How did the wizarding public know Voldemort's powers were broken on Halloween?

[sunnyskywalker]

I was trying to think of a reason for a rebounding Killing Curse to make Voldemort’s body disappear (no luck so far) when I thought of an entirely different question: with no body and no witnesses (other than Harry, who probably didn’t know more than a few words), why was the wizarding public so quick to believe Voldemort had been defeated?

McGonagall was staking out Privet Drive in cat form by the time Vernon left for work the next morning, and she already knew that “everyone” was saying Harry had defeated Voldemort. Even if we’re generous and say that the attack happened at 6:00 p.m. (after dark, trick-or-treaters are out) and Vernon left at 9:00 a.m. (wizards gathering in the streets), that’s only fifteen hours. And the attack could have happened as late as 10:00 p.m., and Vernon could have left for work earlier. Maybe it was only ten hours.

Now, ten or fifteen hours might be enough time for word to spread that something had happened at Godric’s Hollow, but it’s a very short window for everyone to be so confident of what had happened. Why was “everyone” already saying Voldemort was gone for good?

Consider what the Ministry could have known from the scene and whatever Dumbledore told them: James and Lily were dead, probably from the Killing Curse; something blew a hole in the house near Harry’s crib; Harry had an unexplained curse scar and was alive. Voldemort didn’t leave a body. What made them think he was mostly dead? He could have killed James and Lily, inexplicably failed to kill Harry, blew a hole in the house to vent his frustration, and left without sending up the Dark Mark because he was too embarrassed to claim his work when he couldn’t finish the job. Maybe he didn’t even try to kill Harry, just cursed him as a warning. (The general public doesn’t know about the prophecy, so they have no reason to think he was targeting Harry rather than Lily and James.) If they didn’t track down and question the one child who saw under Voldemort’s hood, they might not even be sure that Voldemort rather than one of his Death Eaters was the attacker. How did they know he wasn’t torturing that Death Eater for botching the assignment at the same time the Ministry was examining the scene?

Did he maybe leave bits of his body behind? But we have no evidence that he did, and you’d think it would come up during one of the discussions Harry heard about whether Voldemort was really most sincerely dead. Umbridge probably would have used it as “proof” that Voldemort hadn’t returned, for example.

Did some Death Eater stop in the middle of a public attack and start shrieking that he’d felt the Dark Lord cry out in terror before being suddenly silenced? That would be very dramatic, but we have no evidence of that either. And it’s so dramatic that it would be weird that we didn’t hear the story, if it happened.

Or did everyone take Dumbledore’s word for it? “I didn’t witness any of last night’s events, haven’t spoken to anyone who did, and can provide no evidence whatsoever, but my mysterious sources tell me that Voldemort was suddenly weakened nearly to the point of death, and that whatever remains of him is currently fleeing the country. No, I couldn’t possibly explain why I’m claiming that young Harry was responsible. No, I really can’t offer any reason you should believe any of this. But I am absolutely certain that Voldemort won’t be resuming his campaign of terror after a week to recuperate.”

And that’s enough for the Ministry to make a statement for the Daily Prophet so that everyone can start planning parties by breakfast time? Trusting bunch, wizards.

Okay, maybe Dumbledore told them he saw some of the events in Harry’s memory via Legilimency. Maybe he showed Ministry investigators Harry’s memory in the school Pensieve. At least that supports part of the story.

On the other hand, Dumbledore might not have wanted anyone to see that memory. The more people knew that Lily had jumped in front of a Killing Curse meant for Harry, the more risk there was of someone wondering whether there wasn’t some old magic they thought they’d heard about once, something about love and sacrifice, and maybe Lily was really the one somehow responsible for Voldemort’s disappearance? Dumbledore had several reasons not to want the rumor mill getting ahold of that idea, starting with “’Harry did it’ is good protection for Harry against any vengeful Death Eaters, and I can’t be sure that one of these Ministry investigator isn’t secretly a vengeful Death Eater.” If Dumbledore showed or even told these details to anyone, he must have made really sure that they couldn’t talk.

Which just kicks the problem down the road, because then the public would be taking some Ministry official’s word that a baby semi-killed Voldemort. Why would they do that? Especially when they were all sure that Death Eaters could be anywhere, including working at the Ministry? That’s even less believable than everyone taking Dumbledore’s word for it. At least he had first-hand experience with defeating Dark Lords.

Am I missing something? What convinced everyone within hours of Voldemort’s defeat that he was gone, and made them so confident enough to celebrate rather than waiting and seeing?

Comments

[with-rainfall.livejournal.com]

I never picked up that the McGonagall incident was the very next day after the attack.

Hmm. Well, perhaps Halloween night was a special night for wizards — for whatever reason — and the majority of wizards were out that night celebrating it and having a feast.

If Hagrid told Tom he’d had word from Dumbledore, who passed it on to his customers, I can see Patronuses, Apparition and Floos being used to spread the word quickly. I don’t think the Ministry even needs to be involved with this scenario at this point, although I can see Fudge getting the equivalent of a middle-of-the-night phone call to inform him.

We know Hagrid frequents bars, and we know he’s (by and large) truthful, highly irresponsible with creatures in his care, susceptible, and prone to drinking. If he took Harry to the pub and showed them his scar, then they all had a rousing chorus of whatever victory songs they wanted and scattered, I could see everyone celebrating when they heard the news.

I also do think we are meant to believe the majority of the wizarding public are… hmm… how do I put this? Essentially harmless. Diggle and the like come across as rather cartoony, scatterbrained, credulous but affable types. I get the feeling they, at least, would have nodded and smiled if Dumbledore had told them that Big Ben was made of sponge cake.

[sunnyskywalker]

Pubs sound like a good possibility for spreading the story quickly. There were also a ton of owls flying around during the day on November 1--I wonder if you can crash the Floo network if too many people are trying to talk?

Though some of those owls might have been later reactions to exciting but less urgent, party-provoking news: "OMG did you hear Sirius Black killed his friend and was laughing his head off when they arrested him?"

Yeah, everyone is awfully quick to believe Dumbledore. At least until 1995. It's just such a big claim, over something that had supposedly been terrifying everyone, that it's hard to believe even wizards would immediately go, "Whew, that's settled! Pop the cork on the bubbly!" And I can't see Crouch being happy about smiling and nodding and letting Dumbledore take even third-hand credit for winning the war without doing a very thorough investigation of his own. Because it would look terrible if the Ministry went along with the celebrations and then it turned out Voldemort was fine, if nothing else. Hm, maybe he was too busy with the whole Sirius incident and was just too late to respond before everyone started partying? And was also slammed with all those Death Eaters walking in to plead Imperius? Except he seems pretty good at juggling lots of work.

Maybe some Death Eater did completely lose his head and start shouting that he'd get revenge on whoever had just vanquished the Dark Lord. In the middle of Diagon Alley. That plus Dumbledore's claim is two pieces of "evidence" supporting each other, which might be enough for a lot of wizards. Then if Sirius shouted something at Peter while failing to curse him, something suitably ambiguous like "and what are going to do now that Voldemort's dead, dumbass," that would convince a lot of the more cautious ones that yep, sounds like it's confirmed!

[with-rainfall.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that’s a good point too.

Vernon and Muggle news outlets only see all the weird, conspicuous bits. The ‘showers of shooting stars’ all across England might have been wizarding fireworks or similar spells — maybe they had them lying around or conjured some. All it takes is one person to get overexcited and bombard the skies. McGonagall even points out Diggle as the potential culprit. Twenty or thirty more people like that and you will start to attract attention.

(Incidentally, either Muggles are only seeing them from a distance and mistaking them for shooting stars, or they’re somehow charmed to look like shooting stars.)

It does seem strange that the wizarding GP don’t just shrug and chalk it up to the rumour mill.
I suspect there was a much more skeptical outlook from a minority of the general public, but by and large it really does sound like “The BBC (I.e. Dumbledore) said it, therefore it’s true.” Look how quickly most people disbelieve Harry when he insists Voldemort’s back in OOTP. Most people in the British WW just seem to be stuck in their own little enclave of wishful thinking. Perhaps that’s what happens when you can get almost anything you want with the wave of a wand.

You’re right, Crouch would have done his own investigation, but the following morning. But then I think the rumour mill would’ve been in full swing and everyone would have lapped up the story, regardless of its veracity. In a world where Voldemort had managed to kill Harry, I’m sure that the Ministry would’ve released some kind of article vehemently denying the rumours. Also, LV would possibly have taken over the Ministry had he won.

Although his investigation can’t have been too flash, can it, because it landed the wrong man in jail for thirteen years.

[sunnyskywalker]

Diggle would be one of the people most inclined to trust Dumbledore and break out the fireworks immediately, too.

I think people not believing that Voldemort has returned is a slightly different situation, since someone bodily coming back from the (mostly) dead is supposed to be just as impossible for wizards as for us. And there isn't any evidence available to them other than Harry's eyewitness account, and he spends most of the year not giving it. Whereas they do have proof that an escaped Death Eater was in the school impersonating Moody, and know that there are spells which can make people (like Harry) believe things that aren't true. So not believing Harry and pinning all the blame on Barty Junior is pretty reasonable and doesn't require unusual trust in authority figures or more than a normal amount of wishful thinking.

"This unkillable guy is dead thanks to a baby because Dumbledore says so" is somewhat less reasonable. I'd be worried that it was a trick and Voldemort was planning to gather his followers and ambush any crowds celebrating his supposed demise, if I were there. What a great way to make Dumbledore look foolish and take out a bunch of people who oppose the new Dark Order all at once!

I think Terri might be on to something with the idea that Crouch quickly realized Sirius was a loose canon and maybe a wannabe, and might have killed those Muggles as collateral damage, but was not Voldemort's right-hand man after all--and decided to toss Sirius in prison as quickly as possible anyway. That way, he could get credit for having taken out a dangerous Dark wizard without anyone else figuring out that Sirius was actually a better-looking Stan Shunpike. I mean, Crouch just got upstaged by a baby; he needed that boost. See, the Ministry is also good at making you safer! Crouch for Minister! (And Dumbledore didn't protest as long as Crouch didn't question Sirius too hard about the Order. Win-win!)