Dumbledore, Leader of Men (and Women) (was: Chapter Discussions: Chapter 4)

[evil_sushi2003]

No: HPFGUIDX 84006

Laura:
> Yes, Molly and Arthur have been generous and loving to Harry.  
> That doesn't mean that they have formal responsibility for him 
> or that they have any "rights" in him.  If you care about your 
> kid's friends and offer them affection and support, does that 
> mean you then have "rights" over them?  Of course not. Sirius 
> was exactly correct.  Molly was overstepping her bounds.

Pippin:
> But she has to put up with Sirius grumbling about Dumbledore 
> all the time not to mention  whatever  wild talk Sirius indulged 
> in. Probably hatching one halfbaked scheme after another to spring 
> Harry from the Dursleys without Dumbledore's permission or lam 
> it with him from the Ministry ditto.

E.S 
I would have to say that in GOF when Harry asks Sirius if he can 
stay with him, Sirius behaves a little shifty on this, and IMO it's 
probably because DD has told him of the protection. Sirius has never 
made any 'halfbaked scheme' to try and spring Harry from the 
Dursleys. He asked Harry to stay with him when he believed that 
Pettigrew would be caught, when he knew nothing of the protection, 
when he thought he would be free. From the point that Sirius thinks 
that he can be cleared, all he wants to do is protect James' son, 
and treat him as if he were his own.
 
Laura:
> <snip>  It's not like Harry went to Molly for advice at any 
> point throughout the 5 books.
  
Pippin:
> And that had to hurt. 
 
Laura replies:
> No one *ever* goes to Molly for advice.  In the kitchen scene at 
> GP, everyone in the room, including her own husband, disagrees 
> with her.  That should tell us something.
> 
> 
> Here's the canon on that discusion:
> 
> "'He's not your son', said Sirius quietly.
> 'He's as good as,' said Mrs. Weasley fiercely.  Who else has he 
> got?'
> 'He's got me!'
> 'Yes,' said Mrs. Weasley, her lip curling.  The thing is, it's 
> been rather difficult for you to look after him while you've been 
> locked up in Azkaban, hasn't it?'" (OoP p. 90 US)

ES
>From the word 'quietly' I assume that Sirius didn't say this with 
aggressive emotion, more rather just stated it, as if to warn Molly 
politely that he has parental rights over Harry, and that she is 
overstepping hers, and just to remind Molly that other people care 
about Harry, noy just herself.

Sirius didn't get angry, rash or start yelling, as he does when we 
know he's angry (think of that confrontation with Snape). Whereas 
Molly, who thinks that she is solely responsible for Harry and is 
the only one who cares for him brings up predjudices against Sirius 
that she knows areunfounded, and the reason for this is that she 
wants to hurt him, because she is jealous. (IMO)
 
Laura:
> My reaction to that was to gasp-what an incredibly cruel and 
> hurtful thing to say!  She accuses Sirius of confusing Harry with 
> James.  Yet she confuses 15-year-old!Harry with a much younger 
> Harry she never even knew.  She doesn't do any of the kids a service 
> by refusing to let them grow up just because the big world can be 
> scary.  Guess what-it'll be that way whether kids are equipped to 
> handle it or not.  Wouldn't a thoughtful parent want them to be 
> prepared for what they may face as teens and adults?  I thought 
> that was what parenting was all about.

ES 
I have to say that I'm getting tired of Molly's control-freakish 
attitude. She doesn't seem to realise that Harry, Herm, her own 
children, can actually think for themselves. I totally agree that 
she is shoving her proverbial oar into Sirius's business.

I compare her attitude to that of Umbridge, and although for 
different reasons (Umbridge controlls as she wants to protect Fudge 
and the Ministry, whereas Molly controlls as she wants to protect 
Harry et all), both have been painful to Harry. (Umbridge for obvious 
reasons), and Molly, because if she had let Sirius explain more to 
Harry, then IMO, Harry would have a better understanding of what was 
happening to him, and what Voldy was planning. IMO It is always more 
beneficial to have an idea what your enemy is planning, but Molly 
(and DD to an extent) shelters Harry far to much. She wants to 
protect him, but she doesn't realise that he doesn't need 
protection, and as he had already proved himself 4 times, more than 
most of the aurors, if not all, and more than Molly herself most 
probably.

IMO
Sirius supports the DA, whereas I doubt Molly's reaction would be 
anything than supportive. Sirius wants Harry to experience life, and 
as he had so much fun breaking rules with MWP, he just wants Harry 
to have an experience that he would enjoy. Harry is all Sirius had 
left of his best friend, I'm pretty sure that he knows Harry isn't 
James, and it's quite obvious that he wouldn't support Harry in 
anything that could endanger him. Sirius cares about Harry, and 
probably a whole lot more than Molly, who never talks to Harry 
person to person, and only bustles about him. (Define that, she 
doesn't talk to Harry about his secrets, his beliefs, whereas Sirius 
talks to Harry like a friend, not like a friend's mum who cares a 
lot for him)

I also think that Sirius is the only person in OotP who truly knows 
what Harry is feeling. Harry feels angered that he isn't told 
anything, IMO, he feels trapped, and that his freedom has been taken 
(at school, by Umbridge, in the holidays by Dursleys, in Grimmauld 
place by Mrs Weasley). Molly even goes to the extent of stopping 
outside the bedroom door to make sure that they weren't discussing 
things. I find that creepy to say the least.

Hoping JK will cop-off Molly sometime soon... 

evil_sushi