[HPforGrownups] Re: Who Will Teach Harry Occlumency

[imhotep1]

No: HPFGUIDX 73689

I would like to take a moment to defend both Harry and Snape in the 
Occlumency debaucle.

As far as my defense of Harry, those who criticise him for being 
extremely disrespectful of Snape,  I have three points to make.  None of 
these points seeks to say it is acceptable what Harry did, but only seek 
to mitigate his culpability, and to perhaps justify his actions a little 
(at least in his own mind.)

1)  Like most children, Harry is trapped in a world of adults who are 
keeping secrets from him.  However, unlike most children,  the second 
most powerful wizard in the wizarding world is trying to kill him, and 
Harry has learned (for better or worse) that if wants to stay on top of 
matters in the LV department, he has to break some rules.  This i, in 
general, not a bad way of looking at life (sometimes you have to break a 
few rules) but now it's up to Harry to figure out when it's OK to break 
rules and when it isn't worth it (I would venture to say that invading 
Snapes pensive wasn't worth the knowledge gained.)

I suspect Dumbledore, at least somewhat, knowingly taught Harry this 
lesson about rules.  It has kept him alive so far, and until OOP it had 
no serious (no pun intended) consequences.


2)  Snape has made a royal ass out of himself toward Harry.  I suspect 
that Harry would not have invaded McGonagall pensive.  I know he went 
into Dumbledore's, but in all honesty he didn't know what it was.  I 
know when I was Harry's age I respected adults on vastly different 
scales based mostly on wether on not I thought they were an ass.  I high 
school there were classes I never cut, simply because I liked, and 
respected, the teacher.  And then there were the teachers I didn't like, 
but I won't get into that...  I'm just saying that what Harry did wasn't 
right, but it does make complete sense based on his age and experience.

3)  It has been stated repeatedly that Snape was wrong to stop giving 
Harry his lessons, and that this shows disrespect for Dumbledore on his 
part.  I agree with this sentiment, but I would venture to say that 
because of the nature of The wizarding world, and the threat of LV 
looming, I get the impression that Snape is a little emotionally 
stunted.  I get that impression from the pensive,  and I get that 
impression by comparinghim to Sirius.  Several people have pointed out 
that Sirius essentially was an adult teenager, because he went into 
Azkaban just two years after graduation from Hogwarts, so hasn't had 
much of a chance to mature.  Well...  what about Snape.  Around the same 
time hat Sirius went to Azkaban, Snape came to Hogwarts, and (I presume) 
been more or less hiding there since.  I doubt he goes and socializes 
over the holidays with the Malfoys or anything, and I don't think he has 
any close relationships with the other Hogwarts staff, which means that 
his life revolves around wrangling teenagers who mostly don't like him.  
There's not much room for personal emotional growth left in there for 
him.  It doesn't surprise me in the least that he responded like he did 
to Harry.

This is just my two cents.

-imhotep1