There were some odd things happening on the Astronomy Tower in Half-blood Prince chapters 27 & 28. You knew that already, right?
But even as the Prince took flight, another subplot was playing itself out. To understand what happened, we'll begin with a look at how Death Eaters can be expected to carry out a mission.
| Operational Rules -- the battle in the Department of Mysteries |
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Looking back at OotP, we can learn a few things about Voldemort's modus operandi.
#1 The Boss is Standing By: When things go badly at the Ministry, Voldemort makes a personal appearance and tries to kill Harry.
#2 Operatives are Ignorant: The Death Eaters don't know when, or if, Voldemort is going to show up. Harry asks why Voldemort didn't come for the Prophecy himself, and...
"Get it himself?" shrieked Bellatrix.... "The Dark Lord, walk into the Ministry of Magic, when they are so sweetly ignoring his return?"
When Bellatrix later calls out, "Master, I tried, I tried..." this is a response to Voldemort's appearance. She is not summoning him (Harry's scar began throbbing prior to Bella's cry).
#3 Success is not Certain: Although Voldemort can be sure that Harry's vision of Sirius being tortured will incite Harry to action, Voldemort had no way of predicting that Harry would be able to get to the Ministry. The Thestrals were a chance discovery. More importantly, Voldemort had no way of knowing that Harry would be off to the Ministry before contacting Dumbledore or another Order member (as Harry tried to do), thus bringing Dumbledore to the Ministry before (or with) Harry. An unlikely series of events (Grawp and the ruse against Umbridge) was required for Harry and friends to go to the Ministry without any Professors knowing about it.
| The Unfulfilled Plans for the Battle of the Tower |
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At the risk of insulting some Death Eaters, it was a pretty rag-tag group that came in through the linked Vanishing Cabinets. Why so few? Because of what happened in the Ministry last year, of course.
Voldemort isn't short on numbers. Harry counts "at least thirty" Death Eaters in Little Hangleton. Ten broke out of Azkaban and nine (?) were captured in the Department of Mysteries. That still leaves at least thirty.
But Voldemort has learned a bit more caution. The size and composition of the first wave to enter Hogwarts suggest that they are expendable. If Dumbledore is encountered at full strength (rule #3, success is not certain), Voldemort wants to limit his losses.
We can also guess that rule #1 -- the boss is standing by -- still applies. If the battle is close, Voldemort can send in more Death Eaters. If things go really well, he'll send the lot and then come through himself in order to capture Harry.
Lucky for Harry and friends, rule #2 states that the operatives are ignorant of additional plans. When they raise the Dark Mark over the tower, in order to goad Dumbledore into coming back to Hogwarts, it is observed by an outside operative and relayed to Voldemort. The Dark Lord assumes, incorrectly, that things are going as planned. He withholds reinforcements and waits for a message from inside to decide his next move.
Lucky again -- Gibbon, the Death Eater who raised the Dark Mark, was probably in charge. He happens to be dead. The other Death Eaters haven't sent a message in his place because Dumbledore isn't dead yet.
Voldemort waits. He draws his wand. The Death Eaters crowd around the Vanishing Cabinet in Borgin & Burkes.
Neville is down, Bill is down, Felix Felicis is wearing off and Fenrir Greyback is feeling peckish.
The reason for Dumbledore's and Snape's urgency on the Tower (regardless of Snape's Vow, even) becomes more apparent. Lucky again that Snape took advantage of rule #2 (ignorant operatives):
[Snape:] "Out of here, quickly."
[Snape:] "It's over, time to go!"
Snape's orders appear to be necessary, too: After Dumbledore is killed, Fenrir attacks Harry; Amycus is still trying to crucio Ginny; and Big Blond sets Hagrid's hut on fire.
| The Motley Crew |
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Earlier passages in HBP make reference to Fenrir Greyback, Yaxley, and "the Carrows." We know which one is Greyback; Gibbon is dead by the time he's introduced; and Amycus and Alecto, brother and sister, are probably the Carrows.
That leaves two Death Eaters who might be Yaxley: The Big Blond and Brutal-face.
SCENARIO#1: Brutal-face is a nobody; he's already been carted off to Azkaban where he will remain for the rest of the series. So he doesn't get a name. Big Blond is Yaxley and he (being pretty good in a fight) will show up in book seven.
SCENARIO#2: Brutal-face is Yaxley. This means that Big Blond, the exceptional fighter, doesn't have a name.
Or does he? Polyjuice Potion, maybe? I can think of two Death Eaters who are pretty handy in a fight:
- Bellatrix Lestrange was the only one of ten to escape from the Department of Mysteries. Harry found her a real challenge in the Atrium.
- Peter Pettigrew has yet to fail at pretty much anything (Voldemort's resurrection, framing Sirius, becoming an Animagus, etc.)
Both are known to be unnecessarily cruel (as was the Big Blond) and, despite thrown in with the 'expendable' group, both are good at making an escape. Voldemort might have dispatched either as a more trusted servant to keep an eye on the other Death Eaters (in general) and Snape (in particular) without them knowing it.
| Stunned, My Eye: The Missing Persons Report |
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...the brutal-faced Death Eater, last to leave the tower top, was disappearing through the door.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Nice work, Harry. Later...
[Scrimgeour:] "Somebody Stupefied a Death Eater on top of the tower after Dumbledore died."Stupefied? That wasn't Harry.
I won't quote the entire Flight of the Prince, but if you follow the action only five are seen escaping from Hogwarts: Snape, Draco, Amycus, Alecto and Big Blond. Gibbon is dead and Brutal-face was captured. What happened to Fenrir Greyback? The last we saw, he was Petrified by Harry in the hallway right after Dumbledore died. Where did he go?
*puts on checkered hat and lights a pipe*
Elementary, my dear Watson.
By the time Fenrir recovered from being Petrified, too many people had passed him and were crowding the corridors leading out of Hogwarts. Remembering the broomsticks, Fenrir decided to make his escape by returning to the Astronomy Tower. But he found something even better than the brooms.
He found Harry's invisibility cloak.
Brutal-faced had also recovered from being Petrified, so they had a quick discussion as to who would get the cloak. Greyback settled that by Stunning Brutal-face. Greyback, covered by the cloak, fled down the stairs and out of the castle. While crossing the grounds,
Something caught Harry hard in the small of the back and he fell forward, his face smacking the ground, blood pouring out of both nostrils: He knew, even as he rolled over, his wand ready, that the brother and sister he had overtaken using his shortcut were closing in behind him....
Stunners knock you unconscious. But invisible, galloping werewolves smack you into the ground.
Finally -- a wee bit of literary subtext clues -- Harry has forgotten his invisibility cloak twice in the past.
At the end of PS ch 14, he leaves it on top of the Astronomy Tower.
Then, in PoA ch 17, he leaves it on the grounds of Hogwarts. It is eventually picked up (in the Shrieking Shack) by Lupin -- a werewolf.
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