False Alarm? Was:Re: Adults "failing" Harry (was: Themes in OotP)

[dungrollin]

No: HPFGUIDX 119974


> Dungrollin:
>
> Just remembered something in 'The Centaur and the Sneak' just after
> DD knocks out Fudge and the other chaps from the ministry, and
> before he disappears from his office with Fawkes :
>
> "Listen to me, Harry," He said urgently. "You must study Occlumency
> as hard as you can, do you understand me? Do everything Professor
> Snape tells you and practise it particularly every night before
> sleeping so that you can close your mind to bad dreams - you will
> understand why soon enough, but you must promise me -"
> The man called Dawlish was stirring. Dumbeldore seized harry's
> wrist.
> "Remember - close your mind -"
>
> Didn't make much difference to Harry's attitude, did it?

Annemehr replied:

WAIT! There wasn't time for it to make a difference!

Right after that scene, the next chapter starts, which is "Snape's
Worst Memory!"  The day after DD leaves, Umbridge tries to give Harry
Veritaserum, and they're interrupted by Fred and George's fireworks. 
That very night, Harry's having the corridor dream again and got all
the way into the prophecy room when two fireworks collide and wake 
him up.  The next day is his next lesson, and he's dreading Snape 
seeing how far he'd gotten in that last dream.  It also says:

"With a surge of guilt he realised that he had not practised
Occlumency once since their last lesson: there had been too much 
going on since Dumbeldore had left; he was sure he would not have 
been able to empty his mind even if he had tried." [OoP ch. 28]

That lesson never even happened; Harry did the Pensieve-dive instead.

The only thing I can't figure is that the day of the Veritaserum and
fireworks was apparently a day of classes, but Harry had Occlumency
the *next* day and I thought the lessons were on Mondays?


Dungrollin again:

According to the Lexicon timeline, DD leaving the school, and the 
last Occlumency lesson takes place some time in April, and the 
vision of Sirius and the midnight outing to the ministry between the 
8th and 15th of June. I think that's plenty of time to pull one's 
socks up. 

Harry had two months of Hermione nagging him about whether the 
dreams had gone, and to keep practising, during which time both 
Lupin and Sirius *again* emphasised how important it was to learn 
Occlumency, and still he didn't do anything.

But you're right, if Harry hadn't made the effort between January 
and April, another two months wasn't going to help much, was it? 

Dungrollin
(He also had Occlumency lessons on Wednesdays – check the lexicon 
timeline)