The Mirror and the Heart

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 105498

SSSusan, previously:
> So if DD did have an inkling that Voldy was close by somewhere,
> does that support my theory at all, that the whole thing was set 
> up as a test for Harry? That that's why DD didn't DO more about 
> this information? I mean, how can DD know so MUCH sometimes and 
> then NOT know things like this? That frustrates me as a reader!

Neri responded:
> It certainly frustrates me.
> 
> As I wrote here in the past, I don't buy omniscient!DD, nor puppet-
> master!DD. I think DD doesn't know much (though still more than 
> any other character) so he has to operate mainly by hunches. Most 
> of the times he gets it right, but he can't be right all the time.

SSSusan again:
I think you must be right.  If DD were omniscient, he'd know SO much 
more (heck, he'd have known about Sirius & Peter in PoA)... and I 
don't think he knows THAT much more than he's letting on.  I've 
never believed fully in Puppetmaster!DD either, though I do believe 
he has **a Plan** and that he keeps a portion of it quite close to 
the chest.  So maybe he's Intuitive!DD??


Neri:
> How much had DD planned the Harry-finding-the-Stone-in-the-Mirror
> scenario from the outset? I don't know. There are certainly some
> inconsistencies in DD's official explanation of how it worked. But
> there are also inconsistencies in the pensieve or the time travel
> stories. We shouldn't dig TOO deep into them. This is after all a
> story and not RL. The general meaning of the Mirror setup, if not
> the exact details, is clear from DD's explanation: only someone 
> with a sincere, unselfish intention could have found the Stone.

Jen: 
> I always liked this scene, where Dumbledore explains why Harry
> was able to get the stone. In typical Dumbledore fashion, he made
> his contribution to the protection very simple, relying on the
> innate goodness of most people. He simply made it impossible for
> Voldemort or anyone else with evil intentions to get the stone,
> leaving room for people with good intentions. Good vs. Evil intent
> is why Quirrell couldn't get the stone. No, he's not going to
> personally use the stone himself, but he *is* going to give the
> stone to someone with sinister plans.

> I think the mirror can make this distinction, if it is capable of
> looking into a person's heart and discovering their true desires.

SSSusan:
I like this scene, too, and wondered how GOOD it must've made Harry 
feel inside when he realized what a compliment DD was paying him, 
really.


Neri:
> So I don't think DD set this as a test for Harry. It looks very 
> much like a test because it IS indeed a test. Only it is a test 
> (or  rather, a trial) that was set for Harry by JKR. There IS 
> after all a puppet-master and an omniscient around here, but it is 
> JKR, not DD.

SSSusan:
A good point to make about confusing JKR, the ultimate puppet-
master, with DD.  I guess for me I'd have to consider it, well, not 
quite a FLAW in the plot, but a weakness in the plot, then, if this 
WASN'T a test set up by DD.  Why?  Because the tasks were too easy!  
Three first-year students—-granted, each quite talented in his/her 
own way, but still FIRST-YEARS--two of which who're coming into the 
WW for the first time, are able to work their way through 
*seven* "security devices"?  I think Harry's "special", Hermione's 
brilliant, and Ron's a good strategist, but they should NOT have 
been able to get through all seven!  Thus, for me, I liked the idea 
that DD set it up so that the tasks were fairly reasonably do-able 
for Harry & crew.

Again, just my story that I'm sticking to for now.

Siriusly Snapey Susan