Why did Voldemort wait so long?

Why did he wait eleven years to go after the Sorcerer's Stone? Why did he wait until Harry went to Hogwarts? I always found that a bit contrived that Vaportmort makes a grab for the stone, the same year Harry starts his first year.

Also, why was the stone in Gringotts? Was it there for thosands of years? Why didn't Nicholas Flammel keep it in his house? How could he make Elixer for hundreds of years if the stone was locked away in gringotts?

How did DD know Quirell was gonna break into the gringotts? (he had Hagrid remove it the very same day, remember).

I'm re-reading PS/SS and these questions are bothering me.

Does anyone know? :)

I think it was a matter of when he could get the help to do it. Quirrel met Vapormort while he was studying Vampires in whatver country that was. Before then, Vapormort was exsisting on his own, without any help. Once he had Quirrel under his control, then he was able to go after getting some semblance of a body back. Before then, he simply had no way to do it.

Yes, I think Voldemort was too weak to take any action until a wizard stumbled into his path. Then he was able to use Quirrel to begin pursuing a way to come back. I think Dumbledore somehow knew that Voldemort was attempting to get the stone and that's why it was moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts. Don't know why it was in Gringotts in the first place. Maybe Flamel didn't want something that valuable lying around his home where anyone could steal it so he kept it in Gringotts the way we would keep valuables in a safe deposit box. Maybe he kept a store of the elixer and when it ran low, would go to Gringotts, get the stone, make more, and then return the stone.

I have always suspected that the stone was in Gringotts because there had been an earlir attempt to steal it from Flammel which failed (Quirrels plans throught book 1 were a bit feable). This in turn prompted Flammel to give it to his Freind Dumbledore to guard as it was already at the bank the easiest method of transfer was for Hagrid to collect it on Dumbledores behalf.

I think it makes sense if you turn it around. Morty was blowin' in the wind for quite a while, and I suspect Dumbledore was keeping an eye out for him. Remember in HBP he told Harry that he could detect traces of magic, and knew the style of the wizards he'd taught, including Riddle.

For years Dumbledore sees and hears nothing about Voldemort, as Morty is finding out how hard the Jet Stream currents can screw up plans for World Domination when you don't have a body. Eventually, with his Death Eaters not bothering to look for him, and various activities not resulting in a body, Voldemort decides to go back to more familiar ground to see what he can do.

So Voldemort finds his way back to England, and Dumbledore notices him. Gee, what to do? Dumbledore did not know about the horcruxes at that time, so he had to guess at what was going on. Being made of vapor might keep Voldemort from being full-strength, but he was still the Dark Lord. So Dumbledore laid a trap: let Voldemort find a way to "live again", through the Sorceror's Stone. I think there was a trap in the Mirror of Erised for that, but for our purposes here, Voldmort spent years waiting for his Death Eaters to get off their butts and rebuild him, but they don't. Morty also, judging by his statement in the graveyard scene in GoF, is not sure about why he is still alive, and so he does not know for sure what step is the right one in getting back a body. Should he just possess a good-looking corpse? Should he magically rebuild a body? Should he possess someone and ride around in their head for awhile? When Dumbledore lures him with the Stone, Voldemort makes his way to Hogwarts and ends up revaporized, and in the process rediscovers Harry Potter and begins to realize that Harry's ability to thump Voldemort means that Morty cannot afford to ignore him.

in GoF Voldemort--er, Morty--talks about what a hard time he had after Godric's Hollow. I don't think he was capable of doing anything heinous until he met Quirrell (otherwise he would have).

I think the Stone was in Gringotts for general safe-keeping but that Flamel was able to use it from time to time to brew more Elixir. As I recall, at the end of Book 1 Dumbledore tells Harry the day after Quirrellmort's defeat that Flamel has enough Elixir to give him time to set his affairs in order, etc. I don't think he just brewed it--I think he kept a good supply on hand and when he got low, went to Gringotts.

Why did he wait eleven years to go after the Sorcerer's Stone? Why did he wait until Harry went to Hogwarts? I always found that a bit contrived that Vaportmort makes a grab for the stone, the same year Harry starts his first year.
As for why he "waited" eleven years, we only have his own acccount to go by, and according to it he didn't intentionally wait that long, he was powerless to do anything else BUT wait, until by chance Quirrell came along, coincidentally in the same year Harry Potter started at Hogwarts.

GOF, chapter 33: Voldemort talking to the DEs:
"I was as powerless as the weakest creature alive, and without the means to help myself... for I had no body, and every spell that might have helped me required the use of a wand...

I settled in a far away place, in a forest, and I waited...

but I waited in vain...

I dared not go where other humans were plentiful, for I knew the Aurors were still abroad and searching for me.

Then... four years ago... the means for my return seemed assured. A wizard - young, foolish, and gullible - wandered across my path...

... a teacher at Dumbledore's school" Voldemort wasn't "waiting" for Harry Potter to go to Hogwarts at all, as he clearly would have come back much sooner if he could have.

I think that Voldemort was too weak to do anything much less try to steal the stone, so he waited until he was strong enough.

Ummm... did you just call him Vapormort? :p

I think the reason it took him a long time was because he was so very very weak, and living in snakes. He had to wait until some stupid or power- hungry wizard or witch came aross him.

Voldemort only was able to go after the Stone because he got lucky - Quirrell happened to wander into his forest. Voldemort says this himself in his resurrection speech in GoF.

Voldemort only was able to go after the Stone because he got lucky - Quirrell happened to wander into his forest. Voldemort says this himself in his resurrection speech in GoF.


I agree :)

I think that Vapormort needed Quirrell and his information about Hogwarts before he decided to come back. The stone was probably kept in Gringotts until it was needed and then returned. It would be safer that way.

I think that Voldemort was too weak to do anything much less try to steal the stone, so he waited until he was strong enough.

Well, he was strong enough to kill a unicorn in order to drink its blood. Wouldn't that keep him alive? The stone (or blood) wouldn't have done him any good anyway without a body. What he needed was what we saw in GoF where his body was recreated and his soul placed inside of that.

i think that Voldemort wanted to wait for just the right moment to take the stone and he probably wanted to have enough strength to go and get it.

I think the Stone was in Gringotts for general safe-keeping but that Flamel was able to use it from time to time to brew more Elixir. As I recall, at the end of Book 1 Dumbledore tells Harry the day after Quirrellmort's defeat that Flamel has enough Elixir to give him time to set his affairs in order, etc. I don't think he just brewed it--I think he kept a good supply on hand and when he got low, went to Gringotts.

I agree with this about the Stone.

As for why he "waited" eleven years

Just to be technical - it was 10 years...Voldemort "died" when Harry was one, and tried to get the stone on Harry's 11th birthday.

Ummm... did you just call him Vapormort?

Yes...on this site he's referred to Vapormort (when he's bodyless and therefore vapour), babymort - in GOF and then back to Voldemort.

I see he's also called Morty (above)!!! and Voldie.

ok,first i think at the bieginig alive still he must have been very ,very ,very weak,if you know what i mean .Still being alive bbut only havin 1 of six pieces of soul ,that must have been tough for such a little piece of soul,then ,he was gaining strenght by dwellin in animals,but neve stron g enough to try to possees anothe rwizard,getting that strenght took him so long..and then when after so many years he was strong enough...quirell happeed to go by and well BINGO

Yeah, it was Quirrel who came by him, it wasn't that he could've tried to come back any soon, it was just chance that he came by.

I dont think Vaportmort could do anything unless he was possessing somebody.

Dasfres--Matt54 is right. Voldemort couldn't drink unicorn blood without a body, and (although he possessed some animals here and there) he didn't have a human body until he ran into Quirrell.

Well, he was strong enough to kill a unicorn in order to drink its blood. I don't think he was, he needed an able bodied servant (= Quirrel) to kill the unicorn and drink the blood, or to break into Gringotts and steal the stone.
Voldemort said : Only one power, remained to me – I could possess the bodies of others. But I dared not go where other humans where plentiful, for I knew that the Aurors were still abroad and searching for me. … Then, four years ago the means for my return seemed assured. A wizard, young, foolish and gullible wandered across my path in the forest I had made my home … He was easy to bend to my will, he brought me back to this country and after a while I took possession of his body to supervise him closely as he carried out my orders…. The only ability Vapomort had was to bend someone to his will so that that person would act for him, so he had to wait for suitable person, and he wouldn't risk being caught and, in his powerless state, imprisoned.

As a plot point, obviously it is very convenient that he waited until Harry arrived at Hogwarts before attempting to steal the stone. However, I think it is believable that it took him that long to manage an attempt at coming back.

He was basically killed the night he attempted to kill Harry. How are we to judge how long it takes to regain strength and to recover from something like that. Also, since he was too weak to posses anything but animals for quite a while it probably took ages to do recon work in order to discover a way in which to resurrect himself and then to track down where the stone actually was.

I'm sure it was a very long process.

As a plot point, obviously it is very convenient that he waited until Harry arrived at Hogwarts before attempting to steal the stone. However, I think it is believable that it took him that long to manage an attempt at coming back.

I think, even though it's believable, it was more of a plot device than anything else.

Yeah, it would have taken him a while to get to the Stone, it's just entirely too convenient that Quirrell left Hogwarts to go on his little trip to Albania and got back just in time to see Harry start his first year.

Yeah, it was Quirrel who came by him, it wasn't that he could've tried to come back any soon, it was just chance that he came by.

I think that's how it was. He would've come back sooner except he didn't have the chance, he needed someone to posess.

Why Albania though? He didn't think someone would come all that way to look for him? I know he probably wanted to stay well away from England because the Ministry knew he was still out there. The only thing I can guess at is that he and his Death Eaters had named Albania the place to go if anything ever happened and there was trouble. So no one came for him (I don't think the DE's who stayed out of Azkaban wanted to find him-I think they were relieved he was gone). And so he should have left and travelled back but by the time he had gotten to Albania and no one came to rescue him, he was too weak to go back. Lucky Quirrel came along. (Why then did Voldemort go BACK to Albania where Wormtail later finds him)?????

I don't think there was a plan for his Death Eaters to go looking for him in Albania if something were to happen. Being that Quirrell went there for first hand experience with Dark Creatures, the forest he was hiding in must have been a relatively dangerous place, a place few people would go...unless they had a reason to, of course. I'm assuming he hid there with every intention of, at some point, letting it be known, somehow, that he was still alive. Once said rumors reached the right person, namely, a Death Eater, he expected them to come for him.

On a similar note...boy, I wonder what Voldemort/Quirrell got up to after Quirrell picked him up in Albania...


Quirrell's Leave of Absence (http://www.hp-lexicon.org/essays/essay-quirrells-leave.html)


According to that, the year Quirrell took off couldn't have been the year immediately before Harry's arrival.

1. He's fine.
2. Takes a year off.
3. Comes back scared of his own students.
4. Harry enters his first year.

What did he do the entire time before Harry came along? :huh:

Why Albania though? The political conditions in the wizarding world reflect those in the muggle world. Albania has for many years been the remotest country in Europe, not because of its geographic location, it's in the Mediterranean, but because of its political regime that isolated it from the rest of the world.
So I think Jo chose Albania as a synonym for being sealed of. Furthermore it wasn't too far to travel to, and of course the climate is much more pleasant than in e.g. Siberia ;)


What did he do the entire time before Harry came along? Wrote his book "THE PLEASURES OF THE DARK ARTS" only no one wanted to publish it :D

Seriously, we don't know much about Quirrel's biography,
I like the idea that he was a scholar researching, writing and holding lectures, a bit like a serious Lockhart . I can see Hagrid coming to a series of lectures on The Use of Animals in the Dark Arts ! Then he was offered a teaching post at Hogwarts and decided to take a year of before starting a full time job. He came back a few weeks before they met him in the Leaky Cauldron and Hagrid had already heard about his twitchieness in his lectures on The Newest Revelations on Dark Forests.

Of course that's just a possible scenario.

Wrote his book "THE PLEASURES OF THE DARK ARTS" only no one wanted to publish it

Seriously, we don't know much about Quirrel's biography,

:lol:

No, we don't, but I was wondering more about what Voledmort was doing, not what Quirrell was doing. ;) We know he was teaching at Hogwarts but while he was teaching, what was Voldemort doing? He had to wait at least a full year before Harry came to Hogwarts so what did he do? Just kind of, float around? :lol:

Voldy Woldy was weak after his Harry incodent.

The stone was in gringots because it was... safe.:err:

Probably because this was the soonest oppurtunity he was actually strong enough to attempt it. This year also being Harry's first year in attendance of Hogwarts was mere coincidence, although rather convenient coincidence.

He had to wait at least a full year before Harry came to Hogwarts so what did he do? Just kind of, float around? Quirrle can't have been teaching at Hogwarts the year before Harry started. Voldemort's curse on the DADA-teacher's post would not have alowed that and Dumbledore said no teacher stayed more than three terms.
That's why I would suggest he did lectures at a summer-school. I'm sure he aquired Voldemort the year Harry started at Hogwarts, so when Hagrid said he was 'scared of his students', he would refer to his summer-school students.

Do we know if wizards even have summer school?

I'll have to disagree with you, though. Most people are going to assume Hagrid meant Hogwarts students, not summer school students, and if JK meant the latter, I think she would have made it a little clearer.

Quirrle can't have been teaching at Hogwarts the year before Harry started. Voldemort's curse on the DADA-teacher's post would not have alowed that and Dumbledore said no teacher stayed more than three terms.
That's why I would suggest he did lectures at a summer-school. I'm sure he aquired Voldemort the year Harry started at Hogwarts, so when Hagrid said he was 'scared of his students', he would refer to his summer-school students.

Right Quirrel was not teaching the year before Harry came. That was the year he took off. He had probably only worked the DADA job for one year, left to get experience for a year, met Voldemort, came back and taught again the following year when Harry came. That doesn't conflict with the curse. Scared of his own students? That statement doesn't mean he taught them yet, he is just scared of them, as Hagrid notices when he reacts so pitifully to meeting Harry. Quirrel may have been back for a little while by the time Harry and Hagrid meet him in PS/SS and there is a good chance Hagrid had time to view his new strange behaviour elsewhere.

Right Quirrel was not teaching the year before Harry came. That was the year he took off.

Can't be.

Year One: He's teaching and is fine.
Year Two: He takes off for Albania.
Year Three: Back at Hogwarts.
Year Four: Still at Hogwarts.

As far as Voldemort's concerned, there's a year "missing". I posted a link to the Lexicon (http://www.hp-lexicon.org/essays/essay-quirrells-leave.html) about this so, instead of repeating what they said, I'll just link you to it again.

As for the curse, I'm wondering if Voldemort had something to do with Quirrell's being able to keep his position for two years in a row or, at the very least, two years period.

Scared of his own students? That statement doesn't mean he taught them yet, he is just scared of them, as Hagrid notices when he reacts so pitifully to meeting Harry.

Actually, it does. Hagrid tells Harry of Quirrell's fear of his own subject which means he'd already returned to Hogwarts before Harry came along.

there is a good chance Hagrid had time to view his new strange behaviour elsewhere.

Where else would he have taught if not at Hogwarts?

Can't be.

Year One: He's teaching and is fine.
Year Two: He takes off for Albania.
Year Three: Back at Hogwarts.
Year Four: Still at Hogwarts.


Ok I'll check out the link because I'm not sure why people say there is a year missing.


As for the curse, I'm wondering if Voldemort had something to do with Quirrell's being able to keep his position for two years in a row or, at the very least, two years period.

Well, correct me if it is otherwise, but I am pretty sure that Dumbledore told Harry they had *never* been able to keep a DADA teacher longer than one year since refusing the post to Lord Voldemort. But since Voldemort came back with Quirrel, it is possible I suppose that he allowed him to teach the year before Harry came and the year Harry came. Dumbledore still said "never" however.



Actually, it does. Hagrid tells Harry of Quirrell's fear of his own subject which means he'd already returned to Hogwarts before Harry came along.

I suppose you could see it this way but I never assumed this point of view. I didn't even know it seemed questionable. I just thought Hagrid was referring to how he had seen Quirrel acting lately. It is likely people were asking him about what he had learned on his year off and he was acting frightened of the very things he was supposed to be teaching. And I thought Hagrid's remark about being scared of his own studentes was directly related to seeing how Quirrel was afraid of Harry-who is his student. I never thought once that it had to mean that Quirrel was teaching that previous year. I still don't but I will check out that link and see if it will clear things up one way or another.

Ok I'll check out the link because I'm not sure why people say there is a year missing.


Ok I am adding more to my post since reading that editorial-it was quite convincing actually. I think that all those general terms that seem to convey a long time could have meant a shorter one, but the one I am noticing now that really does seem strange is the "never been the same since". If Quirrel only recently came back then that would sound odd. Hagrid would have had to hang around Quirrel a lot that summer to be able to say that. So just in case he had been back for a year already, here are my ideas:

Voldemort allowed him to work DADA job for two years in a row like I mentioned above.

Quirrel didn't get back until the end of the final term and only taught a few weeks. Perhaps the temp DADA teacher was happy to leave as it was commonly thought to be a jinxed job. So Quirrel takes back over and proves to be bumbling and panicky and all that... Then he comes back the next year, which really doesn't cancel out the curse because he did not really have the post the previous year.

Quirrel might have been using the extra time before returning to track down Nicolas Flamel to discover where the Stone was hidden. Voldemort wanted him to go ahead and return to Hogwarts so they can search locally and plan their thievery of Gringotts. Over the summer they get ready to steal the Stone and Quirrel meets Harry. He doesn't get the Stone and Voldemort possesses him to keep a closer eye on him, and to help him get the stone out of its protection at the School, and because Voldy simply can't resist the chance to go back into Hogwarts.

I'm going to ignore the first part of your post as you seem to have new thoughts on the matter but if you feel I'm neglecting something important, feel free to say so. :)

Voldemort allowed him to work DADA job for two years in a row like I mentioned above.

That's what I theorized above so I can't disagree. ;)

Quirrel didn't get back until the end of the final term and only taught a few weeks. Perhaps the temp DADA teacher was happy to leave as it was commonly thought to be a jinxed job.

If that were the case, though, said sub wouldn't have wanted the job in the first place. Also, we haven't heard anything about a sub so assuming there was one seems like a bit of a stretch.

Quirrel might have been using the extra time before returning to track down Nicolas Flamel to discover where the Stone was hidden.

Probably not as Nic would have told Dumbledore about Quirrell's questioning and things wouldn't have progressed as they did. Dumbledore felt the Stone was in jeopardy so he moved it to Hogwarts which wouldn't have made any sense if he knew someone inside Hogwarts was the one attempting to steal it.

As for the "missing year" thing, I was referring to "year three".

Year One: He's teaching.
Year Two: He heads off to Albania and picks up Voldemort.
Year Three: ???
Year Four: He attempts to steal the Stone for Voldemort.

What was Voldemort doing during "year three"? That's what I meant. ;)

If that were the case, though, said sub wouldn't have wanted the job in the first place. Also, we haven't heard anything about a sub so assuming there was one seems like a bit of a stretch.

I don't think so at all. We haven't heard anything period so just because we haven't heard of a sub doesn't mean there wasn't one. I don't know that I'd call it a sub anyway, just another teacher in a long line of teachers that Dumbledore has had to work hard to convince to take the job. It could have been that they agreed for the length of one year, but since the post officially belongs to Quirrell who is taking time off, he of course resumes the post upon his return. This is remarkably similar to how Grubbly-Plank was basically just filling in while Hagrid was gone, even though she stayed a very long time. As soon as he came back, she was gone. Anyway, do you think this is important enough to get a definitive answer in the next book? I'd like to know, but I wonder whether or not we will get to know. Either the text is being read wrong and Quirrell had just returned before the start of SS/PS, or he had been back for one year with Voldemort's allowance of the breaking of his curse and Dumbledore never mentioning this exception, or he had been back part of the previous year. Has anyone else posted any other theories about this? You have me highly interested in figuring it out LOL


Probably not as Nic would have told Dumbledore about Quirrell's questioning and things wouldn't have progressed as they did. Dumbledore felt the Stone was in jeopardy so he moved it to Hogwarts which wouldn't have made any sense if he knew someone inside Hogwarts was the one attempting to steal it.

I didn't mean he asked Nicolas where the Stone was LOL That would win the "Stupid Criminal of The Year Award". They could have monitored him or used some magical means to see if they could detect the Stone anywhere around the place Nicolas was staying. Something of this nature probably occurred and Nicolas felt something going on and got nervous and placed the Stone in Gringott's. Maybe he already had it there but somehow he knows someone is after it which is why Dumbledore probably suggested taking it in and protecting it himself. Dumbledore probably suspected Voldemort would be behind the operations, seeking to return and knew that Gringott's was not enough to protect it. And they (Voldemort and Quirrel) had to have done some snooping to know the Stone was hidden at Gringotts (and which vault).

I don't think so at all. We haven't heard anything period so just because we haven't heard of a sub doesn't mean there wasn't one.

No, it doesn't, but this theory kind of feels like a cut and paste. I doubt he returned "early" as we already know he missed a year, not most of a year. It also doesn't make sense that he'd take a year off to explore and then decide, for seemingly no reason, to cut his adventure short. I think, what we're dealing with, is either Voldemort's interference or a plot hole.

Actually, I think we're dealing with a plot hole either way. Unless Dumbledore said he hadn't been able to keep a Defense teacher for two+ years in a row, he was wrong because Quirrell reprised his position. I'll have to check into that.

EDIT: Ah, here we go.

"Oh, he definitely wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts job," said Dumbledore. "The aftermath of our little meeting proved that. You see, we have never been able to keep a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for longer than a year since I refused the post to Lord Voldemort."

And they (Voldemort and Quirrel) had to have done some snooping to know the Stone was hidden at Gringotts (and which vault).

Not necessarily. Sprout, Flitwick, McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell all contributed to the protection that surrounded the Stone. That means he knew where it was within Hogwarts.

I think we also have reason to believe that those same professors knew where it was prior to its being moved to Hogwarts as well.

No, it doesn't, but this theory kind of feels like a cut and paste. I doubt he returned "early" as we already know he missed a year, not most of a year. It also doesn't make sense that he'd take a year off to explore and then decide, for seemingly no reason, to cut his adventure short. I think, what we're dealing with, is either Voldemort's interference or a plot hole.

Ah, man it certainly is aggravating when people misunderstand you. I'm not blaming you of course, it's a mix of the internet medium and my lack of clarity I'm sure.

So let's try it out more slowly...
Quirrel is DADA teacher for one year
Next year he takes off COMPLETELY to gain experience.
The third year which I previously didn't think existed, but which you showed me probably does was spent partly away still, with him returning to teaching sometime before the end of the year, replacing the fill-in teacher. He taught awhile and everyone noticed the differences in his behavior.
The next summer Hagrid and Harry meet Quirrell and Hagrid says those comments based on what he saw of Quirrell for the time he was back that past year.
Harry starts school and Quirrel is the teacher for the whole year. This does not go against the curse since the previous year he taught only part of it.

EDIT: Ah, here we go.

"Oh, he definitely wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts job," said Dumbledore. "The aftermath of our little meeting proved that. You see, we have never been able to keep a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for longer than a year since I refused the post to Lord Voldemort."

This is why I don't fully support the notion that Voldemort allowed Quirrel to teach for two full years in a row.


Not necessarily. Sprout, Flitwick, McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell all contributed to the protection that surrounded the Stone. That means he knew where it was within Hogwarts.

I think we also have reason to believe that those same professors knew where it was prior to its being moved to Hogwarts as well.

Here again my points did not manifest themselves properly. Voldemort and Quirrel were looking for the Stone BEFORE it was ever going to Hogwarts. They needed to figure out where it was. Between the snooping, Flamel realized something was up and Dumbledore and himself made plans to secure the Stone. Meanwhile Voldemort and Quirrell learn the Stone is at Gringotts and go and steal it. They don't succeed because Dumbledore has already made sure it was removed. OK Plan A-steal it from Gringotts doesn't work. But lucky them, because the Stone happens to be moved to Hogwarts where Quirrel teaches and gets to be involved in the protection process, making their chances much better. Of course he knew where it was once it was in Hogwarts. Initially though, during the time before he came back to teaching, they didn't know where it was. And like I said, Nicolas suspected something and they then moved the stone to Hogwarts. I was accounting for the additional time after Quirrel meets Voldemort as to what they might have been doing. That is what we are trying to figure out right? What happened in that third year?

Ah, man it certainly is aggravating when people misunderstand you. I'm not blaming you of course, it's a mix of the internet medium and my lack of clarity I'm sure.

Yes, it can be. I've had it happen many times myself and you have to kind of sit back and breathe before responding. :lol:

However, I didn't misunderstand you, I forgot what you said in a frazzle. I still disagree though so we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one. :agree:

This is why I don't fully support the notion that Voldemort allowed Quirrel to teach for two full years in a row.

That's not what I was trying to prove/disprove with that quote, though. I was trying to point out the fact that Dumbledore never said that he couldn't keep a Defense teacher for two+ years in a row, he merely said he couldn't keep a teacher for longer than a year...which is incorrect. Whether Quirrell taught two years in a row or not, he remained at Hogwarts for two years.

Here again my points did not manifest themselves properly.

No, they manifested themselves properly, I just disregarded them again. :rotfl:

I still don't agree with this theory, though. I just can't seem to swallow it... We're not even sure that Voldemort had thought to acquire the Stone prior to Harry's first year at Hogwarts so, for all we know, it may not have occurred to him to steal it until he had Quirrell break into Gringotts.