Who Will Teach Harry Occlumency

[bookraptor11]

No: HPFGUIDX 73378

In the original post Bibphile wrote (quoting from another list):
Basically the idea was put forth (and I agree with it) that Snape's 
moral code works independent of whether he likes you or not. (SNIP)
Sirus seems to have based his moral code exclusively on whether on 
not he likes somebody. 

"Wendy St. John" wrote:

> In OoP, we saw the results when Snape and Harry were both unable to 
> see past their own "baggage" and work together. Sirius is dead 
> because of it. Yes, there were other factors, but I think that 
Snape 
> and Harry's relationship had a great deal to do with it. Harry 
> didn't seem to be really trying to learn occlumency, partly because 
> he *wanted* the dreams, but also because his relationship with 
Snape 
> wasn't such that he wanted to excel at the subject to please Snape. 
> (As he might have wanted to do with a different teacher, Dumbledore 
> or Lupin, for example). Quite the opposite, in fact. I wouldn't be 
> surprised to find that Harry was subconsiously sabotaging his own 
> efforts to learn occlumency, just to spite Snape. In any case, 
Harry 
> didn't seem to place very much importance on the lessons, even 
> though many people told him they were important. Harry's feelings 
> about Snape also caused him to forget that Snape is a member of the 
> Order. If Harry had gone to Snape earlier, things might have been 
> very different.
> 
> I realise that I seem to be putting the blame onto Harry here, but 
> that's only because, IMO, *in OoP*, Harry's actions created most of 
> the problems. Of course, Snape's actions throughout the series have 
> alienated Harry and helped create a situation where the two don't 
> trust one another, and can barely even be civil to one another, so 
> he is equally to blame for the horrid relationship. However Harry 
> was the one in OoP who made most of the actual choices which led to 
> Sirius' death (not practicing occlumency, not going to Snape about 
> his vision of Sirius, going into the pensieve, etc). Snape's big 
> mistake in OoP was not continuing the occlumency lessons after the 
> pensieve incident. Although, frankly, by that time I'm not sure it 
> would have done any good for the lessons to continue. It seemed 
> obvious to me that Harry just didn't have any incentive to block 
> Voldemort from his mind.

Me:

Is it just me or is Harry in great danger of becoming too much like 
Sirius as far as moral code is concerned?  

He's always let his emotions toward Snape get in the way of giving 
him any credit for the good that Snape does, such as trying to save 
his life is PS/SS. On the other hand, he always supports Hagrid 
whether Hagrid is right or wrong (this has come up in Hagrid posts). 
He never tells on Hagrid, even when Hagrid is doing something that 
endangers himself.

He was only a child. It's hard to credit someone who acts so hateful 
towards you, and it's natural to support someone who was your first 
real friend, who introduced you to the wizarding world. But Harry's 
going on 16 now, and if he lets his emotions determine his moral 
code, he could end up putting more of his friends and allies in 
danger.

I agree with Wendy that it's mostly Harry's choices that resulted in 
Sirius' death. It's easier for him to "never forgive Snape" (p851 US 
ed.)than to take responsibility for his own actions.  I see echoes of 
Sirius' inability to take responsibility for endangering someone's 
life in the Prank, continuing to insist that Snape deserved it.

I think in book six this is going to have to be dealt with.  I would 
like to see Snape and Harry have to interact either in Occlumency or 
as part of the Order, just to force them to deal with what's 
happened. 

To defeat Voldemort, Harry's greatest advantage has been love.  He 
needs to see that love isn't just an emotion, it's a way of behaving 
that hinges on the fact that others have a right to exist, 
independent of whether you feel emotional love toward them. He can't 
do that if his ability to do the right thing depends on whether he 
likes you or not.

Donna, sorry about the explanation of love. Theologists and 
philosophers have put it much better than I ever could.