[HPforGrownups] Re: Crazy thought......

[Kathryn Cawte]

No: HPFGUIDX 89659

Berit
>
> I guess it would not be in tune with Harry's character to walk by and
> not intervene if he caught Dudley and his gang beating up a
> defenseless child. Of course I could argue that since Harry is not
> allowed to use magic in the Muggle world, he wisely refrains from
> rescue missions (without the magic, the only thing Harry would
> accomplish anyway would be to be beaten to a pulp himself); also HP
> history so far has shown us a Harry that's bullied and beaten up by
> Dudley and his gang just as much as any other Little Whinging child,
> so he might not be in the mood to get too close to them.

>
> But I accept that Harry might not have been an eyewitness to the
> incident himself but might have overheard Dudley and his gang
> bragging about it (I don't think any of the children of Little
> Whinging told Harry; after all they believe he is a dangerous
> criminal and won't be on friendly, talkative terms with him any day
> soon :-). But then I think it's odd that Harry would have remembered
> the full name (!) and age of this kid that's completely unknown to
> him, just after overhearing his name being spoken once. What's the
> chance of Harry caring what this little kid's name and age are? If
> Harry just overheard the story of Dudley beating up this, to him
> unknown but named child, why did he bother to "memorize" and later
> speak of him by his full name? -When he doesn't even know/remember
> the names of a lot of Hogwarts students that he has been living with
> for several years?
>
K

Well I take your point about Mark probably being a local - I was really only
arguing because I could than because I thought I was definitely right :) But
you raise some things here I think I do disagree with (rather than just
being awkward)

The idea of Harry being beaten to a pulp was pretty much what I meant when I
said intervening would be pointless. The best thing to do in his position if
he wanted to help would actually be to find a responsible adult (preferably
someone who knows Mark). The smartest thing to do if he wants to stay in one
piece is to completely ignore the event. But Harry has never been the
sensible, get help type and (fortunately) he's also never been one to put
his own safety over doing what is right. I think it would be totally in
character for Harry to charge in regardless of the likelihood of him getting
hurt in order to try and protect Mark ... because trying to help is
absolutely the 'right' (not to mention heroic thing to do). I think, despite
what Dudley and co might do to him, he has far more reason to fear Lord
Voldemort, but he's never yet flinched from going up against him when that
was the right thing to do. Frankly after the year Harry has just had (in
GoF) I suspect he doesn't actually *care* what happens to him anywhere near
as much as he might have in the past.

And as for why he would memorize Mark's details when he doesn't remember a
lot of the students at Hogwarts that is a point against your argument too
... if he can't remember kids he lives with for nine months of the year why
is he going to recognise a kid who he's only seen for a few weeks each year
for the last four years (before he became a wizard Harry wasn't allowed out
of the house much, remember, and the kid's 5 years younger than him so I
doubt he knows him from primary school). No he memorized the name and
details when he overheard them (in my opinion) because he *did* have a good
reason to do so, he could use them to make Dudley think he knows a lot more
about him than he actually does, which is bound to worry the boy, especially
since he is also torn between looking on Harry with scorn (as the kid he's
bullied all his life) and fearing his magic.

And as for the local kids not wanting to know Harry, who is a 'dangerous
criminal' - if you were being regularly bullied by a group of teenage thugs,
the local dangerous criminal would start looking like *exactly* the sort of
person you want to be known as the friend of :)

K