Choices

[marigoldevans]

No: HPFGUIDX 86519

Kneasy wrote:
>> What does almost every so-called epic have that  hasn't yet  
appeared in HP?
<snip> The Temptation of course.
The offer/realisation that power  can be his for the taking. All 
he has to do is resist the persistent  blandishments of those urging 
peace, love and a macrobiotic diet and step to the other side.
All you need  is  a bit of  lateral thinking.
That  prophecy. It  says that Harry (or so it is presumed) will be Voldy's equal.
We have assumed  something slightly different;  that  he will  be Voldy's equal *and opposite*.
But it doesn't say that at all. Just that someone equal to the 
Dark Lord will come along and may defeat him. No mention of a saviour-
like figure, no mention of a paragon of all that is good and virtuous, 
just the two of them fighting it out and there being no certainty as to 
who will win.
A power struggle  to determine who will be top  dog.
Now I can't see  JKR ending the series with Harry as the Evil 
Overlord of the WW (though it would be a refreshing change from the 
accepted convention that good always wins), but I can see Harry going 
through a crisis of conscience somewhere along the way.
 <snip> 
There's been a stuttering on/off thread wondering who will be the 
next to betray the Order. This isn't the first time I've placed Harry  
at the top of the list of 'those most likely to' as a result of his 
anger, angst and resentment against those who seem to be manipulating 
him. Eventual remorse and reconciliation with his finer instincts are 
pretty much a foregone conclusion, but while he's away he might do an 
awful lot of damage.>>


Wowie!  Wow!  Wow!  I've never actually considered the idea of Evil 
Overlord Harry before...  Now that I'm picturing it, I have a couple 
reservations.

Harry passes on several opportunities to get revenge or to make 
himself feel better at the expense of someone else, well okay, Ron.  
His first night in Grimmauld Place, when he's about to have his 
questions about the Order and Voldemort answered, he briefly 
considers not passing any information to Ron as payback for keeping 
him in the dark over the summer.  He quickly discards that idea.  
Also, though very disappointed about not making Prefect, he doesn't 
ridicule Ron and seems genuinely happy for his friend.  Finally, he 
supports Ron's effort to try out for the Gryffindor quidditch team, 
when Ron expects him to laugh.

I think that, with the people he cares about, he is quite in touch 
with his finer instincts.  With the others, well, that's another 
story.  Yeah, he did try out an unforgiveable curse on Bellatrix, 
but I think that was a "heat of passion" sort of thing:  She had 
just killed someone that Harry loved.  As far as Malfoy and Snape 
go, I have no answers.  In fact, I just had a thought in support of 
Kneasy's theory.  What if Dumbledore died, and Snape took over as 
head of the Order?!  Boy howdy!  I could see Harry not wanting to 
have anything to do with that!

Oh, by the way, minor temptation does arise in the very first book 
(SS, am. ed., page 294), when Quirrelmort snarls "Better save your 
own life and join me...or you'll meet the same end as your 
parents..."

Marigoldevans, who sighs with pleasure envisioning Harry and 
Dumbledore riding off into the sunset at the end of book 7 
and "living happily ever after"!  (Maybe with a couple of those 
femme fatales!)