3) Quirrell was pattern matching. People would see their worst memory when faced with a dementor, Harry needed to see a death to be able to see thestrals, and the murder of his parents was a likely candidate for his worst memory.
At that point, and perhaps at no point, did Harry tell Quirrell the details of what he remembered, so your objections about the detailed nature of the memory aren’t very strong. That a 1 year old could process Mommy being killed doesn’t seem like that much of a stretch.
You’re right that the elaborate nature of the memories does point them to being fakes, it’s just that Harry hasn’t told Quirrell how elaborate those memories are.
But the next few sentences are support for your theory.
“Did you recall anything of interest, thereby?” “Yes,” Harry said, “I did,” only that and nothing more, for he was
not ready as yet to make accusations. The Defense Professor smiled one of his dry smiles, and beckoned
with an impatient finger.
The Professor would make a poor poker player—he can never help smiling about his own cleverness. The book is full of such tells. I think EY makes these as purposeful tells.
Overall I think the most likely explanation is that Quirrell planted Harry’s memory of Godric’s Hollow.
I think it is highly unreasonable that Quirrell/Voldemort would have managed to get himself killed when he was alone with a 1 year old. Would a guy trying to protect his life with multiple horcruxes been so ridiculously sloppy about the child with a prophesied power to destroy him?
Pop in a henchman (bellatrix) and have her drop a large rock on Harry’s head. Done.
More likely, Quirrell left Harry alive and faked his own death for his own purposes.
My original theory is that Quirrell plans to take possession of Harry’s body at some point in the future, and so was setting him up, and is setting him up, as the slayer of the Dark Lord so that he can be that savior some day.
Dumbledore attempted to get Voldemort killed with a dark ritual, performed by Lily. Voldemort recognized the ploy, and played along, making it seemingly come true.
Lately, I’ve been wondering if Harry is Quirrell. Between time traveling and bodily possession, there are about a zillion ways that the Magical Link of Doom between Harry and Quirrell is actually the interaction of the same person time turned.
As for implanting the memory, see my previous EDIT upthread on Dumbledore doing it while Harry was demented.
Harry didn’t quite know how to describe in words the sense of kinship he felt with Professor Quirrell, except to say that the Defense Professor was the only clear-thinking person Harry had met in the wizarding world. Sooner or later everyone else started playing Quidditch, or not putting protective shells on their time machines, or thinking that Death was their friend. It didn’t matter how good their intentions were. Sooner or later, and usually sooner, they demonstrated that something deep inside their brain was confused. Everyone except Professor Quirrell. It was a bond that went beyond anything of debts owed, or even anything of personal liking, that the two of them were alone in the wizarding world. And if the Defense Professor occasionally seemed a little scary or a little Dark, well, that was just the same thing some people said about Harry.
3) Quirrell was pattern matching. People would see their worst memory when faced with a dementor, Harry needed to see a death to be able to see thestrals, and the murder of his parents was a likely candidate for his worst memory.
At that point, and perhaps at no point, did Harry tell Quirrell the details of what he remembered, so your objections about the detailed nature of the memory aren’t very strong. That a 1 year old could process Mommy being killed doesn’t seem like that much of a stretch.
You’re right that the elaborate nature of the memories does point them to being fakes, it’s just that Harry hasn’t told Quirrell how elaborate those memories are.
But the next few sentences are support for your theory.
The Professor would make a poor poker player—he can never help smiling about his own cleverness. The book is full of such tells. I think EY makes these as purposeful tells.
I think it is highly unreasonable that Quirrell/Voldemort would have managed to get himself killed when he was alone with a 1 year old. Would a guy trying to protect his life with multiple horcruxes been so ridiculously sloppy about the child with a prophesied power to destroy him?
Pop in a henchman (bellatrix) and have her drop a large rock on Harry’s head. Done.
More likely, Quirrell left Harry alive and faked his own death for his own purposes.
My original theory is that Quirrell plans to take possession of Harry’s body at some point in the future, and so was setting him up, and is setting him up, as the slayer of the Dark Lord so that he can be that savior some day.
Dumbledore attempted to get Voldemort killed with a dark ritual, performed by Lily. Voldemort recognized the ploy, and played along, making it seemingly come true.
Lately, I’ve been wondering if Harry is Quirrell. Between time traveling and bodily possession, there are about a zillion ways that the Magical Link of Doom between Harry and Quirrell is actually the interaction of the same person time turned.
As for implanting the memory, see my previous EDIT upthread on Dumbledore doing it while Harry was demented.
One of the many Harry=Quirrell passages.