Viewing the evidence

[annemehr]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, Barry Arrowsmith
<arrowsmithbt at b...> wrote:
> Like an itch one can't quite scratch, that night at GH rankles.
> What happened there is important backstory, could even be one of the  
> keys to "what it's all about". So once more, like a dog chobbling on  
> a well-gnawed bone, here we go again.

Anne:
*rubs hands in anticipation*  Ooooh, perfect -- and well worthwhile, I
think.


Kneasy:
> Pub Night.
<snip> 
> Observations.
> Sybill describes "feeling odd"  which is what we are to believe  
> depicts a trance state and during which a Seer is supposedly  
> oblivious to all around her.
> There is a small discrepancy between the two testimonies. Sybill says  
> she saw Snape when he 'interrupted' her interview i.e. she was out of  
> her trance.
> DD insists that Snape only heard half the prophesy (which may also  
> conflict with his previous assertion "was detected a short way into  
> the prophecy and thrown from the building").
> Sybill describes only one period of oddness, which would indicate  
> that she had finished her prophesy before she saw Snape.

Anne:
We have to remember that Dumbledore's and Trelawney's accounts may
both be true -- if we allow that DD failed to tell Harry the *whole*
truth in OoP i.e., presumably leaving out a part about Aberforth
showing Snape to DD before throwing him out.

In any case, maybe we should at least add that DD paled visibly when
Harry informed him that Trelawney had named Snape as the evesdropper.


Kneasy:
> Did Harry gain powers solely because Voldy lost them when  
> discorporating?
<snip>
> Did taking Harry's blood return to Voldy powers that had previously  
> been transferred to Harry?


Anne:
LV speaks Parseltongue in Ugly Baby form in the presence of Frank
Bryce, before taking any of Harry's blood.  The conclusion seems to be
that LV did not *lose* powers to Harry at GH, but rather *shared* them.

Kneasy:
> Why was there no reaction when Harry and Quirrell shake hands in the  
> Leaky Cauldron, even though Quirrell states "He is with me wherever I  
> go."? Can the protection distinguish between evil and evil intent and  
> react accordingly?

Pippin:
> Quirrell was not possessed at this point, since he had not yet donned
> the turban. Dark Mark bearers can touch Harry --Wormtail
> hits him, Fake!Moody supports him as he's being led to the DADA office,
> and Snape grabs him in the Pensieve, then throws him on the floor of
> his office.
>

Kneasy again:
Possibly film contamination. God rot Warner Bros.
I just checked - my PS is silent on the subject of whether Q was wearing
any headgear at the LC. If he was it probably wasn't a turban, judging
by Harry's observations at the Sorting Feast. But I can't find any
actual canon that definitatively states whether V was or wasn't mounted.

Anne:
For what it's worth, the most canon we have is at the end of PS/SS,
where Quirrell says that after he'd failed to steal the Stone at
Gringott's, LV 'decided to keep a closer watch on [him].'  The Daily
Prophet report (ch. 8) puts the burglary attempt *after* the vault had
been emptied.  If you believe the DP and interpret the 'closer watch'
as the possession (and, if you like, bolster your conclusions with
Harry's reaction to the turban at the Welcoming Feast), there's your
answer. Your Skepticism May Vary, but I'm satisfied.

Kneasy:
> Dark Marks are not critical in the protection racket - they're only a
> magical paging system, after all.

Anne:
Ooooh.  Before the hyphen, I'll grant it to you, but everything after
it is shaky ground and thin ice.


Sorry there's no in-depth analysis and creative theorising yet, but
it's probably better to nail down all the facts first and let them
ferment a bit, anyway.  Thanks for reemphasising the bit about what LV
did at GH, because it's a section where I very definitely had some
shaky assumptions masquerading in my head as canon.

I also apologise if any glaring errors appear in this post; I'm just
back from the eye doctor and my pupils are still hugely dilated.

Anne