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

[dungrollin]

No: HPFGUIDX 119988


Annemehr:
<snip>
Oh, all right, I concede the point. Dumbledore's entreaty ought to
have made him give it real effort even without a teacher.


Alla responded:

Wait, Anne. Why are you conceding? :o) I thought that you meant in
your previous post that Harry did not have time to try and change
his attitude DURING the lessons and before he dived in to Snape's
pensieve.

I mean sure during those two months Harry could have continue
clearing his mind, which he did not do, but if Dungrolin suggests
that he was supposed to study Occlumency on his own, I disagree.
Harry does not know how to study this subject. We are not even sure
that Snape was teaching it properly, how was Harry supposed to learn
it on its own?

Clear your mind does not equal learning Occlumency, IMO. It is just
meditation exercises, which help you studying.
<snip>


Dungrollin:

Well, of course, you're entitled to your opinion, but that's
not what Dumbledore thinks. As I quoted up-thread:

"...Do everything Professor Snape tells you and practise it 
particularly every night before sleeping so that you can close your 
mind to bad dreams..."

Harry never did practise clearing his mind enough to know how much 
it would have helped him block Snape during the lessons.  But DD 
thought it would stop the dreams, and that was what was important, 
wasn't it?  Voldy didn't stand in front of him with a wand 
shouting `Legilimens!' he got at Harry through his dreams.  
Practising clearing his mind before he slept was what would 
stop the dreams; Snape seeing how easy it was to penetrate
Harry's mind with the Legilimens spell was his way of checking up 
on how Harry was progressing.  And since he wasn't practising,
it's no surprise that he wasn't progressing.

Harry wasn't supposed to *study* Occlumency on his own, he was 
supposed to *practise* it.  Which he didn't do, no matter who
told him how important it was.

Dungrollin