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Keep an Eye on Quirrell?

The World of Severus Snape

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Keep an Eye on Quirrell?

[info]terri_testing
11/23/10 11:02 am
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Jodel has a very nice analysis about what was going on behind the scenes in PS:
http://www.redhen-publications.com/QuirrellDebacle.html

I agree with a lot of it, but as a Snape fan I have a problem.

Quirrell was first an agent of Riddle’s and then possessed by him. He was working in Riddle’s interests, and trying to steal the stone.

And trying to kill Harry, on the side.

Now, in retrospect it’s clear why that fact wouldn’t much worry Dumbles. But Snape? The man who’s pledged his life to “help [Dumbles] protect Lily’s son”? Why did Snape continue to go along with Dumble’s insistence on setting a clever little trap and spending months trying to lure Riddle into it rather than getting rid of the man, after the first time Quirrell tried to murder Harry?

When did Snape realize Quirrell was Tom’s agent? When did he realize Quirrell was Tom’s possession? And why was he content to do no more than just “keep an eye on Quirrell” and interfere with such murder attempts as he spotted? I mean, keeping his cover only goes so far: what's Snape care if his reputation with Tom is intact when Lily's child is dead?

What did Snape think was going on?

Answers, anyone?
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  • [info]shyfoxling
    12/2/10 08:07 pm (UTC)
    This gives what I see as a much more realistic timeframe - with the Potters in hiding for close to a year before Voldy finally attacks alone.

    Right, I was not disagreeing that they spent quite some time in hiding before they apparently decided to go with the Fidelius as a last resort. But that's the time between Severus's warning and the murder, not the time between the prophecy and Severus's warning, which I thought is what we were talking about. I am not suggesting that Voldemort held onto this for a year and a half and only started going after the Potters shortly before Halloween 1981. I mean that we should not have it be too long after Harry's birth before Voldemort has decided to target them.

    And Sept/Oct 1980 isn't terribly unreasonable for that, although I think the weather/scene clues in the hilltop scene, especially the leafless trees rather than seeing changed leaves still on them, speak of later in the year (late November, or December).

    This timing even shows James in a better light - as he's 'bored in hiding' in the letter to Sirius, even tho' the Potters were both apparently still going to Order meeting outside their hiding spot as recently as the Order Photo.

    Which must therefore be some time before that letter, although it could be shortly before. It's possible that JKR didn't mean for that letter to imply Fidelius, although it's hard to think what else might mean James was literally stuck in the house (so, her date/math problems, and all).

    They know the sex of the child because they presume it based on the Prophecy. However, there isn't any reason to believe magic didn't have a way to know the sex before birth.

    But they cannot know that the child will fulfill the date part of the prophecy - the end of July - until he has already been born. So if a target has been identified, then we must chronologically be after his birth. That means that the winter of '79-80 is out.

    • [info]oryx_leucoryx
      12/2/10 11:23 pm (UTC)
      The Order photo was taken 2 weeks before the McKinnons died, and their death was a recent event at the time of Harry's birthday. So at the time of Harry's birthday the Potters may have been enclosed at home for under a month.

      • [info]shyfoxling
        12/3/10 12:06 am (UTC)
        But that's way too long in advance of Halloween.

        • [info]oryx_leucoryx
          12/3/10 12:20 am (UTC)
          James was already suffering cabin-fever at the time of the letter.

          • [info]shyfoxling
            12/3/10 02:13 am (UTC)
            I know: that's what I meant by saying that perhaps JKR didn't mean to imply in that letter that they were already under the Fidelius charm, since that makes timing work much better on that (it was later to come, perhaps mid October), but it's hard to think what else might keep him literally stuck there. Perhaps Albus had already got hold of the Invisibility Cloak and he was persuaded that he couldn't go out without it?

            • [info]oryx_leucoryx
              12/3/10 06:30 am (UTC)
              The Potters were hiding for a long time before they added the Fidelius Charm to their protections. We know from the Black family that there are many other methods of security, though we don't know many details besides Unplottability and possibly Dissillusionment. During that time they left home under the invisibility cloak until Albus took it. Eventually they used the Fidelius Charm. We know the Potters no longer had the cloak at the time of the letter because Lily mentions it.

              • [info]shyfoxling
                12/3/10 07:06 pm (UTC)
                The Potters were hiding for a long time before they added the Fidelius Charm to their protections.

                *sigh* YES, I know. I get the feeling we're actually agreeing with one another and not realizing it.
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