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

[totorivers]

No: HPFGUIDX 120018



> 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?  <snip>
> 
> 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.


Toto:
While what you say may seem true enough, the problem is that Snape 
didn't tell Harry anything. Dumbledore wanted Harry to practice 
exercises. Snape gave him none. Tell me, would you be able to do 
anything if someone just yell at you to "clear your mind"? How do you 
clear your mind anyway? By thinking about one thing? By not thinking 
at all? How do you achieve that? Snape should have given Harry small 
exercises to build up his occlumency practice, and never did. Harry 
*couldn't* obey Dumbledore, as Snape didn't tell him to do anything 
substantial.

Toto