Draco; Marauders' Map; WWII; Forgiveness; Peg's Posts

[Penny & Bryce Linsenmayer]

No: HPFGUIDX 987

Hi --

Practicing what I preach so to speak --

DARKNESS IN HP --

Jim wrote:

> It ties in with my notions of of one of the things JKR is trying to do in these books.  Among other things, she wants
> her young readers to realize that bad is *bad*.
> I don't know how many messages I've seen on boards frequented by younger readers that say "wouldn't it be cool if Harry went to the Dark Side?" "I think the Dark stuff is cool!"  That kind of thing.
> These kids have grown up on cartoon-funny Scooby-Doo villains and moved on to the cooler than the good guy Disney villains and the
> World Wrestling Federation [their HQ is about 600 feet from where I'm
> sitting].  Heck, a lot of us grew up watching the bumbling funny Nazi
> guards on Hogan's Heroes, a program I found offensive.
>
> Your point is that Draco is going to have to come to grips with what
> it means to be Dark, the same journey I hope some of the readers
> take. It's the same journey Snape made and still struggles with. Will it
> come out the same way?
>
I'm with Jim -- I hope these younger readers really learn what evil is
all about through HP.  That's yet another reason I hope she & her
publishers won't succumb to any pressures to "tone it down."  There are
important lessons to be learned, and right now, JKR has the bully pulpit
at her disposal.

As for Draco & whether he might turn down Snape's path (presuming that
Snape really is on Our Side) -- well, I'm not entirely convinced.  I
know there are some Draco "fans" out there and maybe they can convince
me otherwise.  I just don't see any evidence of any redeeming
characteristics or any hint that Draco might renounce his father and the
Dark Side.  There are certainly plot devices that could change all of
that -- he might well have his eyes opened at some later point.  But, as
for how things stand right now, I just don't see him becoming a good guy
in the end.  The *only* thing about Draco that gives me pause is that
apparently his father gives him a hard time & isn't very "fatherly" (I'm
thinking of the harsh words Harry overheard Lucius exchanging about
Draco in the store in Knockturn Alley -- CoS).

MARAUDERS' MAP -- Where is it at the end of GoF?  Well, the invisibility
cloak keeps getting returned to Harry, and I would imagine we'll see
Harry get his hands on the map again (or hear how it came back into his
possession) fairly early on in Book 5.  Of course, now Dumbledore knows
about the Map.  But then, he's the one who gave Harry the invisibility
cloak.

WORLD WAR II PARALLELS -- Brooks, I'd love to hear more thoughts from
you on this subject.  I was thinking about that some more today.  I'm a
bit of a WWII buff, so I may try to write a "Peg Kerr" thesis on the
subject and post it soon.

WHAT TO READ RECOMMENDATIONS -- Someone was surprised that the list
contained so many non-fantasy type books.  <vbg>  I suspect that's why
that particular list caught my eye & why I printed it out.  HP is so far
the only fantasy series I've enjoyed (and I've never read any sci-fi).
I prefer historical fiction & non-fiction in general.  I didn't even
notice that it didn't really contain "fantasy" recommendations.  I just
kept saying "ooh, that might be good" -- better print this out.

FORGIVENESS -- Simon expressed some surprise that Harry accepted Sirius
into his life so readily since Sirius admitted to being "responsible"
for the deaths of James & Lily.  I would say that his "responsibility"
is really fairly "indirect."  It's not as though he changed Secret
Keepers with any sort of nefarious motive.  He did so because he thought
it was maximizing the potential for the safety of the Potter family.  He
was devastated by their deaths (and his own indirect role in bringing
those deaths about), and I think the depth of his emotions was clear to
Harry.  It didn't seem strained or unnatural to me that Harry would,
once he believed Sirius' story, take him into his life.  Sirius also
spent that summer showing parental-like concern for Harry (2 letters, a
birthday cake).

PEG -- great posts on loyalty & secrets!  I may have thoughts to add
later, but for now, I'll just echo what others have said.  Wonderful
insights -- keep posting.  BTW, I know you're a fairly new member & you
probably don't know many of us that well yet.  But, I feel I should step
in to Ebony's defense -- from my own judgment of Ebony, I'd say she's
about the last person who might plagiarize anything.  I don't think she
had any intention of taking your words & thoughts verbatim & passing
them off as her own.  I know you said "no offense" & I take you at your
word on that, but, in all honesty, the remark probably would have
offended me if it had been directed at me.

Penny



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