Harry the Auror... or not?

[Jennifer Piersol]

No: HPFGUIDX 74904

Hi, all.

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboy_mn at y...> wrote:
> True, Harry has expressed an interest in being a Auror. But... the
> average kid that age thinks of being a fireman, policeman, astronaut,
> rock star, movie star, etc... because they are all glamorous and
> exciting, and of course, the particular desired professions changes
> several times a day. 

It's true, I have no idea how boys' minds work, but at the age of 15,
I assumed that kids were starting to have a more realistic viewpoint
of their future.  I always thought boys around the age of *5* wanted
to be firemen, policemen, astronoauts, etc.  When I was 15, the boys I
knew wanted to be in the armed forces (I lived in a Naval town, so
some of us didn't have much imagination), architects, pilots, and I
had a major crush on a budding entymologist, if you can believe it.  

> So, it is reasonable that Auror seems dangerous and exciting now, but
> how is Harry going to feel after a few more encounters with Death
> Eaters and Voldemort, and after the ULTIMATE encounter with Voldemort?
> 
> These encounters at the end of each book are brutal. Harry is a
> complete mess after each of them and usually spends a significant
> amount of time in the hospital. Now on top of the brutality and trama
> he has and will endure from these encounters, Dumbledore has told
> Harry it must end with him being murdered or commiting murder
> (murder=Harry's own words). Plus, Dumbledore and circumstances have in
> essence told Harry that the weigh of the world, more specifically the
> fate and lives of the wizard world, are resting on his shoulders.
> So... no pressure there Harry. 

Just a little quibble.  After Voldemort is gone... could it really be
a whole lot worse than what he's facing now?  Sure, killing Voldemort
isn't going to eradicate all evil - but sheesh... it's like he says to
Malfoy, Jr., et al at the end of OOP - is Voldemort just a practice
round for the *really* evil wizards out there?  Personally, I think
being an Auror is going to be a lot *LESS* dangerous once V's gone and
those random Death Eaters out there have no rallying point.

> How much can one little boy be asked to bare? Especially, when he is
> so poorly supported; emotionally, physically, intellectually, and
> magically.

Is he really little?  Is he really so poorly supported?  I'm just
going to have to disagree with this assessment.

> I also predict that the tramatic and brutal encounters we've seen so
> far are going to pale in comparison to what Harry has to face in the
> next two books. 

Sure... I agree with this one.  

> After living throught hell, do you really think Harry wants to make
> living in hell his profession? Not me.

Ah, but he's "living" in hell right now because of the prophecy.  He
*can't* live while V's still out there.  Like I said before, being an
Auror isn't going to be quite so bad once V's gone.  And it can't be
all that bad now... otherwise, how on *earth* do they recruit new members?

> Harry is going to come out of this deeply scared and tramatized, and
> most critically, brutally famous. If he becomes an Auror, every wizard
> with a problem is going to demand that the famous Harry Potter come
> and solve it. Once word spreads, I can see calls coming in to the
> Ministry from all over the world, begging for them to send Harry
> Potter to save them from one form of evil or another. Those
> unrelenting demands will mean that Harry is doomed to spending his
> life under the constant threat of danger and death. Everywhere he
> goes, everything he does, will mean countless people are going to be
> depending on him to save them. 

Just because he's Harry Potter doesn't mean he's going to be the best
auror out there.  Just the only one that could have killed V.  And I'm
sure that by the time V's dead, everyone will know that Harry killed
V. (if that is, in fact, how it ends up - I'm throwing my bets towards
Harry biting the dust... I'll make more money... hehehe) because he
was the only one that could.  With all those aurors out there with
more experience, I'm sure Harry won't be the wonder boy until (if the
time ever comes) he can handle it himself.  And by that time, he'll be
old enough to be able to say, "No thanks... send Tonks instead."

> As an Auror, Harry will be like Atlas, doomed to forever carry the
> weight of the world on his shoulders, but unlike Atlas, Harry is not a
> supernatural being. No mere mortal can carry that much weight for that
> long without it eventually crushing him; without it eventually
> destroying him.

Okay, let's really think about this for a minute.  How many aurors
*are* there?  We know there are at least 10-15, right?  At least.  And
we don't even know who's in charge of the lot.  These are all highly
skilled wizards who have been through lots of training, and who most
likely LOVE their job - otherwise, they would have been scared off
long ago.  I mean, even Moody still does some Auror work, and he's
been hacked to pieces.  If it were me, I would have retired after
losing a huge chunk out of my nose.  But no!  He stayed in and lost an
eye, too!  Now are these people really going to sit by and let some
kid take over the whole department?  Doing all *their* jobs?  Getting
all the glory?  Are they going to sit by and watch him have a nervous
breakdown?  I seriously doubt it.  I mean, I just can't see him taking
over as "Grand Poobah" of the Aurors, taking all the responsibility on
himself.  After finding out that the responsibility of getting rid of
the most evil Wizard in centuries lies on his shoulders, I'm sure
he'll be glad to just take orders from others for a while and not give
in to his "saving the world" complex anymore.
 
> No, I think once all is said and done, Harry will have more than his
> fill of dark wizard fighting, and will be more content to live a
> quiet, benevolent, unassuming life. 

Nah.

> That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
> 
> bboy_mn

-Jen, who wonders what the odds are that Harry bites the dust in book
7 - and if she can get some action on that one.  I'd be glad to lose
$5 if I'm wrong... ;)