Harry getting to GP by floo / thestrals (was Re: Good Writing)

[huntergreen_3]

No: HPFGUIDX 110908

HumanTupperware: 
>>I think the whole point of this Sirius/Harry/MOM mess is that Harry 
behaved in an impetuous, rash headed manner, and managed to cause the 
death of the only person close to being family that he had. I think 
the point of this chapter is to point out to us that Harry is far 
from omnipotent, he doesn't have all the answers, he doesn't know 
everything, and through being passionate and reckless, everything 
goes pear shaped.<<

HunterGreen:
Okay, that's fine, I can accept that Harry would act rash and not 
think things out, and run off to rescue Sirius despite the many 
reasons he shouldn't. The last dream he had was real, it would be 
hard to convince himself that this one wasn't.
However, I have a problem with Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and 
Luna all coming along as well and none of them stopping to talk Harry 
out of it. Yes, Hermione tries, but she gives up FAR too easily. What 
were they planning to do when they got to the DoM if Sirius really 
was there? Fight Voldemort? They're a bunch of kids, and he 
(presumably) would have DEs with him who (unlike the reality of OotP) 
wouldn't trying not to break something that one of them was holding. 
Before they all grabbed a thestral and took flight, one of them 
(Hermione being the best canidate) should have grabbed Harry and 
asked 'What are we going to do when we get there?' 
A better suggestion than running off to rescue Sirius (which would 
have failed), would be to attempt to contact Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, or 
go to St. Mungos and get a hold of McGonnagal (just because she's in 
the hospital doesn't mean she's incoherent). 
*Harry* might go straight from thinking Sirius is in trouble to 
thinking its *up to him* to save Sirius, but I don't see why the rest 
of the group suddenly had the same muddy thought process.

HumanTupperware:
>>In keeping with the whole emotional tone of OoTP, it fits that 
Harry is angry, hormonal, acting like a know it all teenager, and 
through this "arrogance" (sorry if this sounds harsh, I love Harry 
too, and also remember exactly what it was like being a teenager!) he 
makes mistakes and has to learn to live with them. If he is to 
survive through the next books, he's going to have to grow up
pretty damn fast.<<

HunterGreen:
Sorry, I don't agree with any explanation of Harry's behavior being 
caused by him 'being a teenager'. Human behavior is just more 
complicated than that. His frustration and rage in OotP is completely 
understandable considering what he's being forced to deal with, no 
matter what his age is. His actions at the end of OotP were in line 
with him going after the stone himself in SS/PS, not getting a 
different teacher besides Lockhart to help him in CoS, and not 
running for a teacher when dog!Sirius dragged Ron under the willow in 
PoA. When someone is in danger, Harry decides that its up to him to 
save them (it could be an off-shoot of growing up in a house 
surrounded by people who didn't care if he lived or died: if he had a 
problem it was up to him to solve it). I don't think he was acting 
like a rash *teenager* at the end of OotP, I think he was acting like 
a rash *person*. Its just in his nature.

--
About the floo powder thing, though, during my first read I wondered 
like Del why Harry didn't just go directly into Grimmauld Place after 
he found out Sirius needed rescuing. It annoyed me quite a bit in 
fact. However, I think now I agree with the idea that flooing into 
the school is not allowed, but seeing how I wasn't the only person 
who got the wrong idea, it would have been nice if that had been 
included in the text somewhere.