Comments | deathtocapslock: Friendly with the local barman

sunnyskywalker in deathtocapslock

Friendly with the local barman

Dec 04, 2021 19:31

One bit in the memory of Voldemort's job interview that has always bothered me is Dumbledore's statement that he knows which Death Eaters are waiting at the Hog's Head because he's friendly with the local barman. Voldemort has just returned to Britain, no doubt planning terrible things...and Dumbledore immediately outs his brother as a spy? WTF? ( Read more... )

spies, manipulation, likely stories, aberforth, knave or fool, plot holes, albus dumbledore, voldemort, author: sunnyskywalker

Comments 8

mywitch December 5 2021, 14:50:46 UTC

So interesting! I never thought about this before. I love fandom because the many many potholes in JKRs books bring out such amazing creativity in writers!

oryx_leucoryx December 5 2021, 17:15:54 UTC

Yeah, Rowling needed a seedy bar for secret dealings and shoved everything into the same one. So there's the 1950s Tom's homecoming party, the 1979 Sybil interview, 1992 Quirrellmort-Hagrid dragon egg deal, 1995 meeting to found the DA (no direct presence of Tom that we know of), Mundungus selling Sirius' property to Aberforth, and then in DH the DEs running all sorts of sketchy deals from same bar.

Trelawney's interview took place at the bar because that was where she was staying, but the fact that Severus was present to overhear the prophecy suggests DEs felt comfortable hanging out there, and indeed they remained so all the way until the Battle of Hogwarts erupted. And then there is the question of the dragon egg deal - it happened at The Hog's Head because that's where people who don't want to reveal their identities go, but how did Tom not understand that Dumbles would be informed of the deal soon enough?

sunnyskywalker December 5 2021, 19:21:28 UTC

Aberforth must be really convincing. Like, the best confidential informant ever. Or an outright double agent, differing from Severus only in being unmarked ( ... )

sunnyskywalker January 7 2022, 04:51:21 UTC

Moody said he only ever met Aberforth at the Order photo session, didn't he? I wonder if that means he doesn't like the Hog's Head (too paranoid to drink out, or maybe just not a goat person), or if Aurors aren't welcome there?

That wouldn't help with the Albus problem, though.

oryx_leucoryx January 7 2022, 15:44:10 UTC

Moody allegedly only drinks from his own flask - no idea when he started with this habit - but eats food prepared and served by others (at least if those others are the Hogwarts house-elves). Fake-Moody didn't blow his cover by going to Madam Rosmerta's with the other teachers. So it's not about not visiting bars in general, just that specific one.

Thread 5

nx74defiant December 18 2021, 01:34:32 UTC

Given Abeforth's statements it does raise the question - How much of a choice did he have? Did his brother Albus put him in a position where he felt like he had to go along with his brother?
Did Albus use the fact they are brothers to make Abeforth feel like he owed this to his brother?

sunnyskywalker December 19 2021, 22:44:53 UTC

Yes, I wonder. "Maybe this time if you help me earlier instead of wandering off with the goats, we can stop it before any innocent children die?" And Aberforth felt like maybe he had to be Albus's keeper?

And/or if Aberforth heard things from his DE patrons that might technically make him an accessory to crimes for not reporting them, well, I'm sure Albus could use that too. If it came out and Aberforth said Albus knew all along too but Albus said he turned Ab in as soon as he found out, who's everyone going to believe?