Opal Necklace and Dumbledore

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 169731

limerent wrote:
> > 
> > I was mentioning the card only to show ... that it states that it
causes *muggle* deaths.  Since Dumbledore is not a muggle my question
is what did Draco expect to happen to Dumbledore?
<snip>
> 
bboyminn replied:
> 
> Notice the effect on Katie, who is a witch. She only escaped death
according to Dumbledore because the smallest amount of skin touched
for only the briefest amount of time. Dumbledore indicates she just
barely escaped death. So, the curse was EXTREMELY strong and quite
capable of killing a wizard very quickly.

Carol responds:

Thank goodness for Healer!Snape!
> 
bboyminn:
> However, wizards being wizards, an intelligent, knowledgable,
skilled wizard might be able to soften the effects if he acted
quickly. But notice how fast Katie responded to the curse, it was
almost instant, and even in her case, was very extreme. 
> 
> So, it the case of THIS cursed necklace, if Dumbledore had touched
it, he would have been affected too quickly to respond and save himself.
> 
> Or so it seems.
> 
> Steve/bboyminn
>

Carol responds:

All true, but the effects on a wizard aren't explained by the sign,
which is (I think) why limerent is asking the question. (Please
correct me if I'm wrong, limerent! :-) )I imagine Draco asked Borgin
what would happen if a wizard disobeyed the sign and touched the
necklace, and Borgin told him that it would kill the wizard just as it
would kill a Muggle. Otherwise, he'd never have bought it hoping to
use it as an alternative means of killing DD if the cabinet plan
failed. And Borgin, of course, already knows by the time of "Draco's
Detour" that Draco is a Death Eater, so Draco wouldn't be revealing
any dark secrets by buying something so deadly. 

My only problem (aside from the logistics of getting the necklace into
Hogwarts undetected, which have already been pointed out more than
once) is how Draco could buy the necklace considering that he was at
Hogwarts (the Katie incident occurred in October). True, he could have
come back to the shop between the visit to B&B and the ride on the
Hogwarts Express, but at that time, he seems to have had perfect
confidence in his Vanishing Cabinet plan. Also, the necklace cost,
according to Borgin, "a thousand and a half galleons"), and I doubt
that even Draco has that kind of pocket money. He could have had help
from Bella, but she was in hiding from the Aurors and the Order. Maybe
Narcissa (or Bella Polyjuiced as Narcissa) bought it for him and sent
it to the Imperiused Rosmerta with orders to hold it till she heard
from Draco? Any other ideas? I'm genuinely puzzled about the whole
necklace scheme (except Snape's role in saving Katie).

IMO, the whole subplot has more plot holes than the so-called Prank,
and that's saying a lot.

Carol, wondering, among other things, who Imperiused Rosmerta and why
Blaise Zabini (Polyjuiced!Draco?) is mentioned as "lolling against a
pillar" in the Three Broomsticks shortly before the Katie incident