Is he dead? Or not? Episode II - The R.A.B. Edition
What do the omissions in the American edition mean? Do they hint that someone we believe to be dead is still alive?
I copied this directly from the dumbledoreisnotdead.com page (I don't own the American edition):
This is the text as it appears in the UK edition:
He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got not choice." "Come over to the right side, Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban...when the time comes we can protect him too...come over to the right side, Draco...you are not a killer..." Malfoy stared at Dumbledore. (HBP UK Edition pg 552)
But this is the same passage from the American edition (text missing from the UK edition is bold):
He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice." "He cannot kill you if you are already dead. Come over to the right side Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise. Nobody would be surprised that you had died in your attempt to kill me -- forgive me, but Lord Voldemort probably expects it. Nor would the Death Eaters be surprised that we had captured and killed your mother -- it is what they would do themselves, after all. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban...When the time comes we can protect him too. Come over to the right side, Draco...you are not a killer..." Malfoy stared at Dumbledore. (HBP US Edition pg 591)
Both of the omissions are directly related, they are about having Draco appeared to have died, so it would seem the omissions are intentional.
To my knowlegde, this has not been discussed very intently in the fandom (or I missed it, I don't know), and I don't understand why, because for me this is really fascinating.
I do not think that Dumbledore is hinting about what he intends to do, pretending to be dead when the wizarding world most needs him. But don't you think that in offering Draco and his family this specific kind of protection it is shown that this was done by the Order before? More specifically, that people who wanted to change from the Death-Eater-side to the good side are offered this option if they are in great danger from Voldemort?
For me one likely candidate for this would be Regulus Black, or R.A.B. (assuming it's him). He was a Death Eater, but not only did he want to leave Voldemort, he tried to actively help bringing about his downfall. Could he be still alive, and safe, because Voldemort thinks he has been killed?
Of course I realize the flaw in this theory: if the Order protected/protects Regulus, Dumbledore should have known about the fake Horcrux, and the journey to the cave becomes meaningless.
Anyway, what do you think? Any other people who are believed dead who could be just under protection? Amelia Bones, maybe?
Or is it foreshadowing for what's going to be Draco's path in the 7th book? That he will be "redeemed" and hidden by the Order? Or by Snape?
Maybe this omission of very interesting text means nothing at all?
I copied this directly from the dumbledoreisnotdead.com page (I don't own the American edition):
This is the text as it appears in the UK edition:
He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got not choice." "Come over to the right side, Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban...when the time comes we can protect him too...come over to the right side, Draco...you are not a killer..." Malfoy stared at Dumbledore. (HBP UK Edition pg 552)
But this is the same passage from the American edition (text missing from the UK edition is bold):
He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice." "He cannot kill you if you are already dead. Come over to the right side Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise. Nobody would be surprised that you had died in your attempt to kill me -- forgive me, but Lord Voldemort probably expects it. Nor would the Death Eaters be surprised that we had captured and killed your mother -- it is what they would do themselves, after all. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban...When the time comes we can protect him too. Come over to the right side, Draco...you are not a killer..." Malfoy stared at Dumbledore. (HBP US Edition pg 591)
Both of the omissions are directly related, they are about having Draco appeared to have died, so it would seem the omissions are intentional.
To my knowlegde, this has not been discussed very intently in the fandom (or I missed it, I don't know), and I don't understand why, because for me this is really fascinating.
I do not think that Dumbledore is hinting about what he intends to do, pretending to be dead when the wizarding world most needs him. But don't you think that in offering Draco and his family this specific kind of protection it is shown that this was done by the Order before? More specifically, that people who wanted to change from the Death-Eater-side to the good side are offered this option if they are in great danger from Voldemort?
For me one likely candidate for this would be Regulus Black, or R.A.B. (assuming it's him). He was a Death Eater, but not only did he want to leave Voldemort, he tried to actively help bringing about his downfall. Could he be still alive, and safe, because Voldemort thinks he has been killed?
Of course I realize the flaw in this theory: if the Order protected/protects Regulus, Dumbledore should have known about the fake Horcrux, and the journey to the cave becomes meaningless.
Anyway, what do you think? Any other people who are believed dead who could be just under protection? Amelia Bones, maybe?
Or is it foreshadowing for what's going to be Draco's path in the 7th book? That he will be "redeemed" and hidden by the Order? Or by Snape?
Maybe this omission of very interesting text means nothing at all?