Marrietta's betrayal

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 110864

Alla wrote :
" Del, this is the cultural difference on which we are never going to
 agree to. I grew up in the communist regime.  I was taught quite 
early that opposition to such regime was very noble and decent thing.
Now, we are not talking about murderers or thiefs, but when my friends
were accused of committing so called "political crimes", I consider
them to be heroes and would never think of betraying them.

I think that analogy with "political crimes" works quite well for 
OOP, therefore it is incredibnly hard for me if not IMPOSSIBLE to 
sympathise with Marietta."

Del replies :
Alla, I perfectly understand where you come from. But you must also
try to understand where *Marrietta* comes from.

The country in which you grew up was under a totalitarian regime. The
country in which Marrietta grew up was a democracy (more or less, but
at least people believed it was). That democracy was replaced by a
totalitarian regime at the end of GoF, but that fact was not
recognised for a whole year. So when you, Alla, correctly recognise
that the DA are in fact doing a noble work for opposing a totalitarian
regime, Marrietta on the other hand probably sees them as something
close to junior terrorists. So OBVIOUSLY the two of you are going to
react in completely opposite ways.

Alla wrote : 
"Yes, Hermione left them no choice as to keeping silent about the 
meetings that is true. BUT, Hermione did not take away from her her
right to leave."

Del replies :
We don't know that actually. We don't know if Hermione would have
taken Marrietta's name off the list if Marrietta had expressed the
desire to leave, thus keeping Marrietta as much in danger of expulsion
as the others. 

Alla wrote :
" Blackmailed her with what? Yes, if we learn that umbridge tortured 
her, that would be a different story. But we know nothing to that 
effect so far, if I am correct."

Del replies :
Blackmailed her with expulsion or with firing her mom ?
And Umbridge has ways to torture people that don't necessarily leave
traces, doesn't she ? 
Agreed, we don't know if Umbridge pressured Marrietta. But what we do
know is that *something* must have happened for Marrietta to betray
her best friend after keeping silent for several months.

Del