...ever since she lost that argument 
with herself about how the unfortunately supine Mr. Thewlis could not 
possibly be properly cast....)

No...wait...can it be?...it's... 

Hairy-a**ed Lupin?

Woooo hooo!  Lupin *is* ESE, after all: 
Erotically-Shedding-Ecdysiast!Lupin !

eh...huh?

::...angry buzzing from mirror...::

Oops.  

Sorry.   False alarm.  Seems Lupin *is* destined to fizzle out as the 
most tepid werewolf ever to bother transforming.  

Ah, well.  Perhaps Tonks can use him to damp mop.

The real message for Book 7 is: Harry as Lupin.

Indeed, when Harry emulates the most salient aspect of Lupin's dark 
secret, i.e. his lycanthropic transformation, he will merely be 
following the pattern previously established in Books 5 and 6.

Quirrell was, of course, Harry's influence in Book 5.

The most significant imagery of Quirrell's secret was that of 
Voldemort protruding from the back of his head: he literally had 
Voldemort in his head.

Harry may not have had the Dark Lord's face jutting out of the back 
of his skull, but the post graveyard activation of the scar link 
ensured that, for the greater part of Book 5, Harry certainly did 
have Voldemort in his head.  

(Indeed there's a fair amount of slippage both ways; even shared 
turns at possession.)

However, Harry didn't necessarily see his mind link as a problem.  
Although, unlike Quirrell, Harry didn't intentionally serve the Dark 
Lord, like Quirrell he did relish the power that his special 
relationship provided.  

Harry rationalized his intentional pursuit of the Voldemort-linked 
visions, but this did further Voldemort's plan to get the orb (cf. 
stone), until Snape and DD stepped in to mess things up.

Well, okay, the orb *was* actually  DD's bait.  But still
Harry 
didn't know that.

In any event, significant aspects of Harry's Book 5 plot arc clearly 
mimic Quirrell's core secret.  

HBP takes up with Book 2, and follows suit.

The gist of Lockhart's dark secret is that he is a total fraud: 
taking credit for the talents of others.

In like vein, from the hour he lays hands on the Prince's old book, 
Harry intentionally basks in the glory of a more talented person's 
accomplishments.

Again, there is detail variation: Lockhart was a predator, whereas 
Harry has the opportunity handed to him.  

Nonetheless, he takes full advantage of it and certainly enjoys his 
ersatz fame.  So much so that, when Snape asks for the book, moments 
after Malfoy's near-fatal slashing, Harry's main worry is the damage 
that could accrue to his potionmeister reputation.  

Additionally,  Harry *can* be seen as predatory toward Slughorn, 
albeit at DD's insistence.  

Even though he doesn't Obliviate his memory donor, Rowling adds the 
artistic touch of Harry's *knowing* that Slughorn "would remember 
nothing of [it] in the morning" (HBP US 490).  

Again, Lockhart's central secret plays out in Harry's actions through 
the majority of Book 6.

So then: 1, 2...3... Poof!  Watch as Book 7 Harry transforms into 
Lupin, before your very eyes.

I absolutely guarantee that Harry will manifest Lupin's darkest 
secret, throughout the bulk of Deathly Hallows.  

You can take that much to the bank, and tell them Talisman sent you.

The devil, naturally, is in the details.

I don't expect Harry to actually become a werewolf.  I could be wrong 
about this, Hedwig knows;   Greyback might be skulking in the 
shrubbery at Privet Drive as we speak.  But, heretofore unused 
aconite lessons and wombatish whisperings of bite epidemics 
notwithstanding, I would find it incongruent to have Harry literally 
pop a snout in the final stretch.

Instead, my expectation is that Harry will undergo a Dark 
Transformation.

Just as Newt Scamander describes the werewolf in FBWTFT,  our Harry, 
an (arguably) "...otherwise sane and normal wizard...[will  
transform] into a murderous beast" (42).

The prospects are delightful, and let`s face it the gathering storm 
is already  in evidence.

Like Lupin, Harry was  "infected" in early childhood.  Of course, 
instead of werewolf drool, Harry got that big squirt of evil wizard 
juice.  

It's still in there you know, and I'll bet it can activate.

Moreover, it's clear that DD wants Harry to go postal in the final 
run.

One of the most astonishing scenes in HBP is the revenge pep rally DD 
holds for  Harry, in his final session of  loco parentis advice.

Rowling shows us an agitated and emphatic DD, "swooshing" about in 
his "glittering" robes (HBP 510).

I'll bet they were short glittery ones and came with a pair of pom 
poms.

Just watch  him do the human alphabet :

Gimme me a "K"! Gimme a I! Gimme a L! L!

What's that spell?  KILL! KILL! KILL!

::lots of jumping and pom pom shaking::

Don't need no AK or silver glove,
Just ax the B@#$%&! with pure love!!!!

Yeah Team!
 
:: big final jump and split::

Really, it's obscene when you think about it.  This 150-yaer-old 
authority figure admonishing a 16-year-old kid to agree to--at least 
try to--kill someone.

Remind you of anyone?   Say, Draco and his Dark Lord?

As usual none of DD's rationale hangs together.  But when has that 
bothered Harry?

DD insists that Harry *must*  try  to kill Voldemort, in retribution 
for James and Lily.

Of course,  Harry is hardly unique in having lost loved ones to 
Voldemort.  If vigilante justice is to hold the day, or  if vengeance 
is a compelling substitute for a "real" prophecy, Harry should have 
to queue up behind a long line of  bereaved friends and family, 
starting with Myrtle's kin.

There is also the argument of Harry's special power.  Leaving aside 
the irony of love and purity as secret murder weapons, we know that  
lots of folks are capable of love. 

By suggesting that Harry in particular is *special* for being able to 
love "given everything that has happened to [him]," DD merely manages 
to inculpate himself, again (HBP US 509).   

 So, abuse is an important ingredient, eh?  We'll just add that to 
the 1) don't want him to get a swelled head; and 2) yet unused *blood 
protection* excuses,  shall we?

Oh, and that's another lie by ommission from the Book 5 "tell all;" 
or were you only *guessing* why you allowed it, DD?

::Talisman licks her quill and makes a few more notes in DD's 
permanent record::

Such a  naughty old boy.

Another argument is that LV unwittingly gave Harry some special gifts 
at GH.  Well, let's see. We've been told that, since the painful 
moments in the artium, Voldie's been practicing Occlumency against 
Harry. 

Have to do something about that, eh?

At least Harry *can* understand Parseltongue--handy enough  should  
defeating Voldemort require eavesdropping on his pillow talk with 
Nagini--but then, we've seen that DD could speak it, too.  So why 
make it Harry's problem?

And, as many of us have been asking ourselves, why have Voldemort 
breathing down Harry's neck at all?  Why not send him back to cool 
his heels in Albania?  

Clearly, long before Harry aquires Slughorn's *unedited* memory, DD 
has deduced how many Hxes LV made, the objects likely used as the 
containers, and even what order/whose death went into the creation of 
each annoying little masterpiece.

Why not finish bashing them all, and then go hunt down whichever rat 
Voldemort is inhabiting, for the final blow?

Then too, why can't anyone else help Harry? Hardly out of secrecy.  
Harry can't hide anything in his head, and we have no reason to 
believe that Hermione and Ron have any talents in that direction, 
either.

I'm willing to believe that Legilimens *is* a relatively rare skill, 
but You-Know-Who certainly has it, and he's the one we'd be trying to 
keep our secret from, isn't he?   

Nah, Harry isn't so much in danger of being dragged into the death 
arena by Voldemort, as shoved from behind by DD.

DD laid the coals for all this in the first place, and in HBP we see 
him blow on them until "a flame seem[s] to leap inside [Harry's] 
chest, searing his throat" (HBP US 512).

This is the penultimate act in priming Dark Harry. The deal is sealed 
when  he pins Harry in place to watch events on the tower. 

And , yes, DD and Snape *have* been cultivating Harry's hatred of 
Snape throughout the series, as people are cleary beginning to notice.

If you understood my ancient explanation of DD's use of Sirius to 
actualize Harry's love power, you are now advantageously positioned 
to understand his work to activate Harry's hate in HBP.

If not, here's a remedial overview:

Although Sirius's escape was arranged by Lucius/Imperio-ed Fudge--in 
order to facilitate Lu's plan to destory Harry (and make it seem like 
collateral damage, via dementor)--on a higher level, it was DD's 
plan.  

Who wants to bet that Snape--at DD's behest--whispered some 
interesting facts about Wormtail, and his  whereabouts, into Lucius's 
luscious ear?  Wouldn't it be amusing to sic Sirius on the rat, with 
dementors (as clearly demonstrated throughout Book 3) instructed to 
attack when Black and Potter are in proximity--making sure they get 
the boy first?

Order operatives Snape and Lupin work together to acquaint Harry with 
the truth about Sirius (and send Wormtail to fetch Voldmort, as 
Pip!Squeak noted in her Spy Games, so long ago, only more so).

Alas, then DD feigns an inability to clear Sirius--thereby limiting 
contact between godfather and son--until Book 5, where he allows the 
relationship to bloom, right up until he lassoes Sirius with an 
invisible Incarcerous spell (while Bella stuns him) and yanks him 
through the veil.

Don't think  for a moment that Harry's the only one sharing 
Voldemort's head in Book 5.

Lovely how DD's single moment of fear in the atrium is when LV is 
about to possess Harry.  DD knows exactly what LV is going to do--
before he does it--and by no outward sign.  

Why is DD worried?  This is the big pay-off moment.  Will Sirius's 
death Vold-proof Harry?  
 Or, will LV set up housekeeping?

We see that DD knows instantly when it works--and *why* it works.  
So, in the wink of a twinkly eye,  the Headmaster who has avoided 
Harry all year is " inches from [Harry's nose]"  (OoP US 816). 

Having wished for months that DD would spare a few words for him, 
Harry soon can't get him to shut up. 
 
In Book 6, DD [Rowling] confirms the effect of Sirius's death (which 
I explained back in July 2003, shortly after  Book 5's release, e.g. 
# 66983), i.e. Harry has been Voldproofed: the DL doesn't want to 
touch him with a ten-foot  tentacula.

[`Course after Sirius is dead we see that DD can exonerate Sirius 
with just a few words to Fudge.   Even though there is no body, and  
we know that no one from the Order testified (the Ministry doesn't 
even know they exist--like all good operatives, they "weren't 
there").  

Is the testimony of 16-year-olds so much weightier that of 13-year-
olds?  Well, no one asked for it, anyway. Funny, huh?   But then 
we've seen  DD's curiously tardy exoneration  powers before, e.g. 
Hagrid in Book 2, haven't we?]  

Even though Harry feels a loyalty to his dead parents, he never 
really knew them.  DD uses Sirius to give Harry a truly cognizant 
love/loss experience.

Notice how Voldemort didn't mind the open exchange conduit earlier in 
the year, albeit Harry *cared* about Sirius then, too.  

No, it was the powerful throb of emotion for a lost loved-one that 
sent the Dark Lord running.  That is why DD caused Harry to meet 
Sirius, to know him--in a controlled fashion--and then to watch him 
die, in the circumstances we see in OoP.

Just as he used Sirius to arouse Harry's love (for the sake of his 
Plan) DD has now used Snape to unleash Harry's hate.

Oh,  I don't think that DD sacrificed his own life solely to piss 
Harry off.  I'm sure there is more to it than that, and that those 
reasons also go beyond enhancing Snape's  DE prestige or any nonsense 
having to do with saving Draco.

But, it *is* why he arranged to have Snape zap him right in front of  
Harry.

We know that the revenge-fire burning in Harry's heart for Voldemort 
has only been eclipsed by the nuclear reaction that went off  at 
Snape, that night.

Book 6 leaves Harry seething with revenge and focused on killing at 
least two people.

What do you think that has done to Voldemort's Occlumency program?

Not only will Voldemort be inclined to resume his special  tête-à-
têtes with our boy, but that latent bit of Voldemort in Harry's 
scruffy little head is likely to be nourished.

 Enter Lupinized!Harry--Lupinized in the sense that we will see him 
in the throes of a Dark Transformation, for a significant part of 
Book 7.

Oh, don't be dreary.  Of course Harry will have an opposing,  
victoriously transcendent, transformation.  But let's try not to 
think about that, just yet.  

The darkest hour has not been plumbed, and there's plenty of fun to 
be had. 

I predict that, not only will a hate-filled heart unleash Voldemort's 
powers--on Harry and in him--but Harry will actually join forces with 
the Dark Lord.

"How?" you ask.  "Why?"

As I opined months ago, the castle has already fallen to Voldemort.  

Ergo, that's where the Dark Lord and his favorite DE are hanging out 
these days.

We know that at least one Hx target, Nagini, is there, as well.  Not 
to mention all the other reasons we want to get in: DD's portrait, 
Pensieves, other Hx clues, blah, blah


If he's going to kill everyone / destory Hxes, Harry will need to 
infiltrate the Dark Lord's stronghold:  Hogwarts.

Sure he's got a secret passage and an IC, but even if Snape lets him 
use the hump-backed witch, ol' Nagini can see through the cloak--and 
she's a tattle-tail.

Plus there's just no sport in three quick AKs from out of thin air.

So, how will the new alliance come about?

Well, Rowling promises that a lot of  DD's secrets will be disclosed 
in Book 7.   Inasmuch as this entire predicament is DD's doing, it's 
possible Harry won't be so thrilled with what he learns.

 I recall annemehr asking me, long years ago--in response to my 
position regarding DD's orchestration of events--what it would do to 
Harry, to discover that DD had purposed it all.  Maybe we'll get the 
chance to find out.... ; )

On the other hand, even if a disgruntled Harry moves from being DDM 
to something more of his own person, this may not happen early enough 
to send him reeling into Voldemort's arms.

Instead, he may attempt feigning a change of loyalties in order to 
get closer to his quarry.

I know, I know: he's got a  transparent head, and the scar link is 
going to be back and better than ever.

Still, the opportunity is ripe for an artistically pleasing reversal 
of that Fudge/Scrimgeour poster-boy program we`ve heard about.

Long before he was distracted by  the need to obliterate Potter, old 
snake-eyes has dreamt of dominion over the WW.  That's his real 
goal.  Harry's just a fly in the ointment.

In spite of LV's prowess for executing the resistance, he must surely 
prefer persuading people, quickly, of the need to be obedient.  Let's 
face it, the more people you kill, the less subjects you've got, and 
the sooner you *arrive* as uncontested dictator, the better.

With shockwaves of DD's demise still reverberating through the WW, 
what better way to extinguish any tremulous ember of hope than to 
exhbit The Chosen One, as your mascot?

Thus, even  while LV can see through the ruse, he may consider the 
propaganda a sufficient asset to play along with it...for awhile.

Come into my parlor quoth the spider to the fly...

Then LV will  discover that Harry  *is* a Hx (* see post script, 
below), and he'll be caught in his own web.

And, with all the murderous hate swirling around his heart, the evil 
juice pulsating in his head, and the scar link stronger than ever, 
even a DDM!Harry is likely to find himself in deep water.

Thank goodness Snape's in the house.

Yes, the accumulating evidence sorts well with the established 
patterns of Harry emulating  his old DADA profs, and of abutting book 
reversals.

Harry's going  dark as midnight on the battlefield of the soul.

Think of the possibilities.

One of many delightful spin-offs from this involves the Malfoy clan.

Remember how they tried so hard to get Harry to the Dark Side in 
Books 1 and 2?

Sure you do.

We could only guess before, but thanks to Rowling's site and Snape's 
chat with Bella in HBP, we know that  the DE's venerated Harry as a 
potential replacement for Voldemort.  (I'll bet they were hopeful of 
a little less insanity, too.)

Although DD did a good job of making sure Harry would reject Draco 
(and Slytherin House), and Draco evinced something less than 
diplomatic skills, Draco *did* try to take Harry under his wing.

When junior botched the job, the elder Malfoy applied his 
considerable resources--nothing less than the DL's Chamber of Secrets 
opener--in a bold attempt to eliminate the Potter recruitment 
competitors.

Imagine the difference if things had gone according to plan: 
1) Hagrid rotting in Azkaban;
2)The Weasely Family discredited,
3) the Mudblood Granger  Myrtlized; and
4) DD out in the street.

Fortunately the Malfoys would have been there to help Harry pick up 
the pieces.

Lucius had no clue that TR was going to seep out of the book, let 
alone formulate a plan of his own.  Lucius really had no interest in, 
or expectation of,  harming Harry.   Quite the contrary.

It was only after Harry thwarted his plan, identified him as the 
culprit, and personally humiliated him via Dobby (complete with an 
elfin butt-kicking) that Lucius viewed Harry as a liability rather 
than an opportunity.  Segue to Book 3, and the dementor plan.

But, times have changed for the Malfoys, haven't they.

The entire family is in dire jeopardy.  Azkaban won't protect Lucius 
much longer and Draco clearly failed in his mission.  

I suspect Draco is still be alive, thanks to Snape's clever advocacy 
and Voldemort's euphoria over DD's death.

But, he's no "fair-haired boy" in any metaphorical sense.   The best 
he can do now is to keep his pale head down and hope LV doesn't  
think about him.

Has Lord V noticed Narcissa's disobedience? Even if not, she clearly 
has continuing reason to fear for her spouse and child.

Anyway you look at it, the Malfoys have a dim future in the New Vold 
Order.

Under the circumstances, they might find  it handy to know a champion 
with special powers to bring the Dark Lord down.

I've always posited that Lucius--like most DEs--was soiling his 
pantaloons at the graveyard.  Aside from Lestrange & Co. (and DD), no 
one had an interest in seeing  the DL return.

By now, the Malfoys must be positively yearning for a GH redux.

Imagine their distress when Harry appears to be Voldemort's new pal.

Oh, if only he'd go back to being a tiresome intermeddler!

It's a feast of irony. 

But, it's not all amusement.  I expect Harry to benefit from the 
Malfoy's resources before it's over: information, artifacts, or even 
a helping hand.

I don't mean to suggest that Lucius or Draco will be reformed, 
Slytherin forefend, they'll just be pursuing self-interest, as 
usual.  

And, odds are, they (at least Lucius and likely Draco) will run afoul 
of Voldemort once too often.  

I'll be sorry to see Lucius go--he's always exciting on page--but I'm 
sure he'll make a titillating exit.

In any event, here's to Harry as Lupin.  May his Dark Transformation 
give us all a few howls. 

Cheers,

Talisman, saying: stay tuned for more from this mischievous mirror, I 
think it`s starting up again....

PS
*Yes, I do subscribe to Hx!Harry.  In my version, posted elsewhere 
back in November 2005, Voldemort did the murder, but, unbeknownst to 
him, DD (or his lieutenant) did the spell.  

Ergo: Voldemort doesn't understand what happened at GH, though DD 
clearly does. 

Lily knew it too.  That's why she couldn't fight back.  Couldn't risk 
Voldemort's soul staying intact by virtue of a self-defense 
justification--plus, with sacrifice, you get the burning blood 
bonus.  

It was the best defense for Harry in that situation.  Well, okay, a 
pet phoenix might have worked, too.  But then you wouldn't be 
furthering The Plan by having VaporMort  all psyched-out about 
Harry's powers, and well, never mind that now.   I'm sure DD 
reassured her it would all lead to Voldemort's downfall, one day.   

I imagine that aiming an AK at a blob of your own essence could 
confuse the incantation into thinking your intent is to off 
yourself.  Mix that with some soul-tether immortality, and Voila, you 
get blasted into a wicked miasma.  

Whether Harry defeats the last bit of Voldmort, within himself, or 
whether keeping Voldemort at bay remains the *battle that must be 
fought again and again, but can never be won* remains to be seen.)