Who's to Blame/Ending Occulmency/Long

[demetra1225]

No: HPFGUIDX 100595

I'm not new to the group, but haven't posted a whole lot.  I'm going 
to try to reply to a few posts here - hope I don't screw it up.

Arya wrote:
Those who know better? Like who?! Please, Harry has every reason to 
believe in OotP that he's got he, himself and and his wand to help 
him out. (And ron and Hermione.)  [snip]
I think you see where I am going--can you honestly say Harry has any 
real basis for trusting that those around him are doing everything 
they need to and that he can just sit back and follow along like an 
obedient little boy? [snip]
Harry has every right to believe *he* has to make his own decisions. 
He has every right to feel he should not take anyone's advice or 
instruction as gospel or truth. [snip]
No way. Harry is justified, IMO. [snip]

Demetra:
I think I understand where you're coming from, but you can't have it 
both ways.  If Harry is justified in not trusting what he is told and 
he is justified in making his own decisions despite what he is told, 
then he has to take the responsibility for making his decisions, 
right or wrong.  In this case, despite being told to learn 
Occlumency, despite Hermione's many warnings that this was a trap, 
Harry made a choice to go to the DOM.  It turned out to be the wrong 
choice.  Yes, his reasons may have been pure, but it was the wrong 
decision.  And the responsibility for making that wrong decision lies 
with Harry.  


Sherry G wrote:
I think everyone involved has a little bit of blame in the death of 
Sirius, including Sirius, but I can't see how he would have acted any 
other way, having his type of personality, knowing that Harry was in 
danger.

Demetra:
I also can't see Sirius not going to the DOM, especially when he 
learned Harry was there.  However, he continued to act like a rash 
fool while he was there.  What possible reason did he have to goad 
Bellatrix? – "Come on, you can do better than that."  Yep, she sure 
could, as he learned well enough.  Think about what was going on 
then.  Dumbledore had arrived, all the others had stopped fighting.  
Harry was in no immediate danger.  Sirius was so intensely involved 
in his duel with Bella that he was apparently oblivious to all of 
this.  She must be a good duelist.  She certainly seemed to be 
holding her own against Sirius, but he still felt he had to goad 
her.  It's a stupid move to make in a playground fight when you're a 
child, it's even stupider when you're supposedly an adult and the 
risk is death, not a bloody nose.  


"K" wrote:
[snip of K's excellent post]
Yes, Snape ended the lesson but maybe, just maybe, Snape had finished 
what needed to be done.

Demetra:
I think you're on to something here.  I think that Dumbledore didn't 
insist that Snape restart the Occlumency lessons because that 
particular mission was accomplished.  

I think it was Kneasy who said that Dumbledore and Snape are 
analogous to the good cop/bad cop.  I think that's true.  In this 
case, Snape keeps his cover as the bad guy who ended the Occlumency 
lessons (and don't get me wrong, I think Sevvie gets perverse 
enjoyment out of playing that part) and no one is on to the fact that 
Dumbledore's goal with the Occlumency lessons was met. 

Demetra (who apologizes if she's all over the map, but trying to 
follow the time turner thread is making my brain ache)