CHAPTER DISCUSSION Chamber of Secrets Ch. 2, Dobby's Warning

[dk59us]

No: HPFGUIDX 188735





--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, ZaraG asked:

> 4) Why do you suppose Lucius picked this year to open the Chamber of Secrets?
>
> Potioncat:
> Again, I'm not sure why he used LV's diary if he knew LV was
> around. Unless he thought it would somehow help LV to come back
or > unless he thought using it would give him power over LV. Also,
> whatever his motive, the MoM was intensifying its search for Dark
> items. He may have felt it was now or never.
 

Eustace_Scrubb:
Did Lucius know that the result of slipping the diary into Ginny Weasley's things would/could be the opening of the Chamber of Secrets (and indeed, the possible emergence of Memory Riddle as a living breathing reality)?  Or was he mainly concerned with disposing of a dark object that could have proved embarrassing or worse if found at Malfoy Manor--while at the same time possibly discrediting one of his primary antagonists at the Ministry?

In the COS Movie, as Borgin examines the items Lucius is selling, Lucius points at something in the box and tells Borgin that particular item is not for sale.  One assumes the filmmakers meant this to be the diary (possibly brought inadvertently by Malfoy), thus establishing its presence later in Diagon Alley.  In the book of course, Malfoy only has a list of stuff that Borgin will come pick up later.  So we are left to wonder why Lucius had it with him that day--but I don't see him as likely to have brought it intending to find Arthur Weasley's family at Flourish and Blotts and plant it in Ginny's things.  More likely, he intended to place it in his family vault at Gringott's until the melee at the bookstore.


At the time of Chamber of Secrets it was much easier for a reader to believe that Lucius fully knew what he was doing than it became later in the series. I wonder whether LV would actually have told Lucius that the diary could lead to the opening of the Chamber (it seems clear that LV didn't tell his followers details about the horcruxes in any case--that would have been an unacceptable risk to his planned immortality).

If Lucius did know that the diary could be used to open the Chamber, did he have any reason to believe this would definitely occur if it fell into Ginny Weasley's hands?  

I tend to the opinion that Lucius was not aware (fully, at least) of the consequences when he slipped the diary into Ginny's cauldron at Flourish and Blotts...and that he did not expect to see the damaged diary on the desk when he met Dumbledore at the end of the book (nor do I think he understood that he had helped in the destruction of a part of LV's soul).

(Perhaps there are pronouncements from JKR that would negate this opinion, but if so I haven't paid sufficient attention to them.)

Thoughts?

Cheers,

Eustace_Scrubb