HBP - spoilers - that textbook

[Jen Reese]

"To his great surprise, the Prime Minister felt a fleeting stab of 

pity for Fudge at this point. It was however eclipsed almost
 
immediatedly by a glow of smugness at the thought that, deficient

though he himself might be in the area of materializing out of

fireplaces, there had never been a murder in any one of the

government departments under *his* charge...Not yet, anyway..."

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Jen: Love those politicians. ;) now on to Kneasy's thoughts:

> Kneasy:
> > > We've been told that Voldy isn't the HBP. Has is actually been 
> > spelled out that Tom isn't either? 'Cos unless it has Jo might
> > be doing a Dobby.

> Dungrollin:
> 'Fraid she did, it's somewhere on the website in the FAQs.
> Ah. Here:
> http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/faq_view.cfm?id=57

Jen: I'm not sure it matters though. Whenever JKR uses '50 years' it 
always seems to conincide with the time Tom Riddle was in school. 
Like when the COS was first opened and when Hagrid was in school.

So I'd like to think that textbook was certainly there when TR was 
at Hogwarts. Was it actually his, or was Hermione right that it 
belonged to Eileen Prince? Either way, it's interesting that TR and 
Miss Prince went to school together. You wonder what, if anything, 
she told young Severus about her old schoolmate Tom Riddle.

Another book 'full of Dark Magic' could be an interesting plot 
twist. Unlike Harry, Snape must have continued to use the book and 
kept it through his lifetime (for reference?). He would be drawn to 
the powers of a book with Dark Magic.

Harry did say, "In spite of the increasing nastiness of those 
scribbled spells, he had refused to believe ill of the boy who had 
been so clever, who had helped so much....." (US, chap. 30, p. 638). 
Now that sounds like someone we all know and love after meeting TR 
in HBP, doesn't it? Increasing nastiness under a veneer of 
cleverness and helpfulness. Hmmmm.

Jen