Who is Snape's source, and why is he telling Voldemort? He no longer has the access to the Order which would make it likely for him to obtain the information, so he could escape it. Is it so that he will be in favour and gain the Headmastership? That would seem the most sensible explanation for me at this point. But I cannot remember. Has he gotten the information from Mundungus?

How has Voldemort come by the information that he must be the one to kill Harry? Has he simply deduced it from earlier failed attempts by others?

Plans to kill Scrimgeour are in place (not surprising, I suppose).

And Wormtail's hand is touched on as there is a trace of silver when he leaves the room. Just in case we forgot.

There is the whole sub-plot of Dumbledore's past, which is central to the book. Discovering Dumbledore is about as important as defeating Voldemort, I think, and while the Voldemort story is the plot cupon part of the book, Dumbledore's back history is the nod back to the detective story structure of the earlier books. In these chapters we are told that Dumbledore's father killed muggles and that Dumbledore loved them.

And then the clues that will later put this into question: the grand tour that was planned but never happened, Dumbledore forced to take care of his siblings rather than make the most of his talents, the death or Ariana (with Dumbledore's feeling of guilt hidden in Doge's assurance that of course he must be guiltless) leading to an estrangement from Aberforth. And, of course, the duel with Grindewald, which is so central to the whole plot of the book. There is so much there already in the first newspaper clipping. Even "the greater good". And then that is followed by the dangling suggestions of the Skeeter interview.

There is also the blue eye in the mirror fragment, which Harry takes to be Dumbledore, but which will (if I recall correctly) turn out to be Dobby.


It is interesting that the magical community is for once intruding on the Dursleys' lives in a protective way. In order to protect them against a worse violent intrusion, of course -- perhaps that invalidates it. But I think this is the first time magic has been used to help them. I thought it worth noting since it has been a topic before.