HUFFLEPUFF: Harry FP, anyone?

[abigailnus]

Hi all,

I know I've been kind of quiet recently.  In my defense, I have been 
doing stuff - Elkins' FP selections have been slowly swelling our database.  
Go check it out, she's found some real gems that I for one completely 
missed my first time around.

But, back to business.  Since the houses seem to be reforming, I thought 
I'd give a shout-out to anyone who's interested in starting work on the 
Harry FP.  We have a tentative outline, which I expanded in message #2013:

I've been thinking a lot about the Harry 
 FP (in case anyone's forgotten, that's Hufflepuff's job). I seem 
 to be of two minds on the matter. Back in June, when I first 
 joined, I offered the following outline:
 
 1. Harry's character, development and relationships
 1.1 Harry as an abused child, including the theory that the 
 entire series is his protective halucination, or that the 
 series will end up being a dream.
 1.2 The differing views on Harry's personality - is he a 
 take-charge hero or an arrogant kid? How justified is 
 Harry's incessant rule-breaking?
 1.3 Harry's inability/unwillingness to ask for help
 1.4 Harry's relationships with adults 
 1.5 Harry's relationships with his contemporaries. The Rift 
 in GoF, and maybe Harry's treatment of Neville.
 1.6 Harry's reactions to fame.
 1.7 Harry failing 
 
 2. Harry's purpose, abilities and destiny
 2.1 Why did Harry survive? Straight up love protection, 
 Love as a Spell Component and Ancient Magic.
 2.2 Is Harry special, and how? Stoned!Harry, Trelawney's 
 First Prediction and Heir of Gryffindor.
 2.3 Harry's abilities - is Harry simply a talented wizard, 
 or a preternaturally powerful one?
 2.4 Was the Philosopher's Stone ordeal rigged?
 2.5 Will Harry die? Will defeating Voldemort cost him his 
 magical powers? Will he be forced to leave the 
 wizarding world?
 
 Looking at this outline from a post-OOP standpoint, there 
 are some obvious necessary changes. Almost all of section 
 1 needs to address the changes in Harry's personality in OOP 
 and how those changes affect his future. In particular, section 
 1.2, Harry's personality, needs to include discussions on Harry's 
 development, and on what his behavior in OOP tells us about 
 him. Is he a normal boy going through adolescence? Are his 
 outbursts normal for the amount of pressure he's under? Is he 
 suffering from mental problems such as depression or PTSD (this 
 one might belong in section 1.1)?
 
 Section 1.3 remains mostly unchanged, although I think a 
 discussion of Harry's reactions to Umbridge might belong here 
 - why doesn't he speak out against her punishment and what 
 does that tell us about him? For that matter, an important 
 theme in OOP is self-control, and Harry's lack thereof - that 
 might also belong here or in 1.2.
 
 Section 1.4 will have to be expanded. I'm thinking that 
 sub-sections will be necessary at least for Snape, Dumbledore 
 and Sirius, and possibly Hagrid. I really think that the theory 
 that these men and others are Harry's father-figures belongs 
 here, and there has to be some discussion about how Harry is 
 consistently failed by adults in OOP. I also think that 
 generational parallels - with James, Sirius and Snape - should be 
 discussed in this section.
 
 In section 1.5, there should obviously be some discussion 
 of how Harry treats his friends and contemporaries in OOP. I 
 said in my original message that Shipping was already 
 well-covered by other FPs and shouldn't be discussed here, 
 but I think Harry's relationship with Cho tells us a lot about 
 him and about his growth, and should probably be addressed 
 here. I also think that in view of the prophecy it's important to 
 include a discussion of Harry and Neville as mirror images of 
 each other.
 
 I suggested section 1.7 because the main group had recently 
 discussed at length whether or not Harry would fail in his fight 
 against Voldemort. In OOP, he did just so - does this make this 
 section superfluous or should it remain?
 
 Section 2 should probably remain largely unchanged, with the 
 exception of section 2.2. Harry is obviously special, and 
 Trelawney's first prediction has panned out. However, I've seen 
 posts on the main group that continue to defend both 
 Stoned!Harry and Heir of Gryffindor, so they should probably 
 remain. However, this section will obviously have to include 
 discussions of the prophecy. Similarly, section 2.5 will also have 
 to be updated in light of the prophecy. In fact, I'm wondering if a 
 section devoted to the prophecy might not be in order.
 
Any thoughts?

Abigail