The disappearance of Ollivander is bigger news than the small amount of attention in gets in Half-Blood Prince. We hear about his being gone very briefly in Chapter 6 of Half-Blood Prince in concert with the disappearance of Florean Fortescue, who was “dragged off, by the look of his place.” (See thisessay for an interesting and plausible theory on that). It is unknown “whether he left voluntarily or was kidnapped,” but there was “no sign of a struggle,” and all his wands and everything in his shop is gone.
Wands have played integral roles in the plot line, even beyond the plain fact that they’re the basic instrument of magical activity. The most significant event, of course, is the priori incantatem effect at the end of Goblet of Fire. Voldemort’s having a wand that would be crippled in the battle against his prophecied vanquisher is not a reasonable option for the Dark Lord. So Ollivander has disappeared, and speculations have arisen as to how and why. But I don’t think the issue has been discussed enough. Let’s visit the current theories, and then I’ll propose my own.
Ollivander Kidnapped
Since it is believed that Fortescue was “dragged off” by Death Eaters (HBP-6), and his and Ollivander’s disappearances are mentioned together, it is assumed by many that the wandmaker was kidnapped as well. We’re even left with this impression quite plainly by Mrs. Weasley:
“Mum, d’you honestly think You-Know-Who’s going to be hiding behind a bookshelf in Flourish and Blotts?” sniggered Ron.
“Fortescue and Ollivander went on holiday, did they?” said Mrs. Weasley, firing up at once. “If you think security’s a laughing matter you can stay behind and I’ll get your things myself—” (HBP-6)
Why would Voldemort want to kidnap Ollivander? Most theories suggest that Voldemort needs a new wand – one that will work properly against Harry’s – and he’s forcing Ollivander to make him one. This is probably the most popular of theories.
But we have to wonder a few things. Would Ollivander make him one? And why would all his supplies be missing? And why no struggle? Perhaps Voldemort stole all the wands too, and he plans to try each one till another “chooses” him. Or perhaps he simply intends to “disarm” the good guys, i.e., take away their primary wand supplier.
There are too many unanswered questions about this theory, in my opinion. Rowling’s description of his disappearance leaves a lot of room for speculation. More than that, I think there are better options. I think Rowling’s leaving us with Mrs. Weasley’s impression that Ollivander was kidnapped was a misdirection. A voluntary departure by Ollivander seems more likely. But whence did he depart?
Ollivander is “An Evil Lord”
In the “voluntary departure” category, there are a few possibilities. Of course, he may have just gotten scared and hid, perhaps having become aware of Harry’s status as the chosen one and the inevitability of Voldemort’s wanting a new wand. But of those who posit a voluntary departure theory, Evil!Ollivander is much more popular. His name is an anagram for “An Evil Lord.” Perhaps the old man is revealing his true colors, and he has taken himself and all his weapons for the Dark Lord’s use. Some suggest that Ollivander’s statement about the Dark Lord doing “great things…terrible, but great” is evidence of his respect for Voldemort.
Yet we have to wonder why Ollivander wouldn’t have joined the Dark Lord during VoldWar I. And as far as anagrams go, we’ve only seen the one, as far as I know, and it was deliberate change on Tom Riddle’s part, not a hidden clue placed in the text by Rowling.
Ollivander is Being Hidden
My theory fits into the “voluntary departure” category, but I don’t think he went to Voldemort. I also don’t think the Order is hiding him, though that’s been suggested and I suppose is possible. It just seems that someone in the Order would know about it if that were the case.
I think Dumbledore was hiding him. Why? Let’s back up a bit.
What do we know about Ollivander? We know he makes wands in a business that is highly respected and has been around since 382 B.C. The Mr. Ollivander we know is not, obviously, the original owner of the shop, despite some strange speculations from fandom (no, Ollivander is not Flamel…that would be too old); most likely he belongs to a very, very old wizarding family (though it should be noted that that’s a long time to keep the same surname; there isn’t anyone with the names of the founders still running around, for example).
We also know that he’s in personal communication with Dumbledore, particularly on the point of Harry’s wand (GF-36). But why would Dumbledore hide him? To answer that, we need to start with an unexpected detour.
House Elves in Goblet of Fire
There’s a lot about wands in Goblet of Fire. Ollivander makes his only other “on-stage” appearance in the series for the “weighing of the wands” prior to the Triwizard Tournament (GF-18). It’s also in this book that Dumbledore reveals his personal communication with Ollivander about the Fawkes-core wands. And the most significant wand-related even so far – priori incantatem occurs in the book’s climax.
Goblet is also the book where S.P.E.W. is born, and Hermione begins her crusade to liberate the house-elves. There’s much to be said about this subject, of course, and it has provided a good amount of material for Harry-hating among some progressive/liberal types. After all, Hermione seems to be terribly mistaken in her political attempts to free the house-elves. And just what is Rowling playing at, writing “willing slaves” into her story?
But this is surely not all Rowling has to stay about the subject. She’s been quite clear in interviews that though Hermione is mistaken in her over-zealous attempts at liberation, the house-elves story is about slavery:
The house elves is really for slavery, isn’t it, the house elves are slaves, so that is an issue that I think we probably all feel strongly about enough in this room already. [Read entire interview]
Rowling’s obviously not condoning slavery, or trying to tell us there really are such things as people who want to be enslaved. Instead, Rowling is teaching us about psychological slavery; the house-elves have been enslaved for so long, their status has firmly taken root in their minds as unchangeable and even what’s right for them. Poor Hermione doesn’t appreciate the difficulty of the situation. Speaking of Hermione and S.P.E.W., Rowling says:
Yeah, that was fairly autobiographical. My sister and I both, we were that kind of teenager. (Dripping with drama) We were that kind of, ‘I’m the only one who really feels these injustices. No one else understands the way I feel.’ I think a lot of teenagers go through that….Hermione, with the best of intentions, becomes quite self-righteous. My heart is entirely with her as she goes through this. She develops her political conscience. My heart is completely with her. But my brain tells me, which is a growing-up thing, that in fact she blunders towards the very people she’s trying to help. She offends them…She thinks it’s so easy. It’s part of what I was saying before about the growing process, of realizing you don’t have quite as much power as you think you might have and having to accept that. Then you learn that it’s hard work to change things and that it doesn’t happen overnight. Hermione thinks she’s going to lead them to glorious rebellion in one afternoon and then finds out the reality is very different, but that was fun to write. [read entire interview]
Rowling, of course, is under no obligation to finish the house-elf story, but I have a hard time believing she’s going to end it with a misguided crusade that failed to do them any good. How will she do it? Who is the calm, reasonable voice for the liberation of house-elves, in contrast to Hermione’s self-righteous, condescending zeal?
Dumbledore’s Politics
I picked up on David Colbert’s linking of the Order of the Phoenix and a political group called The Fabian Society, and before pressing on, I’m going to need to clear that up, because it’s been misunderstood.
What I am not saying is that the Order is a political group. Obviously, the Order was formed to fight Voldemort, not to effect gradual socialist change over a long period of time. As such, it is not detrimental to the point I’m trying to make to document how successful or unsuccessful the Fabians have been, as if that proves anything one way or the other. Like it or not, the link between the Order and the Fabians is there.
So what am I saying? I’m saying that we can learn about (a) Rowling’s political preferences, and (b) something of Dumbledore’s character by observing the link. We’ve learned above from Rowling that Hermione’s all-or-nothing crusade was actually insensitive and misguided, even if the ideals were correct. Here is where a Fabian approach – slow, gradual change over time rather than a sudden revolution – comes in. The Order is Dumbledore’s Order, and Rowling deliberately links them to the Fabians. Hence, we can expect a similar political outlook from Albus (who is obviously a political figure, even if he distrusts Ministry politics in general).
Fast-forward with me then to the end of Order of the Phoenix. It is no coincidence that both Albus’ greatest conflict with politicians and a pretty good look at his political views appear in the book named after the organization he founded. Remember, the idea that someone as great as Albus Dumbledore would employ house-elves was simply scandalous to Hermione. But we learn from Albus at the book’s end that he quite obviously shares Hermione’s position on the house-elves’ enslavement. Recall the fountain in the Ministry which depicted house-elves, centaurs, and giants all look with admiration upon the wizard. This is blatant prejudice, as Dumbledore makes manifest:
The fountain we destroyed tonight told a lie. We wizards have mistreated and abused our fellows for too long, and we are now reaping our reward.
The real shocker about this statement is that it’s in the midst of explaining to Harry that Kreacher, whose primary fault it was that Sirius had died, was made the way he was because of the prejudice of wizards. It’s almost as if Dumbledore thinks this point so important to get across to Harry that he’s willing to risk a little more anger and destruction out of young Harry, who is already seething with rage.
It’s obvious enough that house-elf existence at Hogwarts is far better than in many other cases. Dobby is clearly better off, and Dumbledore is not opposed to giving wages to house-elves who want them. Think about this now: Dumbledore hasn’t given the house-elves at Hogwarts pay because, as of yet, they don’t want it. He’s not insulting them. But he has provided for them a positive atmosphere where they are treated well and given any freedom that they themselves want. Slow, gradual change. House-elves at Hogwarts under Dumbledore represents a transitional period for house-elf status.
Again, Dumbledore agrees with the heart of Hermione’s concern, just not the method of change. It’s time that we revisit Hermione’s concerns, and then try to put it all together.
The Goals of S.P.E.W.
Here are the stated goals of S.P.E.W.:
Our short-term aims…are to secure house-elves fair wages and
working conditions. Our long-term aims include changing the law about non-wand use, and trying to get an elf into the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, because they’re shockingly underrepresented. (GF-14)
Fair wages, good working conditions, political representation, and … wands. Wands! I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the same book that focuses so heavily on house-elf slavery also focuses so heavily on wands, and makes the point that the wizarding prejudice against house-elves is actually institutionalized, by forbidding them wands. We should probably conclude from this that, with wands in hand, house-elves would be powerful enough to be a threat to wizards.
And a threat to wizards is exactly what we need, isn’t it? Let’s take up a quick assessment of Voldemort’s army: (1) Voldemort himself, (2) Death Eaters, (3) Dementors (a vast and growing army), (4) innumberable Inferi, (5) werewolves, and (6) giants. Yikes. Compare that to (1) Harry, (2) the bungling MoM, (3) the leaderless Order, and (4) a bunch of kids from Hogwarts, and it’s not much of a fight, is it? Something is going to have to give as full-scale war breaks out, which it will, now Dumbledore’s out of the picture.
So my theory is basically this: Ollivander’s been hidden by Dumbledore, maybe protected by a Fidelius charm (with Snape as the secret-keeper?), and he’s got wands for an army of house-elves, ready to fight for their freedom.
But they don’t want…
I know, I know. I’ve already established that a revolutionary change in house-elves’ status is not something the house-elves themselves are ready for. So why would they voluntarily fight? The key to this lies with Dobby.* Despite the fact that Dobby is held in ill-repute for wanting freedom and wages, he makes a point universal to house-elf experience in Chamber of Secrets: the house-elves were treated horribly during the first reign of Voldemort, and Harry is something of a hero to their kind. Let’s hear Dobby’s explanation:
Ah, if Harry Potter only knew…what he means to us, to the lowly, the enslaved, we dregs of the magical world! Dobby remembers how it was when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was at the height of his powers, sir! We house-elves were treated like vermin, sir! … life has improved for my kind since you triumphed over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Harry Potter survived, and the Dark Lord’s power was broken, and it was a new dawn, sir, and Harry Potter shone like a beacon of hope for those of us who thought the Dark days would never end, sir….(CS-10)
In short, then, Harry Potter may just be the person to inspire the house-elves to desire their freedom, especially if the alternative option is to return to the Dark days under Voldemort’s reign. Dobby’s words, combined with Dumbledore’s urgency to teach Harry about the evils of prejudice against other magical brethren suggests that Harry will be something of a great uniter in Book 7, and house-elves certainly have the motivation to follow his lead.
But house-elves must obey their wizarding families, correct? How many families will agree to give up their house-elves to VoldWar II, or even command them to go into battle? Probably not many.
There are, however, at least a hundred house-elves at Hogwarts, and the school may not even be open in Book 7. I’m willing to bet a good number of them were refugees from Death Eater households who fled to sanctuary with Dumbledore after Voldemort was destroyed and the DEs were rounded up after VoldWar I.
Consider this: Everything so far has foreshadowed an attempted Voldemort takeover of Hogwarts. In Books 1, 2, and 5, Dumbledore was tricked or forced entirely out of the castle. In Book 6, he was AK’d right out of the picture, and Death Eaters were loose in the school. “The only one he ever feared” is gone, and we learned from Book 6 that Hogwarts is the only place Voldemort ever truly had affection for. It’s where he wants to be. Expect an attempted Voldemort takeover of Hogwarts in Book 7.
Harry feels the same way about Hogwarts, and he’s not going to give it up without a fight. I don’t think the house-elves of Hogwarts would be too keen on having to submit to Voldemort himself, especially if many of them recall their days as slaves of Death Eaters. Look for a force of house-elves, finally armed with wands provided by Ollivander himself, in Book 7.
Where is Ollivander Hiding?
And who’s hiding him? Important questions, and I’m afraid we can’t be sure. So far, I’ve been trying to think thematically. At this point, we leave that realm, and I can only make some wild guesses. I’ll throw a few out, but don’t hold me to them.
Allow me to suggest two possibilities for his location: Godric’s Hollow or Hogwarts. The first is an attractive option for two reasons: (1) it’s a nice parallel to the Potters if there’s a Fidelius charm involved, and (2) Harry’s going there. The second is attractive for the simple reason that if Dumbledore’s plan was wands for house-elves, wouldn’t it work out nicely for Ollivander to be on-site with a hundred of them?
A fun possibility might be that he’s still in Diagon Alley, hiding at Fred and George’s place – there could be a lot of humor with the “fake wands” when the greatest wandmaker in the world is living with you. But that’s a long shot, I suppose. I’d suggest 12 Grimmauld, but as I said earlier, I’m not sure the Order knows he’s hiding.
Who’s hiding him? If there’s a Fidelius charm involved, I suggest Snape as the secret-keeper. He’s going to be all over the Book 7 plot, and it’d be a nice touch of irony (and perhaps a touch of redemption from his guilt about the Potter’s death) to be living with Wormtail and keeping a location secret from Voldemort. Because no matter what your theory, Voldemort would like to get his hands on Ollivander, or at least his supplies. Sure, there are other wandmakers, but Voldemort will settle for nothing but the best for himself. If there’s no Fidelius involved, just about anyone capable of keeping Voldemort from him will do. Whoever’s hiding him must have instructions from Dumbledore about when to reveal him and to whom – probably after Dumbledore’s death, and to Harry (this is why Snape is an attractive option, since he would have been in on the knowledge of Dumbledore’s impending death).
Wrapping it Up
As with all theories, this could be close or way off the mark, but I think it ties together some important questions: How will Rowling settle the house-elf story in a way that points them toward freedom that they want for themselves? Where is Ollivander? How in heaven’s name will Harry be able to contain Voldemort’s vast army? A hiding Ollivander, arming house-elves with wands, is a nice tie-up of all those loose ends, and perhaps a few more that I’m missing. Of course, the details could be different. Perhaps Ollivander is kidnapped, and he’ll be rescued before providing wands for the elves. But I think the theory fits well thematically, and it represents the overcoming of prejudice against house-elves. The Ministry would be forced to abandoned that prejudicial law if wand-armed house-elves helped with the defeat of Voldemort.
*It’s interesting to consider that the three magical brethren against whom the Wizarding World is fearful and prejudiced each has a representative loyal to the Good Guys in VoldWar II. Dobby is to the house-elves as Firenze is to the centaurs and Grawp to the giants. We’ll likely see Harry uniting at least some representatives from each of the groups. Correction: This is what I get for trying to finish an essay in the dark while my newborn is sleeping…the Giants are not “magical brethren.” The Goblins are the third group. Even so, the point at least stands that, of those groups oppressed by the Ministry, Rowling likes to teach us to side with at least one of their kind, one who might be able to persuade wizards to abandon their prejudices, and the outcasts to join in the war against Voldemort.
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I love these theories…I, too, think that the house elves have been SERIOUSLY underestimated by the wizarding world. I am sure that Harry will recall Dobby’s impressive defense for him against his former master, Lucius Malfoy, and seek their help in VoldWar II (which, by the way, is a HILARIOUS term…I laughed aloud when I read it here!). Harry will, indeed, be the great uniter that DD knew would come (much like Christ was on Earth…coincidence…I think not!). I was very impressed with their magic WITHOUT wands…I am very excited to see what they can do WITH them. I had not thought about Ollivander possibly arming the house elves for battle, but it makes good sense!
How you keep up with all this stuff with a new baby in the house, I will never know! As a mom of a 3 year old and a 18 month old, I must say that I am impressed!
I’m getting better at one-handed typing while holding the baby
Wow. At first I was a bit lost thinking, what do house elves have to do with Ollivander. This is an excellent theory. It just makes logical sense based on how Rowling thinks and her world views. I can’t wait to see if it pans out!
Travis,
That sure is a new way to look at Ollivander’s disappearance. Why not have an army of House Elves.. makes sense to me.
I think this is an fascinating idea.
And, Travis, I have always wondered at the fact that house elves can apparate INSIDE Hogwarts (witness Dobby) – that would sure be handy in a Voldemort takeover, eh? What’s your take on that?
By the way, congratualtions on your sweet new baby!
Dana, Rowling noted that house-elves are a “different kind of magical creature” than wizards, so they are indeed able to apparate and disapparate around Hogwarts.
It’s a powerful ability no matter whose side they’re on, especially if the final battle goes down at Hogwarts.
Thanks for the congratulations. She’s actually sleeping and letting me write at the moment!
Can anyone give me a timeline of the books? like what year what happens
I like your theory Travis, and it makes total sense. I agree that the Elves will make powerful allies. Though it is less clear what is going on with Ollivander, your idea is very plausable. Out of eveything, I especially got a kick out of your VoldWar I and II tie in. Not only is it creative, but it goes along with some of the things I have been pondering lately.
I was watching some History Channel documentaries on Hitler and it struck me how much LV has in common with him. On top of being prejudice, manipulative, evil, a smooth talker etc…, Hitler was ashamed of his own not so pure Arian family. (Can we say Mudblood?) It got to the point that he had family members murdered and evidence destroyed to maintain his identity because others began questioning his lineage too, after he had numerous people who came from mixed relations put in concentration camps or murdered. He was even black mailed by one of his relations that he would expose him if he didn’t cave to his financial needs. (Black/ black mailed, maybe that is where Regulus’ father come in?)
Things got so bad that some of his most loyal generals, Rommel comes to mind, conspired against him. Though he wanted to believe in Hitler time and time again, he found out things about Hitler that finally convinced him that he was not doing what was in the best interrest of everyone else. Hitler secretly had him killed. Hmmm… this sounds kind of like R.A.B. perhap, or even SS.
One of the most interresting connections besides the being ashamed of his own blood was the fact that in the end he died by his own hand because he couldn’t accept defeat. Though LV killed himself accidentally, I wonder if this might come into play at the very end of the series.
Anyhow, sorry if I rambled on there. It just seemed like a huge parrallel to me and I have to wonder if Hitler was a role model of sorts for LV’s character. What do you think?
Ryan, HP Lexicon has great timelines. Click here.
I am glad that someone has realised the importance of Ollivander. He seems to have a great deal of importance in the books in contrast with with his presence. Jo gives him a very lengthy description when we meet him in his shop and the depiction of his eyes might be significant given JKR’s recent comments on said organs. I am really impressed by your theory that Ollivander may be at Godric’s Hollow and that Harry will meet him the final book maybe he will have more to say on why Harry and Voldemort’s wands picked them.
HOW DID VOLDEMORT GET HIS WAND BACK???????
P.S. Ollivander may be also be important because there is an opening for a replacement Dumbledore and he is by far the most similar character to Dumbledore we have met.
Andrew, the most popular theory, and I think a very good one, is that Wormtail was with Voldemort on the night he attacked the Potters, and he picked up Voldemort’s wand after he was destroyed.
I’ve been thinking for a while about wands and their purpose. What is their purpose? Plenty of wizards seem to do magic without them.
Do they increase the power of a spell? It seems unnecessary. Harry has apparated onto his school roof when young, reducto-ed the glass on the boa constrictor exhibit, metamorphmagused his hair after a haircut, blown up Aunt Marge and also open locked doors.
Quirrel was able to rope-up Harry with a snap of his fingers (Snape and Pettigrew used their wands to do the same thing) and called them off with a hand clap. He also was going to perform a “Deadly curse” (AK?) just by raising his hand. Weren’t there also babies at the Quiddich World Cup that here doing magic without wands?
Do they help in aiming a spell? Unlikely, for the same reasons in the examples above. The magic used does what’s intended just fine.
They may help in aiding a wizard or witch perform a required gesture like folding socks with a flourish of the wand.
But what I think they are is an authority symbol. The person using a wand is officially sanctioned to use magic. Like Travis has posted, keeping them out of the hands of house elves is keeping them subjugated and disenfranchised. But the house-elves have their own magic that doesn’t require them to use wands. Dobby was able to blast Lucius Malfoy away without any wand assistance.
If wizards and witches can do magic just fine without wands why are they trained to rely on them? Is it to enforce the sundering of the magical kindreds?
Matt
I THINK I HAVE HAD A HARRY POTTER EPIPHANY (HAVEN’T WE ALL)!!! OKAY OKAY HERE I GO:
I WILL BEGIN WITH A QUESTION – WHAT EXACTLY MADE THE SCAR ON HARRY POTTERS FOREHEAD?
THIS IS PERHAPS THE MOST OVERLOOKED BIT OF INFORMATION IN THE WHOLE SERIES. ON ALL THE FORUMS THAT I HAVE VISITED, VERY FEW PEOPLE HAVE ACTUALLY TAKEN A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SCAR. ON THAT FATEFUL DAY (OR NIGHT)IN GODRICS HOLLOW, WHAT ARE THE EXACT EVENTS THAT WENT INTO THE FORMATION OF THAT LIGHTNING SHAPED SCAR. THINK ABOUT IT. WE KNOW THAT IT WAS PUT THERE BY VOLDERMORT BUT HOW? WHEN HE TRIED THE KILLING CURSE ON HARRY AND IT BACKFIRED DID THIS CAUSE THE SCAR? OR WAS IT SOMETHING ELSE? WELL GET READY FOR THIS: I THINK THAT THE SCAR WAS CAUSED BY THE SWORD OF GODRIC GRYFINNDOR!!!!
VOLDEMORT “MARKED” HARRY AS HIS EQUAL WITH THE SWORD!!!! LEMME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK (BE GENTLE PLS
Perhaps it is significant that Ollivander’s last act before vanishing was selling Neville a new wand.
Ollivander might have been replaced (via polyjuice) so that Neville got a “special†wand. Remember, Voldemort STILL doesn’t know the entire prophecy and might be a bit curious about Neville.
And how about Trevor? I’m curious about that long-lived toad!
Even with all these theories, we should ask ourselves WHERE Ollivander is; I think that he is somewhere near the final horcrux.
Ollivander’s life expectancy is probably tied to LV’s need for a new wand. LV’s old one won’t do, of course, because it is useless against Harry.
The wand chooses the wizard, we know, but we don’t know if that selection process is linked to the wizard’s soul. If it is, LV might have trouble getting a new wand that will work well against Harry’s.
Ollivander’s location might be significant because he is apt to be with LV’s wand and LV is not apt to be very far away from his own wand.
I bet Fawkes would have no trouble locating that feather of his (at the core of LV’s wand), and Fawkes could also transport the Trio to that location (LV’s HQ).
I wouldn’t expect Ollivander to live much longer than it takes to make the new wand. LV does not want people to know what he’s up to, so it’s unlikely that Ollivander would simply be released (unless he was Imperiused).
In my previous post, I mentioned the fact that one of the last things Ollivander did before disappearing was sell a new wand to Neville. I still think this is important to the discussion of what happened to Ollivander.
First of all, wonderful site and excellent hypothesis on Ollivander’s eventual purpose.
Ollivander would likely make a great Headmaster. Another possibility is that McGonagall keeps the Headmistress job and Ollivander gets Transfiguration (remember, he did some nice Charms/conjuring work in the wand-weighing ceremony, and I think the two subjects are likely very similar). I especially like the idea of Ollivander becoming the Transfiguration teacher in view of the Hufflepuff’s-cup-is-Tom-Riddle’s-award-for-magical-talent-is-a-horcrux hypothesis. Ollivander could provide fresh insight to Harry et al that helps to identify and destroy that horcrux.
Finally, I had an epiphany while reading your essay, when you wrote of Harry being a uniter, a Jesus figure. The parallel would make Dumbledore a John the Baptist figure, who must shine Jesus/Harry onto the exact path for conquering evil. Also, JTB/DD had to die to clear the way for JC/HP. If JKR was thinking of this while writing, then which character is Snape? The “daughter of Herodias” (Herrod’s niece) danced for JtB’s head, wanting to kill JtB out of pure desire. That doesn’t seem to fit. Or, Snape could be a literary transference of Judas to killing JtB/DD instead of setting up JC/HP. This is what I find interesting. The biblical account has Judas set up JC for money and political protection, which parallels what Evil!Snape would do vis-a-vis Voldy and the DEs. An alternate version of events can be found in the Gospel of Judas (an apocryphal text banned, along with many other gospels, after the Council of Nicea (325AD). In that gospel, Judas is portrayed as fully trusted by and loyal to JC, and is asked by JC to carry out the most important task: setting up JC to be killed so as to fulfil the prophesies about JC and to allow JC to finally and fully confront evil. This of course is a perfect parallel to Good!Snape. I may have to go to JKR’s site and ask her this question. Thoughts anyone?
I think that’s carrying the Biblical analogy too far.
While the prevailing theory is that LV needs a new wand that is effective against Harry; wouldn’t the same be true of Harry?
I think that it is possible that Voldemort want Ollivander because he knew much about wands, when Harry met him in the first book, Ollivander remembers exactly the wands from his parents and which spells did they perform best. If you want battle you have to know your enemies and the weapons they are going to use, so Voldemort needs Ollivander for that. Also i think that maybe he knew about the horcruxes because of the “terrible great things” he mentioned, and that is why he was hidden, to protect that information and maybe we are going to see him again but this time giving his advice to Harry…
Yes, you and I actually agree on this point. DD has hidden Olivander. Dumbledore is not aligned with the MoM, so no reason that Arthur would know of Olivanders whereabouts as book 6 ends. My guess: he is at 12 Grimmauld Place and will have a heart to heart with Harry when the boy comes to take over his secure bachelor pad as B7 gets underway.
If he is at 12 Grimmauld Place then maybe he will know in book 7 where does the locket. Everybody says that harry will go to this place to take the locket but remember that Kreacher was taking the things of the Black family and then he just didn’t reappear so maybe he took the locket, or maybe the locket was sold by Mundungus because he also took this things and sold them…
I love this theory but have a tiny qualm about it. I don’t put too much store into what is, and is not, included in the movie version of the Potter books usually but remember a comment regarding the making of Prisoner of Azkaban. The director wanted to place the beheading of Buckbeak in a graveyard and the idea was vetoed by Jo Rowling because in future books there would be a graveyard at Hogwarts and the location would not be the same. If, in fact, the house elves are so pivotal to the last book would she have allowed them to be completely excised from the filmed version of Goblet of Fire?
What say ye?
professor-mum, whilst it is true that Dumbledore is not aligned with the MoM and Arthur would not have gained information about his plans from that quarter, this is rather beside the point because Arthur is a stalwart of the Order of the Phoenix and it seems likely that if Dumbledore had hidden Ollivander he’d have involved the order in it and that Arthur would know, as a member or the Order, rather than as an employee of the MoM.
On the new book cover art, there don’t seem to be any wands (!)
That’s true there is no wands in the book 7 cover, but that doesn’t mean that Ollivander can’t give good information for both sides about the special features of every wand and their master, so he could also be an important character in this story
Jk did say that there would be more info on wands in B7. I also wanted to mention that there does’nt seem to be a spell for every little thing. i think that the amount of things you can do is based on the power of your mind and willpower and how strong you have a command over what you want to do. An example is when a O.W.L tester said “Dumbledore did things with a wand that i’ve never seen!”. There also seems to be a varying level of magic-ness among wizards because when some wizards say something (like PROTEGO) it seems stronger than when others say it, further adding to my power theory.Some wizards are very powerful like LV and DD and some seem weak like Neville or Lockhart and I don’t think that has anything to do with how many spells they know. Plz give your thoughts
seriously_black, DD held things back from the Order as well. IF ths theory pans out in some form, I would guess he’s with the goblins(safe), to bring them in and round it out. just a guess
This is a theory that seems to come from JKR’s own mind
I like your theory, and I think you may be right.
Another thing to consider- Nevil gets the -last- wand from Olivander’s shop, then he disappears in the morning. I think he was waiting for Nevil. It’s the wand that chooses the wizard yes? And Nevil is also oddly marked by destiny, but has been blocked in some ways by his grandmother pushing him to be his father (whose wand he was using up till he got his own from Olivander).
I think Nevil is due to show even more metal, and that Olivander was expecting that and waiting to leave. It also makes it look a lot more voluntary.
I also wonder if -Olivander- dragged off Fortescue. It didn’t say his place was destroyed, or the dark mark seen over it (as it might be if death eaters had gotten it). It said it looked like he’d been “dragged off”. And they disappeared the same night- one after making a long-awaited sale and packing up neatly, the other less willing. Hmmm.