Moody's death (was: Dumbledore's authority WAS: Re: Fees for Harry)

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 179435


> a_svirn:
> Not really. He was willing to contribute to the planning, but not 
> willing to die. Simple as that. They were expecting a few death 
> eaters on the lookout, and they were expecting them to come after 
> Moody. (In fact, this is the essence of the idea of decoy. But it 
> puts the one who does distracting in jeopardy.)So when Moody insisted 
> on taking Fletcher with him, he *was* setting him up as canon folder. 
> Of course, he was putting himself at even greater jeopardy (not least 
> because Fletcher was "an unreliable bit of scum" to quote Harry), and 
> I suppose, he reckoned it gave him the right to demand the same 
> sacrifice from Dung. But the thing is - it didn't. 

Pippin:
It didn't? Did anyone, with the possible exception of Peter Pettigrew,
not realize that joining the Order means you're expendable? Moody
certainly knew that. Sirius put it directly in OOP when he was explaining 
to the twins that their father wouldn't thank them for putting his interests 
ahead of the Order's.

Dung didn't want out of the operation after all, he was only angling for 
what he thought would be a safer position. He accepted Moody's 
argument that he'd be safer as a decoy than a protector, and that turned 
out to be true.

As Moody's decoy he was in a more exposed position but he also had the
strongest  protector. The same goes for Hermione, with the added
factor that she was on a thestral while the DE's would know that Harry
prefers a broom.

> a_svirn:
> And even if he didn't, they still had no right to sacrifice others to 
> improve Snape's standing. 

Pippin:
Why not? The lives of a thousand children are at stake. We saw that the
Hogwarts defenses are not mighty enough to repel an attack by Voldemort.
Subterfuge was their only protection. 

> 
> a_svirn:
> Personally I don't understand what was stopping Harry from waiting 
> until he's seventeen (perhaps last couple of hours with the Cloak on, 
> just in case) and apparating – as soon as the Trace broke – to some 
> safe location.

Pippin:
The ministry had placed anti-apparation spells around Privet Drive 
supposedly to protect Harry but actually to hinder his escape. Your
plan would result in his being trapped inside the anti-apparation
ring when the Privet Drive protection broke, unless I'm missing 
something.  

In any case, the books are entertainment, not a manual on how to 
conduct a war. I thought it was a clever way to re-introduce a number of
characters, establish that they would (mostly) risk their lives for Harry 
and start things off in a suitably bangy fashion.

Pippin