Death and magic

[naamagatus]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "Amanda Geist" <editor at t...> 
wrote:
> 
> This feeds in nicely to my private theory that Death Eaters are so 
named because the share a magical bond with Voldemort that has 
everything to do with why he did not die. I think they, as part of 
their bond to him, lent him power and/or "took on" or "ate" part of 
Voldemort's death for him, so he didn't have to do it.
> 
> This stems from a correspondence my husband saw, between the Death 
Eaters and what they may have done for Voldemort, and the Welsh folk 
tradition of Sin Eaters, who take on the sin of someone (usually 
someone dying), perform the penance for them, so that the person will 
be free of the sin.
> 
> And, of course, I see it working in the other direction as well--if
> Voldemort had ever truly died, all his Death Eaters would surely 
know it, and that's why he's so pissed in the graveyard, because they 
*knew* he was alive and didn't come to find him. Further, I think 
there's an excellent chance the DEs are bound to Voldemort for life, 
and if he dies, they will die as well. Which has always made Snape's 
choice to serve the good and seek Voldemort's downfall, worth a 
>little more substance to me.
> 

It's an interesting theory, but ... why then were all the DEs so 
surprised and shocked when they arrived at the graveyard? And why did 
Voldemort refer to the steps he's taken to ensure his immortality and 
not to tha link between them?

Naaam