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

[finwitch]

No: HPFGUIDX 120002



> Alla:
> 
> I completely agree that Harry never practiced enough, but what I am 
> getting it is - I am not sure that practising "clearing" your mind 
> equals "practising Occlumency" Am I being confusing? And I am not 
> sure that Snape's only function was to check up on how Harry was 
> progressing. If lessons were THAT simple, surely Dumbledore could 
> have find  someone else to check on Hary's progressing , who maybe 
> knows Occlumency, but not as good at it as Snape is.
> 
> I think I am going back again to speculation that something VITAL 
> was missing in Snape's instructions.
> 
> So, what was my original point of this discussion? Oh, yes 
> Dumbledore's warning was too late and not sufficient. IMO, he could 
> have written a letter to Harry explaining about possibility of false 
> visions, but of course then we would not have a story. Just my 
> opinion.

Finwitch:

I thought of something - after the fact, Dumbledore, upon assuming all
the guilt, says that it is a failing of an adult (old man?) to forget
what it is to be young. That, IMO, was *the* error Dumbledore did
make... Easy enough, I suppose, to forget what it was like to be when
he was a tenth of his current age.

Because well - it's simple biology. As 15-year old boys have these
hormonal surges, you know... That means that - because of his hormonal
disbalance added to all other things going on - lack of sleep, blood
and trusted adults that is - well... 

Snape who was telling Harry to clear his mind of all emotion could as
well have told a stormy ocean to calm itself. Harry, being in his
hormonal puberty, was simply *unable* to clear his mind. Extreme
emotions ARE part of *being* in puberty, after all. We can expect
adolescents to control their actions, but controlling their emotions?
Not even all adults can do that, and their bodies aren't in
puberty-change...

AND of Snape's 'teaching' - well, he wasn't showing very good example
on clearing his mind of emotions, now was he?

Oh and - Hermione got her hormonal puberty in PoA (Never mind her age,
statistically girls DO get a head start), and Ron in GoF - OOP was
simply Harry's turn. Hopefully Harry's not getting suicidal as well.
(I think that if Dumbledore *hadn't* told him of this prophecy, Harry
would be, due to guilt, and because he can't go on 'being a danger to
all who care for him', because he'd not see any point of continuing to
live at Dursleys, because he'd want to go where his parents and
godfather are - and I doubt that blood-protection does anything to
prevent suicide... Harry may not have realised what the Veil was, but
even if he did, I think he *would* have gone anyway if Lupin hadn't
stopped him.)

Finwitch