Once more - with questions. part 2.

[pippin_999]

Kneasy:> 
> DD has it all sussed of course. He knows or has surmised that Lurkio
> was behind the whole thing. Time for the traditional end-of-vol 
> explication from DD, omniscience on the hoof.
> Except. How did DD find out? 

Pippin:
Unless Dumbledore's peripheral vision is extraordinarily poor, he should
be able to see  Dobby pointing to the diary too.  Besides, Lucius slips up 
a bit. "Have you caught the culprit?" should have been "I take it Hagrid had 
an accomplice?" Only someone with information on the real villain would 
*know* that Hagrid had been innocent all along. Even Harry couldn't be
sure till he'd heard from Aragog.

Kneasy:  
> Dobby's actions at the end of CoS are more or less redundant - unless
> as a clue to the reader that there's been something very interesting 
> going on.

Pippin:
Kneasy, my boy, you're on to something. Not that I believe Dobby was
Dumbledore's agent-in-place at the Malfoys though I could well believe be
became a Dumbledore agent when he went to work at Hogwarts. But since
he's the one who warns Harry of Umbridge's ambush and he seems
to be currently employed in supervising Kreacher, that's hardly bangy.

But according to Dumbledore in HBP, Lucius believed The Diary would 
simply cause the Chamber to reopen.  A memory, we're told,  should not 
have been able to think and act for itself. I assume  that means the Diary
should have had only limited volition, like the  portraits and the
Marauder's Map -- they can do the sorts of things they've always 
done, but they don't attempt anything new. Mrs. Black can't be
persuaded to temper her opinions, and the Map, though it is now
older than two of its makers will ever be, still has the sensibility
(so to speak) of a teenager.

If the Diary were an object of that sort it would have been no 
threat to Harry. His blood is purer than that of many a Slytherin --
Severus Snape for one. But Dobby knew it was something more,
knew that Harry Potter specifically would be in great danger. So,
did Dobby recognize the Diary as a horcrux? Do all House Elves
have this ability? Does Kreacher?

Pippin
Congratulating Kneasy on his ascent to the heights of BNFdom