oh no, she definitely didn't have the locket in OOTP and, like I said, we know she was bad then. But her appearance in DH does seem to be a step beyond what she was doing at the school - which can be both natural corruption from power but I think also a bit of the locket working its influence. No way to know, of course, but it struck me when the Trio figured out that it was affecting them, that it must have affected her too.
Re: Rita. I'll guess that she was sitting on that book about Dumbledore for a little while (trying to dig up dirt on him, say, post GOF), but didn't dare publish it while he was alive, but after his death, he was fair game. And who knows, by that point maybe Rita had got herself on the list of animagi so Hermione's threat to expose her was hollow. or if you're right and Rita had a backer at the Ministry (maybe Umbridge), then Hermione was of no consequence anyway because Rita would be protected.
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Date: 2007-07-22 11:14 pm (UTC)Re: Rita. I'll guess that she was sitting on that book about Dumbledore for a little while (trying to dig up dirt on him, say, post GOF), but didn't dare publish it while he was alive, but after his death, he was fair game. And who knows, by that point maybe Rita had got herself on the list of animagi so Hermione's threat to expose her was hollow. or if you're right and Rita had a backer at the Ministry (maybe Umbridge), then Hermione was of no consequence anyway because Rita would be protected.