Why didn't DD reveal Voldemort's identity? Some Tigana spoilers

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 186965

> >Magpie wrote:
> >We were talking about why Dumbledore wouldn't want this information to be
> >public.
>
> No.Limberger responds:
> If you know that there is a homicidal maniac on the loose such as LV, and
> you know that this same homicidal maniac may kill anyone who knows
> too much after he uses powerful magic to read their minds, would you
> knowingly want to endanger others by telling them things that will
> automatically make them targets if they are discovered to know too
> much?

Magpie:
Occasionally even Dumbledore had to share some information about Voldemort if he wanted somebody to actually get something done about the guy. Those people were pretty much fine. Voldemort often let these people alone. If he'd come back and found his biography circulated I don't know who he'd kill to take that back.

I think in the real world getting this kind of basic info about the guy would be pretty expected. 

Of course there are often valid reasons for not sharing information. Dumbledore being obsessed with knowing stuff other people don't provides a big reason all the time, more so than his being "wise" and therefore needing to schedule secret sharing after his death.

No Limberger:
Dumbledore did exactly what he believed he had to do
> given the circumstances and it is likely that most anyone else
> would have done the same.

Magpie:
Yes, to the first, but I think the second lies madness. Everyone on the planet should never be limited to Dumbledore's choices. Especially if they don't have the benefit of knowing their author will come through with some deus ex machina to make their very strange plan work out.

Carol responds:
But that's because of what he's done *as* a Dark Wizard. Having gone beyond
being merely human doesn't mean that he didn't start out human. The DEs *know*
that he started out human; he's told them that he's done more than any other
Wizard to become immortal. However, that doesn't keep most of them (aside from
Snape and the Lestrange gang) from thinking that he's dead.

Magpie:
I would think it was clear that I'm not suggesting they mistakenly think he's got panda DNA, but that he's made himself so much of a legend and a mystery that most Wizards only know Lord Voldemort as his created identity, so I think the idea of saying look, here's the guy you're dealing with potentially has value. Everyone knows unknown serial killers are human too. Still a big difference when you've got a mundane life and name to go with them.

You've explained that you're not aware of this phenomenon at all and can't imagine why it would make any difference to think of the guy as Tom Riddle, head boy, but I do. And I think Voldemort does too, which is why he prefers being Lord Voldemort. Oh, and so does Dumbledore who makes a point of calling him Tom. As does Harry. True names have power. Power the author has good reasons for not want everybody in her world to share. They look to Harry and Dumbledore.

-m