death to capslock

Prank Redux: Voldemort Edition

Sat, 18 Feb 2023 03:12:01 GMT

Posted by: sunnyskywalker

I was re-reading Terri’s analysis of how strange it is that Crouch threw Sirius in prison without interrogating him and had a thought. Leave Crouch aside for today. Let’s take another look at Dumbledore.

Terri suggested that Dumbledore quickly realized (possibly via Moody, whom canon strongly suggests to be a Legilimens) that Sirius wasn’t the Dark Lord’s right-hand man. That in fact, he felt horrifically guilty about James’s death and must have betrayed the Potters inadvertently somehow. This meant he couldn’t provide juicy Death Eater intel, and was either so reckless or so gullible or both that he was a greater danger to his own side — not to mention Muggle bystanders — than many actual Death Eaters. Plus, Dumbledore hardly wanted Sirius spilling the Order of the Phoenix’s secrets to Crouch. So while it was technically unjustified, the world would be safer if Dumbledore let Crouch throw Sirius in Azkaban without interrogation or trial.

But how could Sirius have betrayed his friends inadvertently? Was he duped? Why attack Peter, if so? Dumbledore isn’t the kind of person to throw up his hands and go, “Oh well, I guess we’ll never know.” He’d have had a theory. Which was…?

Let’s back up and consider why Dumbledore found it easy to believe Sirius was a deadly loose canon in the first place. Probably any number of minor incidents, but what’s the biggie?

The Prank. The time Sirius tricked an enemy into taking action he thought would hurt the Marauders but which was, in fact, a trap. One which used Sirius’s friend as both bait and weapon.

Is that what Dumbledore thought happened on Halloween too? ( Read more... )

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Vanishing Cabinets

Sat, 12 Sep 2020 14:53:00 GMT

Posted by: sunnyskywalker

Rowling and her overpowered, plot-breaking one-book wonders...

This is thanks to Jodel and her speculations on the Vanishing Cabinets in her essays “Minding the Gap” and “O, the Times Are Out of Joint!”

In “Minding the Gap,” she wonders whether Phineas Nigellus used the cabinets to pop back and forth between Hogwarts and home when he was headmaster, and whether his daughter Belvina, who married a Herbert Burke, acquired the “home” cabinet, which eventually ended up in Borgin & Burkes. She also notes that you could spin any number of other plausible stories.

Regardless of how it ended up that one of the pair was at Hogwarts and one in the shop… just how long was that back door into Hogwarts available before Peeves broke the Hogwarts cabinet in CoS? How many people knew about it, and who might have used it—and for what?( Read more... )

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Dumbledore and the Marauders

Sun, 19 Jan 2020 21:50:00 GMT

Posted by: sunnyskywalker

Over the years, we've speculated that Dumbledore tacitly approved of and possibly encouraged the Marauders' bullying for various reasons--indifference (whether clueless or callous), a liking for charming bad boys, a liking for chaos generally, as part of a plan to earn their loyalty and prepare them as fighters for the Order of the Phoenix, a secret desire to set up the next Dark Lord for him to nobly oppose should the current one fail, and probably a few other possibilities I've forgotten. Liking chaos or bad boys or good fighters would all point to James and Sirius as the Marauders who caught Dumbledore's attention, with Remus as a great potential-spy bonus and Peter along for the ride.

But now I think this is off the mark. Harry is the one focused on James and Sirius. What was Dumbledore thinking in the seventies?( Read more... )

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An Art Perfected by Long Practice: the Marauders' Dynamic

Wed, 29 May 2019 22:28:00 GMT

Posted by: sunnyskywalker

I've been trying to piece together the Marauders' group dynamic from what little we see, and found something that didn't quite square with how the characters themselves describe things. I know, shocker. But it's a discrepancy which might mean something.

Everyone describes James and Sirius as a "double act," and Harry compares them to Fred and George.

But is that an accurate analysis?( Read more... )

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Harry Potter Abridged! DH Chapter 11

Fri, 03 Jul 2015 22:47:00 GMT

Posted by: sweettalkeress.livejournal.com

[Kreacher isn’t back for days. In the meantime, Lupin arrives!]

( Read Chapter 11 )

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Harry Potter Abridged! OotP Chapter 29

Thu, 05 Feb 2015 16:58:00 GMT

Posted by: sweettalkeress.livejournal.com

( Read Chapter 29 )
*A/N: You know, when you read this without the Harry filter to tell you that Harry would make a good auror, it really does seem like that's what's happening.

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Harry Potter Abridged! OotP Chapter 28

Fri, 30 Jan 2015 11:40:00 GMT

Posted by: sweettalkeress.livejournal.com

The chapter we’ve all been waiting for—the first glimpse of Snape’s worst memory!!

( This chapter contains bullying )

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New Pottermore entries from PoA

Wed, 07 Aug 2013 09:45:00 GMT

Posted by: t0ra-chan.livejournal.com

( Secret Keeper )

( Werewolves )

( Time-Turners )

( Patronus Charm )

( Remus J. Lupin )

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Pottermore : New material from Prisoner of Azkaban

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:56:00 GMT

Posted by: dracasadiablo.livejournal.com

( Hogwarts Portraits )

( The Marauder's Map )

( Gobstones )

( Dementors and Chocolate )

( The Firebolt )

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By popular demand...

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:52:00 GMT

Posted by: oneandthetruth.livejournal.com

By popular demand--okay, four people--one of them offering an engraved invitation ;-), I have posted my essay applying Dog Whisperer ideology to the relationships between Snape, Lily, MWPP, and Dumbledore. I put it on Snapedom because (1) it was originally written for that forum; (2) it pertains mainly to Snape; (3) that forum hasn’t had any activity for a while, and it needs to keep up its tradition of sticking fingers into the eyes of Snape-haters.

A couple of warnings: (1) This article is long, 15 pages including references. (2) It takes an unflinching look at some of the ugliest aspects of the Potterverse, so it makes for very unpleasant reading in Part IV. Sensitive readers beware.

http://asylums.insanejournal.com/snapedom/

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OOTP Chapter Twenty-Eight: "Snape's Worst Memory"

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:58:00 GMT

Posted by: for-diddled.livejournal.com

* An unusually long spork, this -- I'm afraid I had rather a lot of bile to get out...

( Read more... )

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OotP Chapter Twenty-Nine

Fri, 09 May 2008 11:13:00 GMT

Posted by: sistermagpie.livejournal.com

( Careers Advice )

( Jabootu scores )

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OotP Chapter Twenty-Eight

Fri, 02 May 2008 10:45:00 GMT

Posted by: sistermagpie.livejournal.com

( Snape’s Worst Memory )

( Jabootu scores )

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POA - Chapter 18

Thu, 10 May 2007 21:45:00 GMT

Posted by: kaskait.livejournal.com

( Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs )

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POA - Chapter 14

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 20:15:00 GMT

Posted by: kaskait.livejournal.com

( Snape's Grudge )

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POA - Chapter 10

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 19:32:00 GMT

Posted by: kaskait.livejournal.com

( The Marauder's Map )

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