Why did Crouch teach Harry to resist the Imperius Curse? Plus a brief discussion of whether or not one can learn to resist Imperius
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Genre conventions regarding coercion and how these may be reflected in canon. Speculation on how precisely the Fidelius Charm works, and why Pettigrew did not merely claim to have had the Potters' location wrested from him by force. The Dark Mark as a binding ritual compact, and the extent to which anyone could be said to bear it "unwillingly." The Death Eaters' likely feelings about Voldemort's reincorporation.
Discussion of the Serpensortia scene in CoS and whether or not it indicates that Snape was trying to smoke out Harry's Parseltongue abilities from the very start, followed by a discussion on the nature of the Dark Arts and of Divination. I suggest that all of the truly effective forms of Divination available to humans in the Potterverse may be considered Dark magic.
Speculation on the nature of life debts and a suggestion that the consequences of Barty Jr's violation of his own life-debt to his father might well have affected the end-game of GoF. Also, my first defense of the claim that Barty Jr. did not really want to commit parricide.
Examines the possibility that Crouch Jr. might really have been innocent of the assault on the Longbottoms, suggests that allegiance to Voldemort might have imbued the Death Eaters with special magical powers, and summarizes the Fourth Man Avery theory.
Discussion of the Memory Charmed Neville theory, and of Neville's character and memory charms in general. Lays forth evidence that Neville's magical problems stem not from a lack of magical power, but from a lack of control over that power. Argues that Neville deliberately downplays his own magical competence, encouraging others to view him as less powerful than he really is, and hypothesizes as to why he might choose to do so. Also touches on his relationship with Snape.
Speculation on how the Dark Mark might work, the ramifications of the mystic bond between Voldemort and his DEs, Voldemort's motivations in GoF, and why he might have named the names he named in the Graveyard scene.
Part one of a three-part survey of Memory Charmed Neville theories. This part covers the "No Suppressed Memory At All," the "Psychological Repression," the "Spontaneous Magic," and the classic "Well-Intended Memory Charm" theories. It was also, by the way, my very first "TBAY" prefixed post.
Part Two of the Memory Charm Symposium, this one examines the "Wizarding Witness Protection Program," "Wizards In Black," "Hidden Source" and "Reverse Memory Charm" theories of Neville's purported memory charm.
Third and last part of the Memory Charm Symposium. Covers the "Cover Up At the Ministry," "DEPRECIATION" and "Memory Charm Most Foul" theories of Neville's purported Memory Charm.
A challenge to the Reverse Memory Charm theory, both in terms of its canonical defensibility and in terms of its dramatic possibilities for future canon ("Bang").
On the hoary old question of whether or not boggarts can really assume the powers and abilities of the forms they take.
Why don't wizards disapparate themselves out of trouble more often? And why did various characters (Pettigrew, Lupin, Sirius, etc.) not use apparation as a means of transport at various points in the story?
More on apparating: a canon correction to the last post, apparating as an analogue to driving, and "splinching" as a deliberate authorial check to unwanted types of plot resolution.
Argues that allegiance to Voldemort imbued the Death Eaters with special Dark powers. Also contains a defense of the idea that at the time of his trial, Crouch Jr. had been out of school for less than a year; an evaluation of Peter Pettigrew's magical abilities; and an argument that the DEs were deliberately aiming to miss at the end of the graveyard scene in GoF.
More defense of the "allegiance to Dark forces imbues wizards with special powers" theory, with the additional suggestion that Voldemort's return to semi-corporeal form and to British shores at the beginning of GoF might have been responsible for empowering and emboldening the Death Eaters. Also, a rejection of the notion that Peter Pettigrew's magical ability is particularly adrenaline-powered.
Discussion of contributing factors to the strength of an Imperius Curse, with particular emphasis on why Crouch Jr.'s will to resist should have grown stronger at the beginning of GoF. Also, some teasing support of the ludicrous "Cruciatus Makes You Stronger" theory.
More about Voldemort's original plan for the Triwizard Portkey. Includes a short defense of Fudge's skills as a bipartisan political leader.
Discussion of that Magic Quill, which JKR has claimed (in interview) writes down the names of all of the magical children born in a given year in a book kept in Hogwarts. Also a discussion of whether the wizarding world practices infanticide on baby Squibs.
Is there a connection between wandless and Dark magic?
Defense of the (now canonically-established) theory that MWPP really *did* bully Snape back in their school days, followed by a thematic analysis of Snape's Grudge, the Train Stomp, and the end game of PoA.
Some thoughts about the possibility of a Weasley vulnerability to mental domination (To what extent would it violate the series' thematic emphasis on choice? Could it have been the reason that Lucius Malfoy targetted Ginny as the victim of Riddle's Diary? Could it have been the reason that Crouch/Moody did not think that Ron would make a good Auror?) Also, speculation that Harry was actually the intended recipient of Riddle's Diary, and some commentary on Crouch Jr. and Sr's respective degrees of Imperius-resistance (as well as on their physical dissimilarities).
Part six of nine. Examines Crouch's behavior in regard to his son after the QWC and takes a cold hard look at his thematic role within the text.
Part seven of nine. Crouch's mirror relationship with his son, his redemption scene, and his thematic function within the context of the series as a bildungsroman. Also, some discussion of the relevance of mirrors not only to the Crouch subplot, but also to the series as a whole and to reading practice itself. Includes a rather snarky Lacan reference.
Part eight of nine. The nature of Crouch's madness and death, and his possibilities as a future canonical ghost. Some discussion of ghosts in the Potterverse. Textual evidence that Barty Jr. did not really want to kill his father. And a bit of sympathy, for a change, for poor old Crouch Sr.
Crouch Jr. and the extent to which his actions can be said to be motivated by love, the canonical plausibility of Crouch Jr. reappearing in future canon, the extent to which we are meant to read his veritaserum confession as objective truth, the thematic significance of bones and burial in GoF, and the attitude of people of the Crouch's social class towards marital infidelity; followed by a discussion of the House Elves, their relationship to folkloric "dobbies," and their role within Wizarding Society.
Pettigrew's silver hand: what it is made of (Wizarding Silvery Soul Stuff (tm)), and the possibility that it might in the end prove a very serious threat to Voldemort himself
On Crouch's inability to remember Percy's name, viewed thematically, in terms of authorial technique, and in terms of the plot. Reiterates my pet theory that Voldemort's return to corporeal form was the cause of Barty Jr.'s growing ability to resist the Imperius.
Question of who has invisibility cloaks and whether James Potter's possession of one might indicate that he had been a member of the DMLE. Contains a truly egregious canon error, which was cleared up in the next post.
Evaluation of the canonical plausibility of a sequence of Longbottom Incident theories, followed by a discussion of the possibility that Crouch's invisibility cloak was left behind at the scene there, thus leading Crouch himself to feel convinced of his son's guilt. Also contains a canon correction to an error made upthread, and an attack on the MAGICDISHWASHER theory with the claim that scenarios in which people screw up royally are actually far more in keeping with the spirit of canon than those in which they are being very clever and planning everything from the very start.
Defends the idea that Invisibility Cloaks belong to wizarding aristocrats, not to members of the DMLE.
Analysis of Crouch Sr's behavior at the drawing of names from the Goblet as evidence that (a) he knew who "Moody" really was, and (b) he was attempting to fight off the Imperius Curse.
Argues against the notion that wizards can identify other wizards by sensing their magical power
Discussion of how veritaserum works. Quotes at length from an earlier post to argue that those under the influence of veritaserum are not utterly stripped of personality or volition.
