Who Will Teach Harry Occlumency

[Karen]

No: HPFGUIDX 73408

 "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. >>>


Hi, I'm new to this group, so I hope I don't rehash old arguments 
too much...

First, as a former teacher, I think Snape deserves a lot of blame for
the failure of Harry's occlumency lessons. As an adult, AND someone 
who really understood the importance of the lessons, he should have
overcome HIS old prejudices and hurt feelings to do his job, the one 
Dumbledore had intrusted him to do. Harry, as a teenager, cannot be 
expected to have the same level of maturity and judgement as an 
adult, especially an experienced professor. All teachers have 
students they do not like. You teach those kids anyway, and you do 
your best NOT to pick on them or do things to undermine their 
education. Snape is a petty, small person, despite the fact that he 
is trying to work against Voldemort. 

Harry has had so many things that would make him disfunctional, it 
would be amazing if he didn't have animosity toward many of the 
adults in his life. He's been failed by almost everyone in his life 
at one point or another from his point of view. He was with another 
student who died because of Voldemort's vendetta against him. He's 
also a hormonal teen who is subject to all kinds of emotional 
upheavals, even if he weren't at the epicenter of a coming war with 
the scariest force in the wizard world.

We still don't know what caused the extreme hatred between Sirius 
and Snape, but they were able to overcome their feelings when 
necessary, albeit, reluctantly. They both are acting pretty 
immature. 

I feel certain, however, that it will be up to Dumbledore to teach 
Harry occlumency in the feature.


"Karen"