Green Potion, Regulus, Snape, and DD (was: Dumbledore's Past?)

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 169748

Sylvia:
> Mcgonagall could well be the same age or slightly younger.  And it
> could be that Dumbledore knew of her past, but hadn't told Harry
> because it would violate her privacy.  However Mrs. Cole at the
> orphanage says that neither child was `quite right afterwards'
> doesn't seem like a description of Prof. M. who is the sanest and
> most down to earth person you could imagine. 

Jen: Yes!  I'm afraid that's another knock against McGonagall being 
Amy Benson - she's quite stable.  I do believe McGonagall is the 
right age though approximately, although I can't remember the 
evidence for why I think that's true.  The Lexicon has her as a 
student in Gryffindor starting in approx. 1936 and Riddle in 
Slytherin in approx. 1937.  On another note, that's the third 
character who would have been in Hogwarts with Riddle: Hagrid, 
McGonagall and Eileen Prince.  Eileen would most likely be the one to 
know Riddle the best if she was in Slytherin. Wonder if that will 
have relevance?

The other knock against McGonagall being Amy Benson is there's no 
clue at all Riddle noticed someone from the orphange who also went to 
Hogwarts.  There would need to be something to foreshadow the 
possibility, imo.

Sylvia:
> Before I read this thread I was surmising that the next thing Harry 
> would have to do would be to find Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop to 
> find out the significance of what happened in the cave. Then I read 
> a post saying – of course!!! – that Dumbledore must have already 
> spoken to at least one of them, because otherwise he wouldn't have 
> known where to find the cave. (I'm starting to feel very dense by 
> now!) 

Jen:  I've wondered how he found the cave ever since HBP came out.  
Mrs. Cole would be dead or close to it by the 1990's if she was a 
young woman just starting to work when Merope Gaunt delivered Riddle 
in approx. 1927.  I guess it's possible the orphanage was still open 
and they took trips to the same coast, so Dumbledore was able to get 
the information that way.  Or maybe he did look up Amy Benson or 
Dennis Bishop! 

Sylvia:
> I wondered about the theory suggested by someone else that the 
> potion itself was a Horcrux and I wondered whether Dumbledore in 
> drinking it was somehow reliving Tom Riddle's own experience in the 
> cave. Not even knowing at that time that he was a wizard did he 
> stumble across some powerful magic? Did some dark wizard torture 
> Tom Riddle as well as the two other children? The problem with this
> theory that Voldemort even as a child would never have uttered the
> words "Don't hurt them, don't hurt them, please, please it's my 
> fault, hurt me instead..." Perhaps Dumbledore is uttering the words
> spoken by Amy Benson. But why would it be her fault since it was
> Tom Riddle who took her to the cave?

Jen:  I'm not sure if you saw the posts prior to the one you're 
quoting, but Dumbledore's words sounded almost child-like to me in 
the cave.  I wondered if Riddle was practicing an early form of 
possession on them in the cave and that's why they were never the 
same, and/or torturing animals in front of them (or doing all at once 
by making the kids torture them under his influence).  The words fit 
for something like that happening and I could see Riddle 
commemorating the event of his first time successfully possessing 
someone by putting the memories, which would be in his mind as well, 
into the potion. 

But as with all speculation, it has to be measured by relevance for 
the final story and I don't know what relevance it would have.   

Sylvia: 
> Anyway, Jen and all of you who have been engaging in some creative 
> and lateral thinking, I am enjoying reading your posts very much.
> We only have 7 weeks to go so if you have a theory now is the time 
> to bring it on! those of us who have only recently discovered HP 
> are enjoying your insights.

Jen:  Thanks!  Glad you found it interesting enough to want to float 
your own thoughts. :)  It's one of the things I'll sorely miss about 
the list when DH comes out, speculating and reading others 
speculations.  In fact, I see Julie has an interesting one I must get 
to next. ;)

Jen