Adults "failing" Harry (was: Themes in OotP)

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 119895


SSSusan earlier:
> > snip.
> > I know it's fiction and JKR wrote it the way she
> > wanted to write it, but I'm getting back to the question which was
> > raised by HunterGreen as to whether it was *believable* that so 
> > manyadults would have failed Harry in this way.  As she 
> > said, "the whole situation was horrifically mismanaged" and I 
> > agree with that assessment.
 
Rebecca: 
> I don't really have a problem with it.  They could not
> tell Harry anything or aknowledge to him that anything
> was up for fear Voldemort would find out.
> 
> Also, they aren't his parents.  Sirius had a
> responsibility to Harry.  The others are (former)
> teachers and friends parents and the like.  They had
> their own reason for keeping quiet (Molly trying to
> protect, even if misguided, is completely in
> character).


SSSusan:
Sirius is the only "parent" Harry now has.  Molly in her own words 
says she's as good as a parent to Harry.  Their good reasons for 
keeping quiet were:  1) DD's orders and 2) their own fears and 
discomforts.  I'm questioning these very things.


Rebecca: 
> Lastly, these people were members of the Order and had
> that responsibility too.  Although Harry's emotional
> health is important, it does not outstrip the safety
> of the WW.  They were keeping him safe as best they
> could and keeping it a secret from him to protect the
> rest of the world.
<snip>
> Harry didn't want emotional support (though he needed it),
> he wanted information. 


SSSusan:
Again, it's NOT really Harry's emotional health that I've been 
arguing here.  His emotional health would be NICE to have addressed 
at some point, but I'm talking about information, too -- about his 
safety and preparedness and having a feeling of knowing what's going 
on & his role in things, knowing that there are people he can trust 
to believe him & believe in him, as well as to provide SOME 
information.  

I would say that the safety of the rest of the world is what's at 
risk in the decision *NOT* to tell him things!  If Harry can't be 
convinced that he needs to do X or Y, then the wizarding world will 
have to live with the consequences of his actions/inactions.  

I just don't get why he could be told *nothing* without too much info 
getting back to Voldy.  I just spent some time in the post that was 
snipped giving an example of exactly what I thought DD could have 
done to have helped Harry see why he needed to take Occlumency 
seriously, without having to give him any dangerous specifics that 
Voldy might've been able to access.  

For instance.  DD knows, after the Arthur attack, that Voldy's now 
aware of the connection between him & Harry.  DD suspects Voldy will 
try to USE this to *lure* Harry.  Thus DD thinks it's *essential* 
that Harry learn to block the visions & dreams.  He tells Snape to 
teach Harry and lets Snape explain what's up & why.  DD himself makes 
no contact w/ Harry.  I'm arguing that EVEN JUST having had DD 
contact Harry with the news about Occlumency & the what's up & why 
might've made Harry believe in Occlumency's importance and that he 
must work at it & trust Snape.  DD doesn't have to say, "We know 
Voldy is going to lure you to the DoM."  DD could have said, "We 
believe Voldy might be able to use this connection to *feed* you 
*false* images, Harry, and since you wouldn't know what's real and 
what's false, this could be REALLY dangerous to you & others."  

How would that be giving Voldy too much information?  In fact, if 
Harry believed this from DD -- much more likely than when it comes 
from Snape -- he'd possibly have been able to master Occlumency, 
shutting out Voldy, which would've meant Voldy wouldn't get any info 
anyway!

By and large I *like* DD, so I'm not trying to play the blame game 
here and say everything is his fault.  I am trying to say that the 
adults in OotP didn't do a very good -- perhaps even a very 
believable -- job with Harry.  There WAS more they could have done 
without having spilled *all* the beans.  And the results might have 
been dramatically different.  


Rebecca:
> Harry is not 9 years old. He should have the brains to
> realize that there are *reasons* for him being kept in
> the dark, especially by a number of people he's known
> and trusted for some time.


SSSusan:
But with Occlumency, for instance, he's getting the info from Snape, 
whom he isn't willing to trust.  For right or wrong, that's a fact, 
and it had a big impact on how Occlumency went.  If *DD* or even 
Lupin or Sirius had told Harry all they could about Occlumency, such 
as I outlined above, Harry might've trusted the information.  At this 
point Harry doubts DD's interest in him.  If DD had reached out to 
him at this point with enough detail to convince Harry of the 
seriousness of the situation, it could've made all the difference.

Siriusly Snapey Susan