Fudge and Harry as Gryffindor's heir

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 108075

Amey:
> What I feel from these two is, Harry might be a true Gryffindor, 
portraying the characteristics Gryffindor valued, bravery and all. 
But to make him the actual descendent (or ancestor, as JKR might 
say) of Gryffindor would take out the whole point of the story. The 
story is about powers you have and how you use them, not the powers 
you inherit and so you have to use them that way. 


Jen: Ah, but that's the hardest choice of all. What do you do about 
the traits you inherit that you don't care for, that block you, that 
are hard to overcome?  I'm warming to the idea that Harry is a 
descendant of Gryffindor, but still think he has to choose who he 
will be because of (or in spite of) his ancestry & The Curse That 
Failed. 

Harry could have an easier life than he does, not go looking for 
trouble, let Dumbledore decide everything for him, whatever. But he 
doesn't. You're right that it doesn't really matter who he is, that 
he embodies Gryffindor bravery at times and that's what's important. 
But *more* important are the traits he has to learn to control, to 
come to terms with, to stop denying. He *is* a Parseltongue, he has 
a certain disregard for the rules, he *is* ambitious--what's more 
ambitious than trying to defeat the Dark Lord?!? But Harry doesn't 
want to see those parts of himself and cuts them off as 'bad'. He 
has to come to terms with them or they will continue to cause him 
trouble.


Amey:
Bloodline is not important, but yes, spiritually Harry is a true 
Gryffindor (at least till GoF and somewhere at the end of OOtP). If 
anybody wants to see what a true heir of Gryffindor looks like, go 
upto the stone gargoyle, say "Fizzing Whizzbee" and going up the 
staircase, knock using the Gryffin knocker. You will find the person 
stroking a phoenix sporting the colours of Gryffindor house (At 
least in my opinion). ;D

Jen: But JKR is the one who made a person's bloodline important, if 
only to overcome it in the end! She already tells us Riddle is the 
last descendant (whatever) of Slytherin. He chose to believe in 
Slyterin's "noble" work and take it to the extreme. Harry could also 
choose to be a Barty Crouch, Sr. and take his hate for the Dark Arts 
and Voldemort to an extreme. But he hasn't and won't. 

I agree with you about Dumbledore, though ;). Regardless of his 
origins (and I think we'll find out more history on him in Book 6), 
he is a 'true Gryffindor' as well.

Jen