[HPforGrownups] Re: Dumbledore's mistakes

[T.M. Sommers]

No: HPFGUIDX 75484

greatelderone wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "T.M. Sommers" <tms2 at m...> 
> wrote:
> 
>>Telling him would have, among other things, played right into 
>>Voldemort's plans by making Harry curious about the prophecy (if 
>>he was only told of its existence) and tempting him to go after 
>>it, or by risking Voldemort extracting it from Harry's mind (if 
>>he was told the content).
> 
> 
> But if he had told Harry everything immediately then Harry woud have 
> started occlumency and probably would have worked harder at it if he 
> knew that Voldemort was going to use him as his spy and then 
> Voldemort wouldn't have possibly extracted the information from 
> Harry's head since he would never have noticed Harry in his head in 
> the first place

If he had told Harry everything, Harry would probably have run 
right to the ministry to find the prophecy, just as Malfoy said 
Voldemort expected him to.  Even if he didn't, it would take time 
for Harry to become proficient at occlumancy, even if he worked 
at it, and during that time the secret would be compromised.

>>Since when is that Dumbledore's responsibility?  Sirius is a big 
>>boy, and should be able to look after himself.  
> 
> Dumbledore is the leader of the troops. I think one of his 
> responsibilities is to maintain morales. Besides Sirius didn't 
> exactly grow up since he has spent the last decade or so in jail or 
> as a dog which hasn't exactly helped his mental state.

That's the chaplain's job, not the commanding officer's (although 
I don't think the military analogy is really appropriate here).