ZZZZZZZZ (was A dastardly Voldy plan - was: Re: Lockets

[snow15145]

Talisman:


<very, very big snip>

I personally don't find it hard to believe, at all, that a prize
winning student would visit the school trophy room to see the old
hardware. Happens all the time in the RW. Nothing the least bit
suspicious.

Snow:

Not at all a prize winning student
 Ron Weasley had to clean that 
particular trophy, as I recall, about 14 times as punishment 
implemented by Filch. I believe it was in the second book for driving 
the car into the Whomping Willow. 

Like you say, "Nothing the least bit suspicious" is very suspicious 
if we are considering the trophy as a Horcrux unless either (a) Ron 
couldn't activate the Horcrux or (b) it wasn't activated properly by 
immense polishing. (With JKR, little tidbits of information are the 
most valuable, so I think you are right on Talisman) Why are we told 
that Ron had to polish that particular item x amount of times (I had 
truthfully wondered about that from the time it was mentioned) unless 
it was a throwaway or a clue? 

To me this is the clincher that the cup must somehow hold value if 
not a bit of Voldy-soul. 

Snow