That marvelous Chamber (long)

[b.jebenstreit at biologie.uni-bielefeld.de]

No: HPFGUIDX 27428

Amy, thank you for characterizing Harry in CoS so well.
Many people (in real world and other boards) that I have met, do not
see Harry as ambigious character. According to their POV, Harry
inherited all of the "Slytherin" characteristics from Voldemort,
including his ability to speak Parsel. They would argue, that DD
confirmed to Harry that he belongs in Gryffindor. Thus his "Slytherin"
abilities are either non-important or the results of surviving
Voldemort´s curse.
Personally, I disagree with this idea. I think, Harry would have this
"Slytherin" characteristics without Voldemort´s curse.
>From what we know about his parents, I would rather guess that he
inherited them from his mother. The green eyes that Harry shares with
Lily might go along with the ability to speak Parsel, for example. I
know, JKR said in an interview that Lily was in Gryffindor. But it
might be, that she could also have decided to go to Slytherin instead
of Gryffindor. That would tie in nicely with the rumours/promises,
that we would learn something amzing about Lily and that there is more
to the Sorting Hat than meets the eyes.
Dumbledore said: ".... it is more our decisions that define what we
are." While others have used this as a counter arguement, I use it as
a proof to my claim: Harry *could* have been a Slytherin (he "would
have done well") but he *chose* to be a Gryffindor. Maybe Lily did, too.
>From this point of view, CoS was necessary for Harry to come to terms
with his own decision. And I suspect, that there *will* be a relevance
to the the separate facts of having green eyes, being a Parselmouth,
*could* have gone to Slytherin and having the "twin" of Voldemorts
wand. Why? Because it has been kept as a secret. After four year, only
two people know, Harry could have gone to Slytherin: Harry and DD. If
it did not matter, why keep it a secret? I suspect Snape will *not* be
happy that Harry turned down *his* house (or maybe he does know?). And
at the end of GoF, only Harry, DD, Olivander and Sirius know about the
wand. ***Not*** his best friends Ron and Hermione.
Maybe this little information would not have been important, if Harry
had revealed it during his first year (like "hey, you know what: my
wand is the twin of Voldemort´s"). But between Fudge and Rita Skeeter,
his sanity (maybe even his loyalty) is in doubt. And I don´t believe
that JKR *can* ignore the situation she left Harry in at the end of GoF.
If Harry´s secrets are revealed know, when popular opinion of him is
so low, he could be in real trouble. If Mrs. Weasly believes Skeeters
lies about Hermione (whom she knows), how many people will believe
lies about Harry (whom they do not know)? Without CoS, the end of GoF
is only half as threatening. With it, I can´t wait for OoP - to be
proven right (or wrong).
Ethanol


"Amy Z" <aiz24 at h...> wrote:

> All of that being said, there are a few reasons I love CoS.
>
> -Harry's self-doubt.  Harry isn't sure where he belongs; he has
> relied on things outside him to tell him who he is?Hagrid,
> Dumbledore, the whole confusing and incomplete story of his parents--
> and now the uncertainty of that is getting to him. If other people
> start to think ill of him, he isn't sure what to think of himself.
> We see it from the very start when he begins to doubt his friendship
> with Ron and Hermione because they haven't sent him cards.  Then when
> the whole school starts to look at him funny, his anchor really comes
> loose.
>
> He keeps getting hit with surprises in this new world; he went along
> for over a year thinking that conversation with snakes was just like
> shrinking a sweater or turning his teacher's wig blue, one of those
> things about "odd Harry Potter" that turned out to be a perfectly
> normal part of being a wizard, and now he learns it's yet another
> thing that sets him apart instead.
>
> Harry's insecurity about whether he belongs in Slytherin or
> Gryffindor (and all that that symbolizes) also showcases other
> characters and relationships in very interesting ways.  It plays up
> both the tremendous support he gets from friends (Ron, Hermione, Fred
> & George, Hagrid) and the alienation he sometimes feels from the
> people who can support him (he doesn't tell anyone all of his doubts,
> not even Ron and Hermione).  He hasn't yet learned to trust
> Dumbledore?it's as if he knows Dumbledore likes him but feels that
> this is somehow conditional, and that it will crumble if Harry really
> lets him know who he is: a Parselmouth, someone who's hearing voices,
> someone who "would have done well in Slytherin."  I find the drama of
> his learning that he can be loved and admired and supported no matter
> who he is very moving.