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

[kiricat2001]

No: HPFGUIDX 119958


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "cubfanbudwoman" 
<susiequsie23 at s...> wrote:
 <snip>
> SSSusan: (replying to Betsy)
> I snipped your earlier section on the other adults, and I do 
> understand what you're saying about their behaviors being 
> understandable.  You pointed out, for instance, that Sirius and 
> Molly *aren't* really Harry's parents.  My only argument remaining 
> about that would be that if they are going to say that they're "all 
> the parent" he has or that they're "good as a parent" that they 
> really should step up and act like it.  Sirius, I think, tried to 
do 
> this at the start but didn't keep it up consistently.  Molly 
> probably felt that she *was* acting like a parent by doing what she 
> is wont to do with her own children -- (over?)protecting them.  So, 
> I agree with you that some of these people's actions were 
> understandable.  I wish they'd looked at whether they were actually 
> *helpful* to Harry, though.  And DD... well, the more I think about 
> this, the more I guess I really do think he goofed up.

Marianne:

But, to cut Molly and Sirius a little slack, they were separated by 
distance from Harry a good part of the time. And the methods of 
communicating with Harry at Hogwarts were not secure.  Owl post could 
be intercepted, as was evident from Hedwig's injury.  Fire 
conversations were dicey, as evidenced from Umbridge nearly catching 
Sirius. The Secret-Decoder-Ring-Snazzy-Chat-Instrument that the Order 
members supposedly can use amongst themselves for communication was 
not available to Harry.  So for large stretches of time Harry was 
effectively isolated from these two.  

Could they have swung effectively into full parental mode during 
Christmas after the attack on Arthur?  Ideally, yes, assuming they 
didn't end up fighting over Harry.  Molly should have looked beyond 
her own worries and troubles to concentrate a bit more on Harry. Of 
course, that might have required going against DD's instructions, 
which she seems completely unwilling to do. Sirius should have risen 
above his "somewhat unbalanced state" (per JKR) and put aside his own 
problems and issues to press Harry into speaking at the times when 
Harry didn't want to and to answer Harry truthfully and completely on 
the one time Harry really needed and was seeking answers.  (OTOH, 
maybe Sirius was so surprised that Harry actually came out and asked 
questions that he couldn't come up with a response ;-).)

Having said that, I agree that all of the adults stumbled badly in 
OoP. But I think this was quite deliberate on JKR's part.  The reader 
has to decide for him/herself whether it's believable that everyone 
failed Harry to some extent so consistently throughout the book, 
during the very year where things went so wrong with the Harry's 
relations with the Ministry, with the changes that took place at 
Hogwarts, etc.  

Marianne