[HPforGrownups] Re: CHAPDISC: DH26, Gringotts

[k12listmomma]

No: HPFGUIDX 184086

zanooda:
> BTW, I don't understand LV's attitude towards Ollivander. What was the
> need to keep the old man in a dark damp cellar, in rugs? I understand
> why Olly was kidnapped, but he is a very valuable prisoner (he is the
> only person in Britain who can make wands!) - why treat him this way?
> If he died in the cellar, as I'm sure he nearly did, who would provide
> wands?

To me, this passage just shows Voldemort's blatant disrespect for all of 
humanity. He is never concerned with comfort, feelings or is never ever 
moved by the suffering he has caused. We saw it in the graveyard with 
Wormtail, who was bleeding from the spot where his own hand was chopped off. 
The hand regrown, as we quickly find out, isn't the blessing that Wormtail 
thinks it is, but is rather a leash to harness Wormtail to- a curse that he 
can't undo. Notice Voldemort isn't at all concerned that Wormtail is in 
great pain; rather, he just expects people to sacrifice greatly for him. He 
stops Wormtail's suffering only because it suited him to curse Wormtail with 
the hand, and Wormtail would welcome it without question.

With Ollivander, he's not a "valuable" prisoner- he's just an agent to be 
tortured and squeezed to get information out of. Voldemort was only keeping 
him around for as long as he needed him- after than, he's to be discarded. 
If Ollivander died, I am sure Voldemort would not blame himself for 
Ollivander's mistreatment- rather, he'd just take the opportunity to lash 
out his bad temper on one of his servants, and then quickly move on to find 
another answer to his problem with the wands.

FWIW, I don't think he was keeping Ollivander for his knowledge of how to 
make wands, but rather his intensive knowledge of how wands work and act. I 
think Voldemort thinks the secret of the wands in not in the materials, but 
in the method, timing or circumstances of its creation (such as the tail 
feathers being of the same, special bird). If he could find that special 
trick to his new wand, that spell or whatever circumstance he could 
manipulate, I think he feels that any wandmaker would do to create it. 
Voldemort is the master manipulator, and he cares nothing about the people 
that he manipulates. Ollivander is nothing to him, except that piece of 
information he needs to become invincible and unbeatable, or that 
information that he needs to keep from getting his butt kicked again by the 
young Harry Potter. His attitude is...."I used Ollivander".......not one of 
attributing greatness, brains or wisdom to Ollivander, that he should be 
respected in any way.

Shelley