Connecting the dots

[Barry Arrowsmith]

 > Snow:
 > For some reason this made me think of JKR's statement on her site
 > that if Ginny would have died that Voldemort would have become
 > something almost unconquerable:
 >
 > Section: F.A.Q.
 > In 'Chamber of Secrets', what would have happened if Ginny had died
 > and Tom Riddle had escaped the diary?
 > "I can't answer that fully until all seven books are finished, but it
 > would have strengthened the present-day Voldemort considerably."
 >
 > If Riddle had re-birthed himself using Ginny's soul Tom would have
 > possibly become the pureblood that Salazar needed being as his own
 > last remaining heir was born half pure grain muggle and therefore of
 > little value to the cause. After all Riddle said in the Chamber that
 > his diary self was there to someday lead another, not himself in
 > particular, to continue Slytherin's noble work:
 >
 > "I decided to leave behind a diary, preserving my sixteen-year-old
 > self in its pages, so that one day, with luck, I would be able to
 > lead another in my footsteps, and finish Salazar Slytherin's noble
 > work." COS pg. 312 U.S.
 >

Kneasy:
Neat, very neat.
And if true his use of the phrase 'noble work' is a very nice pun.
Mind  you, he could have started the process earlier - he could have 
slipped the Diary to Draco. Now that would have been fun, he could have 
gone down the DE Glee Club bragging about "my son, the Evil Overlord".

In retrospect there's an awful lot of stuff in CoS, particularly in the 
climactic scene, that could turn out to be well worth teasing apart. 
Yes, we've all offered opinions, but it's one of the books from before 
the time the mass discussions got started. I may be mistaken but my 
impression is that more often than not it's used to mine material that 
can be quoted to support a theory rather than as a starting point in 
it's own right.

An example of what  I mean - Ginny is possessed but states quite 
categorically in OoP that her possessed mind was a blank, she can 
remember nothing of what went on. Harry's possession in the Ministry is 
just the opposite; technicolour, 3-D and with Dolby sen-surround. OK, 
Voldy was in control for a very short time, but that period should be a 
blank, shouldn't it? Why the difference? Are there different types or 
qualities of possession?

Would Voldy have drained the life out of Harry  as Tom was draining it 
out of Ginny? Probably not IMO, or the taunting of DD to zap Harry 
wouldn't have been necessary. Though I've never really understood why 
stabbing the Diary would destroy Construct!Tom yet leave Ginny unharmed 
- they had one life between them, didn't they? So if that life is 
terminated why did Ginny wake up?

And is it significant that Ginny's possession, what with the total 
blankness, seems suspiciously similar to Sybil having one of her funny 
turns? Who is pulling Sybil's strings? Now there's a question! A happy 
hunting ground for  Puppetmaster!DD enthusiasts. A 'seer' known to be 
as much use as a chocolate teapot suddenly starts spouting a 
mind-boggling prophecy at a time and place where DD is the only witness 
to the full business and an 'eavesdropper' just happens to be close 
enough to  hear a part before being 'discovered' and ejected - and the 
part overheard when passed on to Voldy (who at the time is winning 
more-or-less hands down) causes him to do something most unwise and 
come a cropper. Oh yes. What a coincidence. Pull the other one for a 
veritable tintinnabulatory carnival of campanology.

Do you know, I only thought of the above while I was typing the 
previous but one paragraph - but I like it. Nastily devious. And just 
who was  DD warning Harry about when Sybil coughed up the prophecy in 
PoA? Seems such a shame to  jump  all over Sirius again, but I can't 
help it. Couldn't happen to a nicer feller.


 > snow:
 > Did you notice that no one went to school with Tom, other than Hagrid
 > and Myrtle, the majority of the deatheaters being significantly
 > younger than Riddle ....


Kneasy:
There's a strong possibility that McGonagall was at Hogwarts at roughly 
the same time.
She's the right age bracket (thought to have been at Hogwarts from 
about '36 to about '43 which would put her a couple of years ahead of 
Tom) and yet so far she hasn't been used as the source for one single 
piece of info.
Very odd when you consider how natural it would be to use her for 
filling in background.




 > Talisman:
 > > Moreover, unless he is "much
 > > mistaken" DD knows LV transferred some of his own powers to [Harry]
 > > the night he gave [him] that scar." ( CoS 333)  Why? Okay
 > > Parseltongues are rare, notwithstanding Herpo the Foul, and others,
 > > implied by reference in FBWTFT, at p3.  But, why is it *powers*
 > > plural?  What other power is Harry evincing by the end of Book 2?
 > > Sort of a strange thing for DD to be so sure about.
 >
 > Anne:
 > *jumps up and down*
 > My possession theory! Buried somewhere in HPfGU, but can be easily
 > accessed here (public archives, you know):
 >
 > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hogs_Head/message/3231
 >
 > Just in case anyone's interested...
 >
 > That's all I can contribute this morning (such as it is).  Kneasy, can
 > I buy you a pint or two for starting this thread?
 >
 > Anne


Kneasy:
First time I've seen this one, don't remember seeing it on HPfGU and I 
visit Hogs Head maybe every lambing season.

Can't see why it can't happen, if minds can switch back and forth  then 
the potential should be there for Harry to  drop in and take control.

Interesting.
I'll have to give this one some thought, figure out the possibilities - 
if I can.