Who is the adult (Was: Who's to blame for Occlumency?)

[arrowsmithbt]

No: HPFGUIDX 100826

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "darrin_burnett" <bard7696 at a...> wrote:
> 
> I really do wonder about people who find such fault with Harry, who 
> seem to speak of Harry with such disdain, who adore everything about 
> Snape and sometimes, the other Slytherins - (Please note that I am 
> not applying all of this to this particular poster - I simply have 
> not read enough of his/her thoughts to know) 
> 
> It makes me wonder what they get out of the books, if they are 
> cheering for the bad guys.
> 
> And this gives me the chance to post one of my other moderately 
> infamous rants, which my young friend Talia Dawn will remember.
> 
> The Slytherins ARE the bad guys.
> 
> They aren't the underdogs. They aren't misunderstood. They aren't 
> just waiting for a big old hug from some goth teen to redeem them.
> 
> They are thinly veiled cariactures of Nazis and KKK and Hitler Youth 
> rolled into one.
> 
> I'm sure there are those who would find fault with me saying this, 
> but the books are titled "Harry Potter and..."
> 
> Not "Draco Malfoy and..." Or "Severus Snape and..."
> 
> So maybe I give Harry more slack than other characters. Not only 
> because he has gone through more grief at a younger age than any 
> other character -- I'll grant that Snape was bullied in school, but 
> did he have to fend off a version of V-Mort four times in five 
> years? -- but because at the core, he's the guy to root for.
> 
> Darrin


OK, let's look at a few points. First we'll tackle Snape.
So  far  as I'm aware, no one thinks that Sevvy  is a role model to
look up to. He's nasty, vicious, was a DE and he nurses his grudges
like there's no tomorrow. But I like him as a  fictional character. Every 
time a new book  comes out I look forward to seeing how abominably
he's going to act this time round. An engaging baddy is hard to find 
these days; mostly they're caricatures like Voldy, ranting  and raving
and chewing the scenery. Snape is a believable baddy, if  indeed he is
as bad as *Harry* sees him. This despite the fact that he's saved Harry's
neck before now, and Harry knows it. Maybe that's something Harry 
can't forgive, just like Snape with James. Others including DD see Snape
differently. 
Who knows more? Harry or DD?

Slytherins. 
Slytherins aren't the WW equivalent of Nazis, KKK or whatever, DEs are.
DEs *choose* to be acolytes of a murdering monster, Slytherins are 
*chosen* by a hat, mostly because they are assessed as ambitious and
cunning. Not the same thing at all. The pureblood thing is misleading;
it's already been pointed out in canon that the idea of 'pureblood' is 
laughable. And there is evidence that Slytherin has accepted others
anyway; Tom Riddle for sure, Millicent Bulstrode, probably.
"Not a single witch or wizard went bad who wasn't in Slytherin." So
said Hagrid. Sure, tell that to James and Lily when Peter betrayed them.

To some on this site, Harry is well-nigh perfect. He can do no wrong.
When something goes pear-shaped then it must be someone else's fault.
Funny, that's what Harry always seems to say, too. He may well be the
eponymous hero of the books, but that doesn't mean that he's faultless.
He isn't. He's frequently disobedient, occasionally rash to the point of 
stupidity, obviously considers that privacy in regard to other peoples 
affairs is a quaint and outmoded concept that doesn't apply to him, 
lies when it suits his purposes and he's not averse to hexing Malfoy and
his pals before they have a chance to get their wands out, but only when
out-numbering them. It seems that while he inherited his eyes from Lily,
he inherited other things from James. Add on bloody-minded stubborness
and petulence and  you've got a something a lot less than perfect.

Others claim that he's a great wizard. Not yet, he isn't. Hermione is much
better at spellwork. About the only thing he  could do that other students
of his age couldn't was the Patronus! spell. We'd have had a better 
assessment of his capabilities if Lupin had taught her at the same time,
but it's noticable that the members of Dumbledore's Army managed to
pick it up without too much difficulty, despite being taught by an amateur.

He's come out on top against Voldy every time, but only through the
agency of something beyond his control - Lily's protection, Fawkes,
a conflict of wands, Dumbledore. If it weren't for those he'd be toast.

The more some of the fans praise Harry to the skies and brush over
his failings, the more other posters will point out that this is a biased
picture, not a true and accurate  representation. OK, so you're a Harry
fan, good for you; you're entitled. But pretending he's something he 
isn't does him no favours.

Kneasy