Smeagol Crouch and Harry Baggins

(I'm working on the second Pirates Post, partly done, getting there while still trying to keep it organized and with good subheadings to make an easier read ... this is one to keep some of the Potter focus going - just a small one that came from a recent convo.) So, Jo's quote from the Rowling interview about the import of book 4 prompted the memory of a recent conversation on book 4 and Barty Crouch Jr. that struck me, on the night of said conversation, as a good idea for a short post comparing this GoF instance with Lord of the Rings. I was discussing Barty Jr's potential as a teacher and a friend said she did not buy Barty as an actual good teacher, which gave me some pause to re-formulate - that he is the ghost of a good teacher. This started me along the lines of clarifying what I was meaning and the best analogy that came to mind was Gollum, in a sense the "ghost" of Smeagol. The Smeagol who had the potential for redemption got lost along the way of the 500 years (or something like that) he spent possessed by the ring (which is very much defined by the impression that the relationship is the other way round, that he possesses it) - what left is the ghost. There's no question in Mount Doom of his intentions, or whether he is completely in the rings thrall. Frodo's fall (into putting the ring on to own it, rather than destroy it) is a tragedy that goes on in the story we are reading itself (in "real time") - Smeagol's tragedy already happened before LotR begins. But, through Frodo's struggle and his particular ability to see the ghost of the redeemable Smeagol, we experience the latter's tragedy afresh, in "real time." Frodo is a "revelation" character in this way. I would argue that Harry is a similar revelation character with respects to Barty Jr. The latter is already gone, he has been so warped by his struggles with his father and then serving Voldy not just out of fear but out of twisted craving for Voldy to fulfill - there is not turning back. But even though even his good actions, such as honing Harry's skill at resisting the Imperius, may be done out of pride (reveling in its resemblance to his own escape from and reversal of his father's imperius) or the "hate" side of his "love-hate" relationship with Voldy as surrogate father -- through Harry's eyes and experience we see the ghost of the good teacher and experience the tragedy afresh. I think this is some of what is behind the book 5 (at least I think it is there, during "career counseling") mention of, even though it was a death eater in disguise who said he should become an auror, it had always stuck with him.