Dolohov's workings show through a little bit more

[elisem.livejournal.com]

In Dolohov's comment in this post, it suddenly became noticeable how he's using the Hufflepuff system of values -- the bonds of loyalty and teamwork -- on Pomona, or trying to. She gave him a slightly chilly response, and he doubled down on mentioning all the help he's gotten from Aurora, with an implication that Pomona certainly should be helping him too, for the good of the school. (He really is a Slytherin, and one of a certain type, isn't he?)

I'm also beginning to notice how often he plays the infirmities card. It's getting to be as much a marker as Umbridge's "hem hem!" He retreats into his charming confusion whenever he doesn't get the wholehearted cooperation and welcome that he wants. It'll be interesting to see if that continues. Of course, his infirmities are real -- and of course, he'll use them to orchestrate whatever he can.

The real standout in the exchange with Pomona, however, was that he did not acknowledge in any way the malignant horribleness of the Carrows. He said, instead, " I had of course known Alecto and Amycus for quite some time, and while they were both powerful practitioners of their subject and both could have been suited to mentoring gifted adult apprentices, their style was not necessarily what I would consider effective with children and en masse." Is it because he is so used to seeing whatever helps Lord Voldemort as just fine? Does he subtract the less important things from his view of the world, like the Carrows' cruelty, manipulativeness and, yeah, there's that little bit about murdering a student, too? Saying "But though Aurora has painted me the broad outlines of what transpired, I had somehow failed to comprehend the extent of the damage influences upon the childrens' fears" made me gasp a little bit. A teacher killed a student, in a deliberate rather than accidental action, and what you have to say is that the teacher in question would have been better at mentoring a gifted adult?

And to say this to Pomona, who was, as Siz said at the time, hit quite hard by Hannah's death, is... well, sir, while you seem to be willing to use the existence of Hufflepuff loyalty and team spirit when it is to your advantage in securing a favorable reception for yourself, but it's clear that you don't really understand what it means, do you? (Note to Antonin's player: beautifully done!)