McGonagall/Take 2 (was Snape's Backslide)

[carolynwhite2]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "carolynwhite2" 
<carolynwhite2 at a...> wrote:
 but I think the point 
> is she was also at school with Tom Riddle. I think McGonagall 
> understands why Snape became a DE better than anyone, because she 
> also understands where Tom Riddle came from and why he became Lord 
> Voldemort - she understands the attraction only too well. 
> 

Carolyn:
Before one of the venerable ancients here points it out - ok, Minerva 
wasn't at school with Tom Riddle. She left the year before he 
started, but no problem <g>. Theory, take 2:

Her special subject of interest whilst at school became 
transfiguration, and she continued studying it after she left school, 
possibly being supervised by Dumbledore. By the time Tom was 17, he 
was steeped in the Dark Arts, found the Chamber of Secrets, and 
started to be called 'Lord Voldemort' by his 'intimate friends'. They 
formed the nucleus of his supporters, who saw in him a wizard with 
potentially stupendous powers.

Minerva, who was only 23 at this point, heard about Tom via 
Dumbledore, and knew some of the older brothers and sisters of 
the 'intimate friends' he had gathered around him. The whisper grew 
about the powers and skills Tom was developing - 'there is no good 
and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it' 
(Quirrell, CoS). Magical power fascinates the WW.

She got drawn in, either through a relationship with one of the 
wizards who was interested in what Tom could do, or her own interests 
in transfiguration. We have no information on what she did with 
herself before starting teaching at Hogwarts in her mid 30s, but I 
think she got her fingers burnt by getting too close to the Dark 
Arts, or got married to someone who became heavily involved, and 
Dumbledore got her out of it/gave her a home when her husband was 
killed.

And she could still have been at school with Snape's parents, who 
followed a similar pattern to her, and that's why she understands 
Snape so well...etc etc

Carolyn
Wriggling out of a tricky one there..