Asphodel wrote:Mistress Siana wrote: murderer in Snape.
I may disagree with that.... but that's another thread.
I know what you mean, and if I remember correctly, I actually don't think we disagree much on Snape's loyalities. I think it also works if he's on DD's side, but you're right, that's for another thread. And Bextra, I think you misunderstand me. I don't mean the DADA position makes somebody evil, I think it reveals the worst part of the person teaching the subject. It has to do someting, for even if it isn't a Horcrux, it's still obviously cursed.
Curse or blessing? It depends on the case, I think. I'd say it's not necessarily a bad thing to hide the worst in you, if you can control it. Doubtless, it was a blessing as far as Crouch or Quirrell are concerned, but Lupin?
Would Dumbledore have known, and would Voldemort have risked it? Well, let's see. Right under DD's nose, Tom Riddle/Lord Voldemort has so far
-opened the Chamber of Secrets and killed a girl
-framed Hagrid for it
-made Horcruxes, without DD finding out for more than 40 years!
-cursed the DADA position
-entered Hogwarts in a turban
-possessed a girl and opened the CoS again
-had a Death Eater impersonate an old friend of DD's for a year
-proved himself totally equal to DD in a duel
-got DD killed
So, it seems that if Voldemort wants to hide something from DD, he is very well able to. I'd say it would be foolish to assume that Voldemort couldn't have outsmarted Dumbledore. And, if DD had no idea what exactly it was that LV did to achieve immortality, how could he have prevented it? After all, it was only because of Lucius's foolishness and Harry's bravery that he found out about the Horcruxes in the first place. And, again, I thinks it's very unlikely that a Horcrux itself could be detected. The dark magic guarding it, yes. The conceiling charms hiding it, yes. But the soul itself? It's not dark magic, it's just a part of a soul, and a soul is not poisoned, not even that of Lord Voldemort. Hell, Dumbledore couldn't detect a Horcrux when it wrote 'enemies of the heir, beware!'
on a wall, so how could he ever have noticed one resting peacefully
in a wall? The diary btw seemed to be different to the other Horcruxes, so I think it had additional enchantments.