Choices - or not.

[lovefromhermione]

No: HPFGUIDX 89801

Kneasy (aptly) pointed out that "For all that Dumbledore whitters on
about how choices define us, you'll notice that he never offers any 
to Harry." However, Dumbledore really isn't in a position to offer
Harry a whole lot of choices. He has a war to win, and Harry is his 
only (reluctant) hope. But this doesn't make his oft-quoted statement
any less true. "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we really 
are, far more than our abilities." (U.S. CofS p. 333)

Okay, there are two kinds of choices we can make. One is big choices,
like where to go to college, whom to marry, etc. But the more 
far-reaching choices (and the ones I believe DD is talking about) are
the little ones. For example: 

My alarm clock rang at 6:00 this morning and I had a difficult
dilemma: should I get up and go jogging, as per my new year's 
resolution or should I stay in bed for another half an hour? If I
exert some mind-over-mattress, I'll get up and breathe some (very
cold) fresh air, and feel refreshed after my run. If I doze for another 30
minutes, I'll feel just as drowsy as I did when the alarm clock rang. 
Worse yet, I'll have a harder time getting back in the habit
tomorrow. Still worse, it's a hit to the psyche, because I've just
blown my resolution after only three weeks.

I have a point to all this. Let me compare this with some small
choices Harry has made that "make or break" him. 
 
1) Sitting in the play park, Harry decides not to go picking a fight
with Dudley and company. If he had he would have ended up using 
magic, and that hearing would have gone much differently. ("Let's
see, Mr. Potter, you attacked five unarmed Muggle boys?" He might 
as well have snapped his wand in half himself)

2) In keeping with their "certain disregard for the rules," the trio
goes down to visit Hagrid the night of Buckbeak's execution. They had 
no idea the diverse consequences this would bring. It led to Harry
discovering the turn nature of his godfather. It saved Buckbeak's
life. But it also led to Wormtail's escape and Voldemort's eventual return.

3) With his Occlumency lessons (and this is why I gave the long
jogging analogy) Harry had a decision to make every night: should I 
or should I not practice? In the beginning he let some
mattress-over-mind happen, and didn't practice. In time this led to
generally careless attitude, and he also began to make excuses as to why he
shouldn't make an effort. "I don't like Snape." "I want to see 
what's behind door #1." This is like me getting to the point (and I
always do after a few weeks of not getting up to run) that I say, "I
like being slightly overweight." "I need the extra sleep." This is typical
human behavior, if we don't like or are bad at something, we'll make 
any excuse as to why we shouldn't do it. In this case, these small
choices led to a tragic loss for Harry. There was a flip side, like
the night Wormtail escaped, at least the WW was finally alerted to
Voldy's return.

"Hasn't your experience with the Time-Turner taught you anything,
Harry? The consequences of our actions are always so 
complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very
difficult business indeed . . . Professor Trelawny, bless her, is
living proof of that . . ." ("Owl Post Again" US p. 426)

No, DD doesn't offer Harry a lot of choices, but Harry has many
nonetheless. It seems that this counsel was for a man-making rather 
than a war-winning purpose. DD was giving a malleable twelve-year-old
mind some sound advice, but not necessarily meaning he 
himself intended to follow said advice. *grin* 

Cheers,
JuHu, who remembered another favorite OotP line far too late:

" 'Because she'll never be as good as Hagrid,' said Harry firmly,
fully aware that he had just experienced an exemplary Care of Magical 
Creatures lesson and was thoroughly annoyed about it." ("Detention
With Delores" US p. 261)