Yeah, though somehow I believe him. Though if RidVolQuir can lie well enough that I believe him, with all my extra knowledge, no wonder Harry is fooled.
Reasons for believing him, though, are:
The “don’t want to be a Dark Lord, not enough fun” rationale fits very well with what else we know about the HPMOR version of the character.
Shows other signs of being sincerely interested in teaching.
Was pissed off when Harry disagreed with his Yule speech, and apparently not just because Harry said so in public. Rather, he seems to really cares that Harry agree with him about it.
Has made a matter-of-fact prediction that Harry will become a Dark Lord, if he learns everything Quirrell has to teach. And he wasn’t trying to deter Harry from that path, which suggests Harry going in that direction (if not succeeding) is a part of his plans.
Was annoyed with Harry when Harry wouldn’t go along with his fake-defeat-of-Voldemort plan.
This quote: “I wish for Britain to grow strong under a strong leader; that is my desire. As for my reasons why,” Professor Quirrell smiled without mirth, “I think they shall stay my own.” Given Quirrell’s Yule speech, the first part is pretty clearly true, and the second part is consistent with a plot with a component (Harry becoming Dark Lord) that in principle can’t be concealed from Harry, but whose end result isn’t in Harry’s best interest.
Note: I’ve suspected Quirrellmort was sincere about the “help Harry become Dark Lord” thing for a long time, but I recently re-read Chs. 60-66, which greatly increased my confidence about that.
Was pissed off when Harry disagreed with his Yule speech, and apparently not just because Harry said so in public. Rather, he seems to really cares that Harry agree with him about it.
I think the Yule speech was largely to set up the wizarding world to take Harry as their Dear Leader. Having Harry argue against it was not what Quirrell had in mind.
Quirrell:
It should have been obvious even to you that you should have stayed silent, and consulted with me first, not spoken your worries before the crowd!”
I think he wants Harry to be the Dark Lord too, so that in the end he can take over his body like Quirrell’s and rule as Dark Lord Harry, when Harry seems to defeat Voldemort.
This post helps a lot. I knew that all the evidence for Quirrell = Voldemort was insurmountable, but I was uneasy with the conclusions everyone seemed to be drawing for it. I realize that this was because I was viewing RidVolQuir as evil, like canon Voldemort, rather than as the unique agent he is. I agree with your analysis, although I think RidVolQuir will turn sinister soon enough (unless Snape does something soon?).
One thing that your analysis can’t explain very well: Quirrell’s involvement with the plot to get Harry’s friends.
Maybe it was Snape who planned the plot. Snape’s motives are a complete unknown right now, but clearly important. But Quirrell still warned Hermione to leave which seems like evidence against Snape being the culprit. Only now I realize that telling Hermione to leave is what a good and sane teacher with concern for her well being would do. So that would resolve this fairly well.
Sorry for the stream of consciousness style of this comment.
When I said “one thing that [his] analysis can’t explain very well: Quirrell’s involvement with the plot to get Harry’s friends” I was falsely thinking that only wholly evil motivations could motivate that plot. But it could have easily been for some distorted and twisted version of the greater good.
I don’t like the idea of RidVolQuir being wholly evil, such beings are improbable. I initially hoped for and thought I would receive a sympathetic Voldemort. Unfortunately I no longer think that’s going to happen because I think that the post dementor attack Harry evil mode which wanted to kill everyone is meant to be evidence that Harry is Voldemort’s Horcrux, which would also indicate that Voldemort’s soul is inherently and totally evil. I don’t like that idea and hope my prediction is wrong.
The grandparent of this comment made me feel a little better about the odds of a not-totally-evil Voldemort, but not very much better. Now that I think about it though, since RidVolQuir has thus far been portrayed in such a way that allows the reader to sympathize with him, maybe even a Voldemort with the automatic killing response would still somehow manage to be less boring and more realistic than I anticipate. That seems like it would be tough to pull off though.
Yeah, though somehow I believe him. Though if RidVolQuir can lie well enough that I believe him, with all my extra knowledge, no wonder Harry is fooled.
Reasons for believing him, though, are:
The “don’t want to be a Dark Lord, not enough fun” rationale fits very well with what else we know about the HPMOR version of the character.
Shows other signs of being sincerely interested in teaching.
Was pissed off when Harry disagreed with his Yule speech, and apparently not just because Harry said so in public. Rather, he seems to really cares that Harry agree with him about it.
Has made a matter-of-fact prediction that Harry will become a Dark Lord, if he learns everything Quirrell has to teach. And he wasn’t trying to deter Harry from that path, which suggests Harry going in that direction (if not succeeding) is a part of his plans.
Was annoyed with Harry when Harry wouldn’t go along with his fake-defeat-of-Voldemort plan.
This quote: “I wish for Britain to grow strong under a strong leader; that is my desire. As for my reasons why,” Professor Quirrell smiled without mirth, “I think they shall stay my own.” Given Quirrell’s Yule speech, the first part is pretty clearly true, and the second part is consistent with a plot with a component (Harry becoming Dark Lord) that in principle can’t be concealed from Harry, but whose end result isn’t in Harry’s best interest.
Note: I’ve suspected Quirrellmort was sincere about the “help Harry become Dark Lord” thing for a long time, but I recently re-read Chs. 60-66, which greatly increased my confidence about that.
I think the Yule speech was largely to set up the wizarding world to take Harry as their Dear Leader. Having Harry argue against it was not what Quirrell had in mind.
Quirrell:
I think he wants Harry to be the Dark Lord too, so that in the end he can take over his body like Quirrell’s and rule as Dark Lord Harry, when Harry seems to defeat Voldemort.
And yet he played the role of Dark Lord for many years, even after he quit his Savior persona because that wasn’t fun enough.
This post helps a lot. I knew that all the evidence for Quirrell = Voldemort was insurmountable, but I was uneasy with the conclusions everyone seemed to be drawing for it. I realize that this was because I was viewing RidVolQuir as evil, like canon Voldemort, rather than as the unique agent he is. I agree with your analysis, although I think RidVolQuir will turn sinister soon enough (unless Snape does something soon?).
One thing that your analysis can’t explain very well: Quirrell’s involvement with the plot to get Harry’s friends.
Maybe it was Snape who planned the plot. Snape’s motives are a complete unknown right now, but clearly important. But Quirrell still warned Hermione to leave which seems like evidence against Snape being the culprit. Only now I realize that telling Hermione to leave is what a good and sane teacher with concern for her well being would do. So that would resolve this fairly well.
Sorry for the stream of consciousness style of this comment.
The standard explanation is that they were a good influence on him. In chaper 66 Harry tells Quirrell that after the Azkaban debacle:
When I said “one thing that [his] analysis can’t explain very well: Quirrell’s involvement with the plot to get Harry’s friends” I was falsely thinking that only wholly evil motivations could motivate that plot. But it could have easily been for some distorted and twisted version of the greater good.
I don’t like the idea of RidVolQuir being wholly evil, such beings are improbable. I initially hoped for and thought I would receive a sympathetic Voldemort. Unfortunately I no longer think that’s going to happen because I think that the post dementor attack Harry evil mode which wanted to kill everyone is meant to be evidence that Harry is Voldemort’s Horcrux, which would also indicate that Voldemort’s soul is inherently and totally evil. I don’t like that idea and hope my prediction is wrong.
The grandparent of this comment made me feel a little better about the odds of a not-totally-evil Voldemort, but not very much better. Now that I think about it though, since RidVolQuir has thus far been portrayed in such a way that allows the reader to sympathize with him, maybe even a Voldemort with the automatic killing response would still somehow manage to be less boring and more realistic than I anticipate. That seems like it would be tough to pull off though.