Divination Six: The Induction
‘You’ve given Harry plenty of information. Any more and you might just as well induct him into the Order straightaway.’
‘Why not?’ said Harry quickly. I’ll join, I want to join, I want to fight.’ (OOtP5)
Now that he is of age and has decided to leave school, Harry asks to be inducted into the Order of Phoenix, together with Ron and Hermione. Despite Mrs Weasley’s objections, no one can deny the strength of the trio’s mutual commitment, or the fact that this is undoubtedly what Dumbledore would have wanted. The newly elected leader of the Order, Alastor Moody, swears in Harry, Ron and Hermione. At their first meeting, they are astonished to be reunited with Emmeline Vance, whose death turns out to have been faked. The Order is in need of a new spy in Voldemort’s camp and young Nymphadora Tonks volunteers for the role. The Metamorphmagus, with her ties to the Black family, is the ideal choice, but Lupin is very anxious for her. Mr Weasley also has worrying news to report from the Ministry of Magic: Rufus Scrimgeour is proposing to remove all Muggle-borns and part-humans from Ministry departments, ostensibly on grounds of their own safety, but already there are rumours that he is talking to Death Eaters. Meanwhile, one day fades into another at Grimmauld Place. Harry is concerned that Lupin’s health seems to be deteriorating although he is very happy with Tonks, but Hermione tells him sadly that werewolves have a shorter life expectancy than wizards or Muggles. Rooting around in the house, Harry finds an old bottle of dragon’s blood, which might turn out to be useful. Hermione discovers an evil old book with more information about Horcruxes; including a reference to the Dark Lord Grindelwald having made a Horcrux. This results in a conversation with Moody, Lupin and Arthur Weasley about Dumbledore’s past and the defeat of Grindelwald. We might even learn of a family connection between Dumbledore and the Weasleys.
Omens & Portents: Canonical Clues & Questions
1. Concerning Lupin & Tonks…
- ‘I got top marks in Concealment and Disguise during Auror training without any study at all, it was great.’ (OOtP3) As an Auror and a Metamorphmagus (who also happens to be Draco’s first cousin and Bellatrix’s niece!), isn’t Tonks ideally suited to be a spy? On the other hand, youthful inexperience and her trademark clumsiness might count against her. ‘Nearly failed on Stealth and Tracking.’ (Nor will Tonks’s closeness to Lupin improve her chance of survival in the Potterverse!)
- ‘Remus Lupin … was thinner and more ragged-looking than ever’ (HBP16) Should I be right to fear for the health of one of my favourite characters?
2. Concerning dragon’s blood…
- ‘You add a reasonable amount of gold to your account at Gringotts and you inherit all of Sirius’s personal possessions.’ (HBP3) We have all been debating the status/whereabouts of a certain locket, but what other useful objects might be found at Grimmauld Place (that haven’t already been stolen by Mundungus Fletcher)? Did anyone notice the similarity between Horace Slughorn’s Dragon’s blood in HBP and a bottle found at Grimmauld Place in OOtP? ‘He stamped over to a small crystal bottle standing on top of a sideboard and held it up to the light, examining the thick liquid within.’ (HBP4) Harry found ‘an ornate crystal bottle, full of what [he] Harry was quite sure was blood’ in one of ‘the dusty glass-fronted cabinets’ at Grimmauld Place (OOtP6). It was Dumbledore who discovered ‘the twelve uses of dragon’s blood’ (PS/SS6) which we have been led to believe is significant. Might dragon-keeper Charlie be of help in this respect?
3. Concerning Dumbledore & the Weasleys…
- ‘The Weasleys are one of our most prominent pure-blood families.’ (COS18 ) With his auburn hair, eccentric manner and progressive sympathies, Dumbledore bears at least a superficial resemblance to the Weasleys. Is it possible that such a connection exists, but that Arthur & Molly Weasley are too modest to capitalise on it? Certainly, Dumbledore seems to be on surprisingly intimate terms with a family who weren’t even in the Order, first time around. ‘There is work to be done,’ he said. ‘Molly … am I right in thinking I can count on you and Arthur?’ (GOF36) Is it possible that Dumbledore and the Weasleys are all descended from Godric Gryffindor that other champion ‘of commoners, of Mudbloods and Muggles’?
- ‘No … I don’t want to … let me go … I can’t, don’t make me … it’s all my fault, all my fault … please make it stop, I know I did wrong, … Don’t hurt them … please, it’s my fault, hurt me instead…’ (HBP26) What was the cause of Dumbledore’s distress in the cave? Was he reliving a trauma from his past (even his youth)? Was that mysterious potion the equivalent of a Boggart?
- As Dumbledore (Grindelwald’s destroyer) tells Harry: ‘As far as I know – as far, I am sure, as Voldemort knew – no wizard had ever done more than tear his soul in two.’ (HBP23) Slughorn told Riddle that Horcruxes are ‘a banned subject at Hogwarts, you know … Dumbledore’s particularly fierce about it…’ (HBP23) Might this suggest that Dumbledore had personal experience of their evil?
Legilimency… what is JKR thinking?
‘Let’s go again … on the count of three … one – two – three – Legilimens!’ (OOtP24)
- JKR: “Bigotry is probably the thing I detest most. All forms of intolerance, the whole idea of “that which is different from me is necessarily evil.” I really like to explore the idea that difference is equal and good. But there’s another idea that I like to explore, too. Oppressed groups are not, generally speaking, people who stand firmly together — no, sadly, they kind of subdivide among themselves and fight like hell. That’s human nature, so that’s what you see here. This world of wizards and witches, they’re already ostracised, and then within themselves, they’ve formed a loathsome pecking order.” [JKR, Entertainment Weekly, 2000 - Madam Scoop’s Index]
- The twelfth use of Dragon’s blood is oven cleaner, but JKR has “very good reason” for not telling us the rest. [JKR, San Francisco Chronicle, 1999 - Madam Scoop’s Index]
- Dumbledore is the “epitome of goodness.” [JKR, CBC Hot Type, 2000 - Madam Scoop’s Index]
- We will learn more about Dumbledore’s backstory in Book 7. [JKR, Mugglenet/TLC interview, 2005]
- JK: “Dumbledore’s family would be a profitable line of inquiry.” [JKR, Mugglenet/TLC interview, 2005 – Madam Scoop’s Index]
- Grindelwald is dead; JK won’t say if he is important or not. [JKR, Mugglenet/TLC interview, 2005]
I think that the words that Dumbledore spoke in the cave were part of Snape’s memories that DD had hidden for safe-keeping. This is why DD was so convinced of Snape’s remorse, and why he was trusted. JMHO
Interesting, KJ … I suppose my question would be: why should Dumbledore experience Snape’s memory in the first person? (Though I think it is likely that the Potion did cause Dumbledore to relieve a memory. ‘His face was twitching as though he were deeply asleep, but dreaming a horrible dream.’) Frighteningly, the memory seems to be that of a person captured & tortured & forced to witness & participate in the torture of others, while screaming and pleading and asking for death. Now, I can see why you’d think this might apply to Snape … but not if we are meant to believe that Snape has been deceiving Voldemort into thinking he’s a DE? And the person sounded as if they might have been placed under the Imperius Curse. “No, no, no … no … I can’t, don’t make me, I don’t want to …”. “Don’t hurt them, don’t hurt them, please, please, it’s my fault, hurt me instead …”. “I want to die! I want to die! Make it stop, make it stop, I want to die!’”(HBP26) Could these be Dumbledore’s own memories? I very much hope not … as the best analogy I can think of is that of the madness of Heracles (a truly disturbing legend).
Otherwise, I’ve heard it suggested that the Potion might have something to do with Tom Riddle’s torment of the two children in the cave. “Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop were never quite right afterwards, and all we ever got out of them was that they’d gone into a cave with Tom Riddle. He swore they’d just gone exploring, but *something* happened in there, I’m sure of it.” (HBP13) The details we’re given are quite vague so it’s just possible that there’s more to this episode than we’ve been told, but I’m not sure …
Cassandra, loved the speculation on Tonks. Wasn’t her behavior odd in book 6? I have a write up on that too but didn’t include it because I’ve been unable to weave it into the rest of the speculation. There was the bizarre scene outside the room of requirement when Harry had Draco pinned inside the room and Tonks arrived…claiming to be looking for Dumbledore even though Harry notes Dumbledore’s office is on the other side of the castle. I’m not completely convinced she wasn’t Imperiused…
The idea of Rufus suggesting all witches and wizards recently blood linked to Muggleborns be removed from government for their own safety is brilliant. Just the type of thing I could see JKR using.
Dumbledore’s auburn hair is suggestive of a connection to the Weasley’s, but I’m not without hope that Dumbledore is a Muggleborn…
I wonder if Dumbledore was not referring to his students in the cave, but perhaps to Lily and James…
the name grindelwald reminds me of grendel from beowulf (jrr tolken was a beowulf scholar, isnt jkr a fan of his?). grendel was defeated in the great hall of a castle, i wonder if the final battle will take place in one too…
and wouldn’t it be cool if the ancestors of slytherin and gryffindor got had their final battle in the school that they started?
The problem with Tonks being a spy is that she is a known Dumbledore supporter, if not known that she is a member of the Order of Phenoix – The fight at the Ministrey in OOtP, and I think she was also in the Tower battle in HBP. Yes, she can conceal herself quite well, and for low level stuff, and even some middle level stuff, that would work, But the kind of high level stuff that Snape had won’t be available, at least through Tonks. However, I do think there is another possiblity – Percy. Scrimgeour could legitmatly ask for a personal liason with the Death Eaters, and Percy could fill that role nicely. Percy might even play some sort of role in the death of Fred, and thus becomes the equivelent of Snape. Just a thought
Some interesting thoughts on Tonks there. I’m actually convinced. As fro her being a Dumbledore supporter, don’t forget the extent to which the dark lord goes. Just because Tonks fought on Dumbledore’s side, we already know that Voldemort doesn’t care much for his own Death Eaters, so they could be sacrifised if killed during the battle (which would be unlikely), this brings us to how Tonks was able to survive the battle, does the effect of the Felix Felecis cover companions? I suppose it depends on what you value as luck, but judging from what we know of it, I wouldn’t be surprised if it works on sourounding individuals, even if it merely means them getting knocked out instead of being killed. But now we ask ourselves: where did Harry get the Felix Felicis? From Slughorn of course. Usually this is were I would say the deception becomes to far-fetched, but let us not forget the fact that he is head of Slytherin, as well as, the fact that he shares his past with Lord Voldemort.
Yes, I could believe Imperiused!Tonks, HPSpec – it does sound plausible – even though I am also inclined to ascribe her distracted behaviour to simple anxiety about Lupin (it seemed very bizarre to Harry, but then he didn’t yet know about this romance). And I suppose, Radox Redux, I’m not comfortable with the idea of Tonks as a traitor! (An agent, maybe, not a double agent.) I like Tonks – a young female role model for Ginny & Hermione, who is not so good at domestic spells!
Ferris Valyn makes an interesting point about Percy – a lot is possible there, I think.
DD’s guilt over Lily & James seems very likely, Sora, even though I’m disinclined to accept Dark!Dumbledore ideas about his role in their deaths …
Like Sunshine’s points … yes, I can see JKR drawing on Beowulf too and I wonder what we’ll discover about the Founders in Book 7 …