Has Carlos sided with the merlin against Harry

[KurtinStGeorge]

There have been some really interesting posts in this thread, with a number of good points made by a number of different people.  But I think the overall analysis of the White Council is missing something and it has to do with secrets.  Who is clued in, has deep knowledge of what is going on when it comes to Harry Dresden, and who doesn't.  The White Council is not a monolith.  The White Council can be mentally divided into several factions.  Not political factions, but different groups defined by the level of knowledge they possess.  Because of gaps in knowledge, these different Council groups fear Harry for different reasons.

Harry was voted out of the Council by a general vote of all it's members.  The rank and file members who are not wardens, not support staff who work in Edinburgh HQ and not members of the Senior Council, probably know the least about Harry, but they make up a majority of the White Council.  They are therefore the easiest to frighten and manipulate into voting against Harry.  Remember, that in their eyes Harry initiated a war with the Red Court and his destruction of the Reds allowed the Fomor to rise.  These two things on their own probably got some of their friends killed and put their own lives in danger.  Then there was the botched trial of Morgan, which also got a number of wizards killed.  They could have blamed Harry for that as well.  If that is the case, they might have a point.  There is a reason why warlocks are bound and forced to wear a hood. It's so they can't do they kind of things Peabody did.  In some peoples minds, that might be enough to vote Harry out.  Add a fear campaign to fully turn the normie wizards against Harry and he's out.

The Wardens have a higher level of knowledge, but I'd bet very few of them are fully clued in.  Someone like Morgan, because of his close association with the Merlin, might have had more knowledge of what it means that Harry is Starborn, and maybe more knowledge than even Captain Lucio currently has.  Though there is no way to be certain of this.  The micro-fiction blog Jim wrote about Morgan suggests his knowledge was at a high level.  I'd bet that most wardens think that Harry is a good candidate to go warlock and might be headed in that direction; Carlos Ramirez would be in this group, and others might see parallels between Harry and Kemmler.  That might be the limit of what they know and what they fear.

I think the Senior Council members who know about Harry being Starborn; and who know what that means or could mean, think Harry becoming the next Heinrich Kemmler is the least of their potential problems.  Also, not all of the Senior Council may be fully clued-in.  I think there is a decent chance that Senior Council member Cristos is in the dark on this.  Harry thought Cristos was Black Council, but it seems more like Cristos is a buffoon or someone's useful idiot, than a true power player of the very highest level.  If Cristos didn't already know before he joined the Senior Council, I don't see why anyone already on the Senior Council would want to clue him in.

Why don't I think Harry = Kemmler 2.0 is the real fear driving the Senior Council?  Jim stated that Drakul thought that Kemmler's behavior was amusing, something that was funny.  While that gives us a clue just how twisted Drakul is, I think it also tells us that he didn't rate Kemmler that highly.  Kemmler was a very dangerous person, but even though things like setting up World War One was supposedly one of his projects, I suspect the mad necromancer was somewhat random in his depravity.  Beings like Nemesis and Drakul rank higher on the bad news scale because they have a plan.  Make that plans.  Their interests might diverge greatly from one another.

The the Senior Council's behavior toward Harry is really strange.  At least it seems that way to me.  Vincentric said something interesting about this.  Here a quote: 

If you saw one of the most promising talents of the past century who is also a Starborn, walking close to the darkness, would you try a calm and reasoned intercession or would you bully, threaten and ostracize him even though he has not done any dark acts?

It seems counter productive.  Almost like the Senior Council was pushing Harry towards the dark side.  Kind of dumb, unless that is exactly what they wanted to do.  Well, maybe not make Harry into a monster that would turn on the Council, but a monster they could control.  Isn't that what Justin DuMorne tried to do, in a very crude way?  Of course, making a monster you can control would be a real tricky thing to do.  It didn't work out so well for Justin. 

I want to give you some evidence for what I am thinking.  First, consider something Mab said to Harry and then the rest of the conversation between Mab and Ebenezar:

Mab - "Be comforted, my Knight: I chose you for times precisely such as these, when an elemental of destruction is what is most needed."
What does Mab mean when she describes Harry using the word "elemental?"  In simplest terms, when you are using elemental as an adjective, it means "related to, or embodying the powers of nature."  But when you are using elemental as a noun it means, "a supernatural entity or force thought to be physically manifested by occult means."  (Both definitions from the online Oxford Dictionary)  It could mean Harry uses supernatural force or supernatural forces were used to create Harry.  I'm think that with Harry being Starborn, it means the later.  She is naming Harry as a force who was created for causing destruction.

Mab then starts gushing over Harry's potential for "true greatness" and it really starts to irk Ebenezar.
Eb - “He is not your weapon, Mab.”  And Eb's voice is described as having granite in it.
Mab – “He is exactly my weapon.  By his own choice.  Which is more than your people ever gave him.  And they call the Sidhe wicked and deceitful.”  At this point Harry looked at Ebenezar but Eb refused to meet Harry’s gaze.

Ebenzar might have used different words or phrases to contest Mab.  "He is your Knight Mab, not your plaything."  Instead, Ebenezar; without any prompting or hints from Mab, described Harry as a weapon.  That is exactly how Mother Winter described Harry in Cold Days:
 Mother Summer narrowed her eyes. "Is he ready?"
Mother Winter - "There is no time to coddle him," she rasped. "He is a weapon. Let him be made stronger."

Though Margaret LeFay's role in Harry being Starborn is somewhat vague at this point, I think the White Council started to manipulate and mold Harry from time they found him.  Whether that was right after Malcolm Dresden died or after Harry killed Justin, I can't be certain.  Justin might have part of the Council's plan and turned on the Council or he may have been operating independently all along.  We don't have enough information to know with certainty. I think Ebenezar was in on the plan, whenever it started.  He said he soulgazed Malcolm Dresden. "...a man with a good soul, like few I have ever seen." 

If Justin raising Harry was part of the Council's plan to mold Harry, when Harry broke the First Law by killing Justin, the Council believed they had made a mistake, that Harry was a mistake.  It didn't matter that Harry acted in self defense or that Justin had become a warlock himself.  Harry was too dangerous and too unpredictable to trust.  Of course, Ebenezar felt differently and he managed to get Harry a reprieve, The Doom.  The Council's fear that Harry couldn't be controlled remained and even Ebenzar's closest allies remained warry of Harry.
 Martha Liberty - "You know what he was meant to be. He's too great a risk."

I think Ebenzar believes that as long as Harry might still become a weapon of the White Council, he can protect Harry from the Council's wrath.  The thing about weapons, is when they get used in wars, they usually get used up and then are discarded.  I'm not sure Eb is doing Harry any long-term favors by trying to protect him. 

I wonder if there are any other starborn besides Harry, Listen and Dracul?  Specifically, any other starborn the Senior Council might want to use in Harry's place.  With Ethniu locked up and with Korb wanting him dead, Listen needs a new employer. 

What do you think?  Except for that last sentence, that was a lame joke.  Am I on the right track?  I know this puzzle is missing some pieces, but it feels right to me.  Harry is a weapon who may have been created by the will of Margaret LeFey, but one who has been molded by the White Council, until they gave up on him.  Except for Ebenezar and maybe Listen's to Wind and a few others. 

Post Script: This is why LTW and Eb don't want tell Harry everything.  Harry might not react well to this information.  An elemental of destruction not reacting well could be a real problem.   
 
 

 
       

[Snark Knight]

Jim stated that Drakul thought that Kemmler's behavior was amusing, something that was funny.  While that gives us a clue just how twisted Drakul is, I think it also tells us that he didn't rate Kemmler that highly.  Kemmler was a very dangerous person, but even though things like setting up World War One was supposedly one of his projects, I suspect the mad necromancer was somewhat random in his depravity.  Beings like Nemesis and Drakul rank higher on the bad news scale because they have a plan.       

I'm still a bit confused what to make of that bit, given we know from DB that Kemmler's research interests included "how to use necromancy against the black court".  Looking for weaknesses in his elite personal guard seems like the kind of thing Drakul would find pretty far from amusing.

Unless the WOJ meant Drakul found Kemmler's earlier career with the world wars and stuff funny, until he crossed a line in his final publication?  The timing seems awfully coincidental that the Council had been after him for the best part of a century and only got him for good shortly after he published the one thing that might have genuinely pissed Drakul off.  I wonder if Drakul took a page from the Stokerlypse and exploited the council into being his mob to burn down Kemmler and purge (almost) all the copies of his last book.

[Mira]

Harry was voted out of the Council by a general vote of all it's members.  The rank and file members who are not wardens, not support staff who work in Edinburgh HQ and not members of the Senior Council, probably know the least about Harry, but they make up a majority of the White Council.  They are therefore the easiest to frighten and manipulate into voting against Harry.  Remember, that in their eyes Harry initiated a war with the Red Court and his destruction of the Reds allowed the Fomor to rise.  These two things on their own probably got some of their friends killed and put their own lives in danger.  Then there was the botched trial of Morgan, which also got a number of wizards killed.  They could have blamed Harry for that as well.  If that is the case, they might have a point.  There is a reason why warlocks are bound and forced to wear a hood. It's so they can't do they kind of things Peabody did.  In some peoples minds, that might be enough to vote Harry out.  Add a fear campaign to fully turn the normie wizards against Harry and he's out.

One has to wonder though, who remained in the general membership of the White Council? How easily were they influenced? In my opinion most things the Merlin said most would go along with, we saw that at Molly's trial when he wanted to push through her conviction in Proven Guilty.  We also saw how pissed the Merlin was in a controlled way when Harry stood up in defense of her and won some serious political points that ultimately saved her.  I also remember Eb after it was over warning Harry that the Merlin wouldn't forget that Harry had gotten the upper hand politically against him.  As I said in a earlier post, the three Senior Councilors who also carry influence over the general membership, Eb, LTW, and particularly Rashid were missing the day that it came to a vote. We've seen in the past how Rashid has been able with his logic and wisdom and support, to delay or blow up plans to bring down Harry.  Whether it was in Summer Knight or Proven Guilty, Rashid when he makes an appearance has made a huge difference.

I think Ebenzar believes that as long as Harry might still become a weapon of the White Council, he can protect Harry from the Council's wrath.  The thing about weapons, is when they get used in wars, they usually get used up and then are discarded.  I'm not sure Eb is doing Harry any long-term favors by trying to protect him.

I wonder if there are any other starborn besides Harry, Listen and Dracul?  Specifically, any other starborn the Senior Council might want to use in Harry's place.  With Ethniu locked up and with Korb wanting him dead, Listen needs a new employer. 

I do think that Harry was meant to be a weapon for the White Council, but Margaret threw a monkey wrench into the cogs when she chose Malcolm to be Harry's father.  While I do think it was Lord Raith who killed Margaret, it is very possible that the White Council or elements of it were behind the murder of Malcolm.  It is also very possible that Eb allowed Harry to get lost with in the foster care black hole because he didn't want to draw attention to the fact that he was Harry's grandfather.  What they hadn't foreseen was the corruption of Justin, otherwise the White Council was perfectly happy with him raising Harry.

As to how many more star born there are, I imagine there are hundreds just because a lot of babies are born at those times.  However very few have magical or potential for magical talent.. Though it could be that many of the world's most powerful leaders are indeed star born in their charisma.

[Dina]

As to how many more star born there are, I imagine there are hundreds just because a lot of babies are born at those times.  However very few have magical or potential for magical talent.. Though it could be that many of the world's most powerful leaders are indeed star born in their charisma.

First, I agree with this paragraph of Mira's post. Many starborns, most of them magically irrelevant.

About what Mira and the others were saying. I still don't know who killed Malcolm and I do not discard Winter. I can see Lea killing him (not directly) because she thought Harry would turn to her. Which reminds me, I want to see the "I am your fairy godmother" scene. But about the rest, everyone sees Harry as a weapon. Everyone but his friends, daughter and brother, and that pushes him to become a monster. But I do think Malcolm was not planned for anyone and that he is the key to make Harry more than a weapon and not a monster. I hope we are going to see more of this.

[KurtinStGeorge]

I'm still a bit confused what to make of that bit, given we know from DB that Kemmler's research interests included "how to use necromancy against the black court".  Looking for weaknesses in his elite personal guard seems like the kind of thing Drakul would find pretty far from amusing.

Unless the WOJ meant Drakul found Kemmler's earlier career with the world wars and stuff funny, until he crossed a line in his final publication?  The timing seems awfully coincidental that the Council had been after him for the best part of a century and only got him for good shortly after he published the one thing that might have genuinely pissed Drakul off.  I wonder if Drakul took a page from the Stokerlypse and exploited the council into being his mob to burn down Kemmler and purge (almost) all the copies of his last book.

I think it is possible, even probable that Kemmler didn't write something that said, "Here is how to use necromancy against a Black Court vampire" or anything that directly stated or hinted that the Black Court is vulnerable to necromancy.  I think it is more likely that Harry made an intuitive leap that necromancy can be used against the Black Court. 

It is even possible that Lash gave Harry help making this connection because she translated Kemmler's original writing into something Harry could understand and fully grasp.  Lash would have known about Harry's conflict with Mavra; and especially known about previous injury he suffered, because Lash once stated that she could feel what Harry felt, and would have wanted Harry to have the knowledge to do more than survive any future hostile encounters with Mavra.  Seeing as Harry had refused to take up the coin, Lash couldn't count on Harry having the full abilities of a Denarian to deal with Mavra or any other Black Court vampire the next time he encountered one.

Harry really needs to re-think the idea that he can turn his back on necromancy, that his temporary resurrection of Sue was a onetime event.  As dangerous as using necromancy might be; both because of the possible mind altering side effects and that Harry would be breaking one of the Laws, it is probably the only weapon Harry might wield against Drakul that would be effective.  I suppose Harry could teach Ebenezar to use necromancy against Drakul; seeing as the Black Staff can break the Laws of magic without consequences, but there isn't any guarantee Eb will be around much longer.

P.S. I just reread Morgan's micro-fiction.  I should have done that before making the long post I made above.  I now have two possible scenarios for what happened to both young Harry and Malcolm.  However, I have other duties to attend to at the moment, so I will have to write them down later.  These ideas are not fully filled in, but they are enough to suggest the general path of events.

[Mira]

Harry really needs to re-think the idea that he can turn his back on necromancy, that his temporary resurrection of Sue was a onetime event.  As dangerous as using necromancy might be; both because of the possible mind altering side effects and that Harry would be breaking one of the Laws, it is probably the only weapon Harry might wield against Drakul that would be effective.  I suppose Harry could teach Ebenezar to use necromancy against Drakul; seeing as the Black Staff can break the Laws of magic without consequences, but there isn't any guarantee Eb will be around much longer.

It's very possible that Harry will turn to necromancy in the BAT. It isn't for nothing that over the series Jim has added various weapons and knowledge to Harry's quiver most likely for future use.  Let's not forget more than once Harry has rattled off several skills he has acquired from necromancy to Darkhallow,

[KurtinStGeorge]

Rereading Morgan’s journal, the late warden said he expected Captain Luccio to read it so it turns out she did know what Morgan knew about Harry or learned from Morgan’s journal what he knew.  Morgan said that he made a promise to Margaret LeFay to protect Harry but he failed to do so.  This is really odd seeing as Margaret was on the run from the Wardens as well as Lord Raith and company.  Perhaps we will learn the complete story of how this occurred sometime down the line. 

Morgan didn’t know who killed Malcolm Dresden and the warden said he couldn’t be certain Malcolm’s death was a murder, but I think we can safely assume that it was just that.  Morgan tracked Harry and his father until the time of Malcolm’s death, but he wasn’t able to arrive until after Harry had been placed into the foster care system and disappeared from the system and it was done in every way possible, magically as well as bureaucratically.  Morgan also said that he looked for Harry for years after this but couldn’t find him.  Morgan then said, “that bastard Justin DuMorne got to him before I could,” but did he? 

Morgan said that because of the amount of time Harry was missing, being hidden by Justin, the Council couldn’t be certain Harry hadn’t been infected by Nemesis.  This is why he felt it was probably safer to kill Harry outright, but of course Ebenezar felt differently.

We know Justin DuMore eventually got a hold of Harry, but that doesn’t mean Justin was responsible for Malcolm’s death or that he was the individual who placed Harry into the system and made his records disappear. 

It appears that Lea visited Harry from time to time before he was adopted by Justin.  Dina has stated that she thinks Lea might have murdered Malcolm.  She isn’t the only person to have come to this conclusion.  I and at least one or two others have placed Lea on the suspect list for Malcolm’s death.  Lea kills Malcolm as part of a deal with Justin or someone else.  We don’t know what Lea was promised to get out of this deal, though we do know that she was eventually able to cut Justin out of the picture and get her hooks into Harry.  Lea getting Harry to get rid of Justin is accurate, but the rest of it is speculative.

There is another scenario where the White Council is responsible for the murder of Malcolm Dresden.  It might seem a bit far fetched, but it is a possibility.  Morgan said he tracked Harry and Malcolm until Malcolm’s death, but he was away on a mission at the time, and this is why Morgan wasn’t able to get to young Harry.  How convenient for the killer. 

Donald Morgan was loyal to Arthur Langtry.  Whatever conversation or communication he had with Margaret LeFay he probably reported to the Merlin.  This seems especially likely to me as it concerned a soon to be starborn individual.  Morgan, being a straightforward person, would have told the Merlin that he promised Margaret that he would protect her child.

The Merlin would have known that Warden Morgan wouldn’t willingly break his given word; especially concerning the protection of a child, so he went along with Morgan keeping tabs on Harry and Malcolm’s movements only asking for occasional updates.  For some reason, after six years the Merlin decided the situation with Harry had to change.  Perhaps the Merlin had a good reason, perhaps he learned there was a competing party looking to find Harry or perhaps the Merlin never liked the idea of a non-magic user looking after a starborn whose mother had been a strong magic practitioner.  Whatever the reason, the Merlin sends Morgan on a time consuming mission to sideline him and sends the Blackstaff to kill Malcolm Dresden; both for Harry’s greater good and the good of the White Council.

Here is why I don’t consider this scenario just a wild ass guess.  In Peace Talks, when Harry is arguing with Eb about Maggie’s safety, Harry tells Ebenezar about the emotional harm he suffered when Eb abandoned Harry to be placed in the foster care system.  Ebenezar couldn’t even look Harry in the face as Harry said this and Ebenezar didn’t deny it.  That is a problem.  If Justin DuMorne found Harry first and with Lea’s help or by himself, made Harry disappear, why didn’t Eb set Harry straight?  “Hoss, I’m sorry, but you are wrong.  I didn’t abandon you, Justin DuMorne made you disappear before me or anyone on the Council could find you.  We didn’t see you until after you killed Justin in a duel.”

Maybe Ebenezar didn’t kill Malcolm, but there is a contradiction here, and not a small one.  I would have thought that one of the Beta readers would have noticed it first.  I hope this isn’t some Dresden multiverse nonsense.  I don’t have a problem with little things, like in one book there is a Brighter Future Society, but in another book it is the Better Future Society, that the description of Mort Lindquist’s home changes dramatically between books, Bianca’s dead lover changes names between Storm Front and Grave Peril or Harry has never been inside Marcone’s castle in Cold Days or Skin Game, but I think in the same book Harry mentions he went inside that same castle when he was a ghost.  These are little details that tell us there is a Dresden multiverse, but they aren’t major contradictions which threaten to seriously break continuity.

I think there are two answers that resolve this situation.  One is Morgan was wrong.  Justin didn’t disappear Harry.  By some means Justin got ahold of Harry later on.  Ebenezar was responsible for making Harry disappear into the state system.  The second is Ebenezar stood back and watched it happen.  In that case Eb almost certainly knows who killed Malcolm Dresden and kept this secret, just like he kept the secret of Margaret's death from Harry.  But why would Eb do that if Justin killed Malcolm?  Ebenezar kept his knowledge of Margaret's murder from Harry because he didn't want Harry going off after Lord Raith when he knew Harry couldn't harm Raith and would just get himself killed.  If Justin killed Malcolm, that excuse doesn't fit.

Only Morgan was in doubt about young Harry’s whereabouts.  Ebenezar knew, or at least knew who disappeared Harry and wasn't concerned about it.  This would suggest Eb considered the party who disappeared Harry was keeping the child safe.  Not someone who would use or twist Harry for their own means.  This would mean it was someone Ebenezar trusted.  Who could that be?   

[Mira]

It appears that Lea visited Harry from time to time before he was adopted by Justin.  Dina has stated that she thinks Lea might have murdered Malcolm.  She isn’t the only person to have come to this conclusion.  I and at least one or two others have placed Lea on the suspect list for Malcolm’s death.  Lea kills Malcolm as part of a deal with Justin or someone else.  We don’t know what Lea was promised to get out of this deal, though we do know that she was eventually able to cut Justin out of the picture and get her hooks into Harry.  Lea getting Harry to get rid of Justin is accurate, but the rest of it is speculative.

Somehow I don't think that Lea murdered Malcolm, because I seem to remember her saying to Harry back in Summer Knight or perhaps Grave Peril that she had promised to keep Harry safe.  The only way I could see her murdering Malcolm would be that for some reason in her twisted Fae mind, which doesn't track logically like a human brain, it was the only way to keep Harry safe.  That's not to say that it perhaps Lea sacrificed Malcolm, killing him in the most humane way she knew how, but if you asked her, she wouldn't call it murder.  I am also willing to bet that if I am right, she had Mab's backing all of the way, maybe did it under Mab's orders.  The kicker might be that their logic was sound, as in they feared that Malcolm was vulnerable to Nemesis, and thus Harry was.. But yeah, a lot of dark speculation.

One wonders, was it Lea that made sure that Harry disappeared into the foster care system?  Did the Winter Court fear plans that the White Council had for young Harry?  Or what they would do to Harry?  Was it merely an accident that Harry fell into Justin's hands in the first place?

Here is why I don’t consider this scenario just a wild ass guess.  In Peace Talks, when Harry is arguing with Eb about Maggie’s safety, Harry tells Ebenezar about the emotional harm he suffered when Eb abandoned Harry to be placed in the foster care system.  Ebenezar couldn’t even look Harry in the face as Harry said this and Ebenezar didn’t deny it.  That is a problem.  If Justin DuMorne found Harry first and with Lea’s help or by himself, made Harry disappear, why didn’t Eb set Harry straight?  “Hoss, I’m sorry, but you are wrong.  I didn’t abandon you, Justin DuMorne made you disappear before me or anyone on the Council could find you.  We didn’t see you until after you killed Justin in a duel.”

It is possible that Lea made Harry disappear so that Eb and the White Council couldn't find him, because she knew that the White Council had put his mother under a death warrant. Then again, we don't know if there was a traitor on the White Council.. Nor do we know how long Peabody's ink had been doing it's thing.  The truth is though that Eb did abandon Harry, he never kept any ties with or kept track of Harry and Malcolm.

[KurtinStGeorge]

Somehow I don't think that Lea murdered Malcolm, because I seem to remember her saying to Harry back in Summer Knight or perhaps Grave Peril that she had promised to keep Harry safe.  The only way I could see her murdering Malcolm would be that for some reason in her twisted Fae mind, which doesn't track logically like a human brain, it was the only way to keep Harry safe.  That's not to say that it perhaps Lea sacrificed Malcolm, killing him in the most humane way she knew how, but if you asked her, she wouldn't call it murder.  I am also willing to bet that if I am right, she had Mab's backing all of the way, maybe did it under Mab's orders.  The kicker might be that their logic was sound, as in they feared that Malcolm was vulnerable to Nemesis, and thus Harry was.. But yeah, a lot of dark speculation.

There is a WoJ that states that Margaret did not make the best deal she might have made with Lea.  The general speculation I have seen on this statement is that Margaret didn’t include Malcolm as someone Lea should have protected.  Either Maragret saw Malcolm as someone who would be ignored because he wasn’t a player in the great game or Margaret wasn’t thinking clearly because she was pregnant, concerned with the safety of her unborn child and being chased by bad guys who wanted her dead.  That might be enough to throw anyone off their game.

  One wonders, was it Lea that made sure that Harry disappeared into the foster care system?  Did the Winter Court fear plans that the White Council had for young Harry?  Or what they would do to Harry?  Was it merely an accident that Harry fell into Justin's hands in the first place?

It is possible that Lea made Harry disappear so that Eb and the White Council couldn't find him, because she knew that the White Council had put his mother under a death warrant. Then again, we don't know if there was a traitor on the White Council.. Nor do we know how long Peabody's ink had been doing it's thing.  The truth is though that Eb did abandon Harry, he never kept any ties with or kept track of Harry and Malcolm.

This isn’t directly related to your statement above, but it is something that is interesting and might be of some relevance later on.  On my last reread of Changes I noticed that Ebenezer and Lea know each other, and not just by reputation.  After the battle is finally over Ebenezer walked up to both Harry and Lea; I think they were sitting next to each other, and Eb looked at Lea and said, “Family business.” Please excuse us.”  Lea just smirked at Ebenezar and walked away.

One, that is a rather informal way to speak to one of the highest ranking members of the Winter Court.  If Eb didn’t know Lea, he would have probably introduced himself and been a bit more formal in his request to have Lea leave.  More important and to the point, remember in Battle Ground the Erlking recognized the amulet Harry was wearing; or the jewel in the amulet, as being one that belonged to Margaret Lefay or of her design.  When Harry responded that Margaret LeFay was his mother, he got a sideways look from Ebenezar.  Harry then went on to explain that Eb didn’t believe in giving away this type of information freely and this would probably come up in a future talk with Eb.

So, for Ebenezer to freely say he needed some privacy with Harry to discuss “family business,” that means that Ebenezar knew that Lea already knew about Eb and Harry’s family connection.  It means Eb and Lea knew each other pretty well.  Maybe Eb has even made deals with Lea in the past.  If so, that would mean Lea has made deals with the Grandfather, his daughter and his grandson.  Lea being Harry’s fairy godmother almost make her family, to Harry at least; though in a really odd way.

[Mira]

So, for Ebenezer to freely say he needed some privacy with Harry to discuss “family business,” that means that Ebenezar knew that Lea already knew about Eb and Harry’s family connection.  It means Eb and Lea knew each other pretty well.  Maybe Eb has even made deals with Lea in the past.  If so, that would mean Lea has made deals with the Grandfather, his daughter and his grandson.  Lea being Harry’s fairy godmother almost make her family, to Harry at least; though in a really odd way.

I haven't reread the books you mentioned and don't remember them.  That's why rereading the series is important because as the series goes on looking back at the subtleties of what was said or unsaid become significant sometimes. The thought just hit me reading the above that maybe Eb didn't abandon young Harry or lose track of him in the foster system at all.   Given his secrecy about his family thinking he was protecting young Harry by not advertising his relationship to him, could Eb have made a bargain with Lea to watch over Harry in his absence?  We know she was the nice lady that visited from time to time when Harry was in the orphanage.  And yeah, when and if the truth ever comes out about that bargain, if it was made, I can see Harry resenting both Lea and Eb because of it.  I don't think since he endured years in an orphanage and ended up with Justin that that was a very good bargain as far as he was concerned. 

[KurtinStGeorge]

I haven't reread the books you mentioned and don't remember them.  That's why rereading the series is important because as the series goes on looking back at the subtleties of what was said or unsaid become significant sometimes. The thought just hit me reading the above that maybe Eb didn't abandon young Harry or lose track of him in the foster system at all.   Given his secrecy about his family thinking he was protecting young Harry by not advertising his relationship to him, could Eb have made a bargain with Lea to watch over Harry in his absence?  We know she was the nice lady that visited from time to time when Harry was in the orphanage.  And yeah, when and if the truth ever comes out about that bargain, if it was made, I can see Harry resenting both Lea and Eb because of it.  I don't think since he endured years in an orphanage and ended up with Justin that that was a very good bargain as far as he was concerned.

I think you may be on to something.  I'll go a little further.  I won't be surprised if we eventually discover that Lea made separate deals with Margaret, then Ebenezer, Justin; perhaps later or perhaps around the same time as Ebenezer, and finally Harry.  Being second only to Mab in all things Winter, I can imagine Lea recounting how she kept the word of every deal she made while exploiting every loophole available to her, to advance her own agenda.

[Mira]

I think you may be on to something.  I'll go a little further.  I won't be surprised if we eventually discover that Lea made separate deals with Margaret, then Ebenezer, Justin; perhaps later or perhaps around the same time as Ebenezer, and finally Harry.  Being second only to Mab in all things Winter, I can imagine Lea recounting how she kept the word of every deal she made while exploiting every loophole available to her, to advance her own agenda.

Yes, and this made Lea perhaps the most dangerous being in the Winter Court.  Why?  Because Lea is no Mab.  She thought she was, she thought she was every bit as clever and strong as Mab, but she was not.  This is hinted at back when we first meet her and Harry is terrified of her because she wanted to turn him into a hound to keep him safe.  I started a thread about it years ago when I started to reread the books. On the reread it became very apparent to me that Lea wanted Mab's job, she thought she was stronger and more clever than Mab.  Now it could be that she was actually infected with Nemesis long before she was given the Knife at the party back in Grave Peril.  When you think about it, why was she so happy to get it? She wasn't accepting it on behalf of her Queen. Lea thought the Knife gave her power, and she thought she could wheel and deal and maybe overthrow Mab because of it.  It also may have been Lea's motivation to give the Knife to unhappy Maeve, making her part of the conspiracy, and we saw how that ended.  However when Lea's madness became too overt, Mab caught it in time to treat and supposedly cure her, though Mab didn't spot it soon enough to save Maeve.

So going back to your original idea of Lea making all these separate bargains, most of which backfired makes sense when you think of it in the context that Lea may have already have been infected at that time.  What better way for Nemesis to take out the star born child that would have the power to defeat it some day?  It would appear to everyone at the time that Lea was making these bargains to keep her godchild safe, but all of the while she was being used by Nemesis to take out that child.  The plan came close to succeeding when young Harry killed Justin and almost lost his head for it... It was a near thing, it also underscores what Eb said in his journal back in Turn Coat, paraphrasing now, "it is almost like there is a divine hand in all of this.."  Hmmmmm...  Does a certain covert wet works archangel come to mind? Dare we say, Uriel?

Okay, I went back and found the exact quote, to me rereading it now, it seems more profound.  page 379, Turn Coat;

I sometimes can't help but think that there is such a thing as fate--or at least a higher power of some sort, attempting to arrange events in our favor despite everything we, in our ignorance, do to thwart it.

Bet all the eggs in the hen house that that higher power is Uriel, under the direction of his Boss of course.

[KurtinStGeorge]

I agree with your first statement that Lea is no Mab.  Thinking of Lea becoming the next Mab makes me think about the Peter Principle.  The idea of a person who is confident and successful at their job and because of their success this person is promoted, perhaps several times, until they are promoted to a job they are incompetent to perform and they fail completely.

I am much less sanguine about the idea that Lea was taken over by Nemesis prior to being given the Athame by Bianca.  Lea clearly underestimated Harry's potential and his unwillingness to be cowed by anyone.  (I suppose in Harry's case it would be, "Harry refused to be dogged.")  It is the main reason why Harry was able to outmaneuver Lea in Grave Peril, though Harry had to risk his life to do so.  Lea made the mistake of thinking Harry hadn't really changed from the frightened and easily manipulatable 16 year-old she had first met. 

 

[Mira]

I am much less sanguine about the idea that Lea was taken over by Nemesis prior to being given the Athame by Bianca.  Lea clearly underestimated Harry's potential and his unwillingness to be cowed by anyone.  (I suppose in Harry's case it would be, "Harry refused to be dogged.")  It is the main reason why Harry was able to outmaneuver Lea in Grave Peril, though Harry had to risk his life to do so.  Lea made the mistake of thinking Harry hadn't really changed from the frightened and easily manipulatable 16 year-old she had first met.

As far as Harry goes, yes, Lea underestimated him, however that doesn't change her ambition and desire to perhaps become Queen herself.  Her early dialogue when we first meet her suggests that she thought she could do a better job at Mab's job, than Mab.  What you have to ask yourself and admittedly at that point in time we don't know if that kind of ambition among the Fae is normal.  If it isn't, what is driving it?  Is Lea the exception that proves the rule?  Or was she infected and Nemesis was driving her ambition?
Either way, the gift of the infected Knife at the Party gave her a way to overthrow Mab.  Then Lea went ahead and gave the infected Knife to Maeve.  One of the things that Lea says in the brief conversation with Harry while she was in ice in Proven Guilty was how Mab set her straight, very brief because she went mad again.. Who are the two Fae in the Winter Court who sought to undermine and overthrow Mab? Lea and Maeve, who were the two Fae infected?  Lea and Maeve..  When Lea was going around making all these bargains supposedly to keep baby then very young Harry safe, which didn't, she could have been infected.  Then when that failed, what did Nemesis do?  Go after the Queen strongest to go against them, Mab, so the infected Knife was introduced.