Kreacher tells us that Regulus joined the Death Eaters when he was sixteen. Which at first sounds unimportant. After all, Draco too (if we accept Harry’s prejudiced jump to that conclusion-but let’s do so for the sake of argument) took the Dark Mark at that age. And Voldemort seems to recruit most of his followers young, when they’re easier to ( Read more... )

What was Lucius doing when masked, hooded figures were torturing the Roberts family? Harry asks Draco if his parents are out there in masks, and Draco smirks and says he wouldn’t say if they were. He could be winding Harry up, but we get confirmation from Voldemort, who announces that Lucius is “always ready to take the lead in a spot of Muggle- ( Read more... )

It’s amazing how many times I can re-read something and yet still miss the obvious. In my previous Dark Mark post, flyingskull said, "The DM is a magical tattoo, right?" And yes, I have consistently been picturing the Dark Mark as it appears in the movies: it’s your standard Little Black Tattoo. In GoF, Snape told us that an hour ago, it “burned black.” So it ( Read more... )

After working out the reasons I think the Dark Mark can’t be visible on Death Eaters’ arms at all times (otherwise wizards would all be so incompetent that their society should have collapsed ages ago), I decided that exploring other aspects of the Mark’s functioning that might be interesting, or at least useful for fic writers.( Read more... )

It’s a common assumption that the Dark Mark is always visible on a Death Eater's arm, like a Muggle tattoo, and so Death Eaters must never, ever roll up their long sleeves. (I suppose this means they can never go swimming again, unless it’s at the Annual Death Eater Picnic.) Everyone knows about it, so characters might get suspicious if friends ( Read more... )

I was going to post an excerpt from my half-finished Severus and Voldemort essay, but instead it became an essay of its own.

Magic Is Might: The Dark Arts and the Workings of Human Magic

In her latest post, “ Seclusion and the Dark Arts,” terri brilliantly brings together the two main strands of Voldemort’s and the Death Eaters’ interests, ( Read more... )

I started replying to a comment posted to "I Would Sell Out the Nation," but it developed into a rather long post thinking my way through some things. And talking more about Snape, of course. I’m just thinking out loud here though ( Read more... )

Another little piece just popped out at me ( Read more... )

More thoughts on the ICW, Secrecy, wizarding isolationism, and the rise of the Death Eaters. This was sparked by a long reply to sweetalkeress' comment on I Would Sell Out the Nation, which will be posted separately soon ( Read more... )

LAST CHAPTER OF THE BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

( The end is nigh! )