Xeniphilius, Hostages, and Voldemort (WAS: Re: CHAPTER DISCUSSION: )

[Zara]

No: HPFGUIDX 183045

> Jerri: 
> I may be alone in this, but I feel great sympathy with Xenophilius. 
> His only daughter is a hostage, who knows where with who knows what 
> being done to her.  How many of you parents feel CERTAIN that you 
> would have the strength not to betray a person who you supported in 

Zara:
I agree entirely. Xenophilius was acting under duress. Before Luna 
was kidnapped, he had gone out of his way to support Harry with the 
Quibbler. 

I also think the text encourages us to be sympathetic to him, in 
making the refrence back to the mother killed by Voldemort in DH, and 
to Lily, by having Xeno use a similar arm gesture when he is trying 
to prevent the Trio from escaping. Hermione is also sympathetic - why 
else would she go out of her way to try and prevent Xeno from getting 
into trouble with the Death Eaters?

> Jerri:
> Also, I have wondered ever since DH, why Lord V. didn't take Ginny 
> hostage very soon in the school year.  After all, he did know that 
the 
> Weasley's were closely connected with Harry, or else why the raid 
on 
> the wedding.

Zara:
Apparently Voldemort did not think he needed her to deal with Harry. 
And there was possibly also a feeling that she was there for the 
taking, when she showed up to a DE-run Hogwarts for the school year. 

> Jerri:
> And, what do folks think that the Weasley's and Harry would have
> done if Ginny had been a hostage? 

Zara:
I think we know the answer. "Give me the locket or I kill Ginny", 
addressed at Harry, would result, IMHO, in the locket ending up back 
with Voldemort. Bella used Neville in a similar manner, in OotP. 
Neville bravely told Harry not to give her the Prophecy, but Harry 
was going to. However, Voldemort did not see Harry as someone he 
needed to threaten in this way, because all he thought he needed from 
Harry, was for Harry to be found so he, Voldemort, could kill him. It 
did not seem to occur to him that Harry might get up to something 
dangerous to him, and Harry did not seem to get up to such a thing 
(from Voldmeort's point of view, as well as the general public's, 
Harry was simply hiding out). Whereas, Xeno's publishing of the real 
news apparently got to the Voldemort regime enough to provoke this 
response.

It is in light of this nasty DE habit that I always felt it was fine 
for Harry not to be rallying the rest of the populace to do 
something. Let Voldemort and the DEs continue to think that Harry was 
not a threat, except in a generalized "there is a prophecy about him" 
sort of way.

I have always felt the same way about the criticism of Draco's 
character development, also, the idea that Draco regresses/does not 
progress, after the Tower scene, because he does not choose to fight 
for the Order. I am not saying he would have wanted to fight for the 
other side, but he could not even run and hide, while his parents 
were hostages. The most he could do, was precisely what he did do - 
follow orders (as when he tortured people on Voldemort's orders, with 
a lack of enthusiasm that was evident to Harry) and try not to be 
helpful when he could avoid it (as when he did not identify the Trio 
at Malfoy Manor).


Without the help Dumbledore offered, Draco did not, IMO, have any 
choice but to act as he did.