Comment author: Strilanc 04 March 2015 10:38:19PM 3 points [-]

Hm, my take-away from the end of the chapter was a sad feeling that Quirrel simply failed at or lied about getting both houses to win.

Comment author: yaeiou 05 March 2015 12:14:54AM 2 points [-]

Quirrell was adverse to outright lies, so at this point I think he failed.

Comment author: Oshi 04 March 2015 09:33:03PM 10 points [-]

Unless they award the points in response to Voldy being killed by Hermione. Which means even in dying, Quirrel wins.

Comment author: yaeiou 04 March 2015 10:19:07PM 1 point [-]

The annihilation of Quirrell!Mort (assuming that is what's happened) isn't something I can envisage as being part of Quirrell's plot. So, although the outcome Quirrell was aiming for coming to pass would make it look like he was successful in fact his plot failed and Harry's plot on his behalf succeeded.

It can be argued that Quirrell manipulation of Harry to ensure Quirrell was seen to win was a strand in Quirrell's plot. But, his fear of death / destruction of his horcrux was so profound my model of Quirrell wouldn't perceive himself to have won under these circumstances.

Comment author: yaeiou 04 March 2015 09:30:52PM 1 point [-]

I'm not sure how Quirrell's last plot could still come to fruition. Slytherin have won the house cup and one of the professors awarding house points to Ravenclaw at this stage would feel like Quirrell's plotting had failed.

Comment author: Chives 28 February 2015 08:28:19PM *  2 points [-]

A transfigured port key in his glasses does seem possible, or some kind of explosive device hidden in the transfigured ring.

EDIT: Fawkes is also a way out here, if Harry can delay an enemy attack for several seconds

Second edit (the serious one): The ring contains some kind of binding device. This could be the blinding potion Harry used in battles, a set of flash-bang grenades, or (most likely) a seventh-year variant of the blinding potion Harry bought off a student. This countermeasure will blind the unwarded death eaters which allows Harry to immediately fall to the ground and call Fawkes. Fawkes teleports Harry out and allows escape.

Comment author: yaeiou 28 February 2015 08:37:35PM 1 point [-]

I was thinking of a transfigured portkey attached to one of his fingernails. That way even if bound he should still be able to activate it.

Comment author: Astazha 21 February 2015 09:24:02PM 21 points [-]

And then one year Baba Yaga agreed to teach Battle Magic at Hogwarts, under an old and respected truce." Professor Quirrell looked... angry, a look such as Harry had rarely seen on him. "But she was not trusted, and so there was invoked a curse.

And although Perenelle was new-come into the beauty of her youth, her heart was already blacker than Baba Yaga's own -"

Ah, yes, Perenelle, the beautiful and covetous. Perenelle seduced the Dark Lady over the months, with gentle touches and flirtations and the shy pretense of innocence. The Dark Lady's heart was captured, and they became lovers. And then one night Perenelle whispered how she had heard of Baba Yaga's shape-changing power and how this thought had enflamed her desires; thus Perenelle swayed Baba Yaga to come to her with the Stone in hand, to assume many guises in a single night, for their pleasures. Among other forms Perenelle bid Baba Yaga take the form of a man; and they lay together in the fashion of a man and a woman.

Does anyone else think this reads like Quirrel has an awful lot of emotional connection to and personal memories about this story, almost as if it were Baba Yaga speaking about herself in the 3rd person? Could Riddle or Quirrel have come across a Baba Yaga horcrux? The resurrection stone, perhaps? Earlier than that? Why would Perenelle share these secrets? How would anyone know these details if Baba Yaga was dead and Perenelle had not shared them? No one else would have been present for those private moments.

And what are the odds that a Dark Lady like Baba Yaga did not have a horcrux?

In Ch. 70 Quirrel makes a point during the S.P.H.E.W. confrontation with the headmaster that Dark Ladies are also underrepresented, and that few could name one except Baba Yaga. Self-reference?

She would probably need to be faking the map labelling her (and Harry?) as Tom Riddle, but a sorceress as powerful as Baba Yaga combined with the secrets of Salazar, who created the Hogwarts security system in the first place, could probably accomplish that.

Notice what Quirrel does and doesn't say in parseltongue:

"None of it iss known to me to be falsse," said Professor Quirrell. "Telling a tale implies filling in certain gaps; I was not present to observe when Perenelle seduced Baba Yaga. The bassicss sshould be mosstly correct, I think."

Comment author: yaeiou 22 February 2015 06:44:03PM 3 points [-]

In chapter 25 the Weasley twins discuss the map

" How's it doing?" said Fred in a low voice. "Still on the fritz," said George. "Both, or -" "Intermittent one fixed itself again. Other one's same as ever."

I now think this refers to warm!Harry showing up as HJPEV and his dark side as Tom M. Riddle. If so, it's less probable the map is being manipulated.