DD's plan -- Minister of Magic

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 189138


> Catlady:
> > 
> > DD planned for poor Severus to kill him to get in good with the Dark Lord and become the Dark Lord's Headmaster of Hogwarts to protect the students, so it does not seem he planned to prevent the Dark Lord from taking over Hogwarts. It does not seem he planned to prevent the Dark Lord from taking over the Ministry.
> 
> Potioncat:
> This is one of the reasons I think DD did believe in the prophecy. He certainly behaves as if he thinks there is one person who can defeat LV and that one person isn't him (DD). All his actions seem to be for the purpose of protecting Harry or of minimizing LV's power where he can.
>

Pippin:
Since Voldemort's rise to power began long before the prophecy was given, I don't see how the prophecy can account for Dumbledore's longstanding belief that he couldn't defeat Voldemort himself. Surely the answer is that Dumbledore was certain that  Voldemort had already constructed a horcrux and unless it could be found and destroyed, no matter what was done Voldemort would survive him and return when the only one  he feared was gone for good. 

There is no canon that making a horcrux would be beyond the powers of  an exceptionally powerful,  clever and ruthless young wizard-- if it was so difficult, Dumbledore  would not have had to ban the subject to keep the information secret. It is probably much easier than, say, becoming an animagus.

Pippin