Dirty Harry/Clean Harry

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 117309


Kelsey wrote:
> 
> While reading OOP, I thought the same thing, that Harry's anger and
"darkness" (of mood not of morality) could very well be attributed to
his connection of Voldemort and Harry's inability to break that
connection. I think Harry even says that he finds himself having mood
swings because of the way Voldemort is feeling. 
><snip>

Carol responds:
I'm wondering if Harry's anger during Occlumency lessons, especially
the first one when he's unable to clear his mind of anger and
consequently can't resist Snape's intrusion into his mind, is related
to Voldemort's already being there, in Harry's mind, not necessarily
seeing what Harry is thinking but influencing his emotions, poisoning
his mind through anger and hatred. I'm not suggesting that Voldemort
knows what's going on here--as Snape tells Harry, Legilimency is not
true mind-reading but an ability to sense emotions and, if the
Legilimens and his victim are eye to eye, to see whatever memories are
near the surface of the conscious mind. I'm only suggesting that here
and throughout OoP Harry's anger is more intense, more vicious, more
*venomous* than in any other book, as if Voldemort's own hatred is
present in Harry's mind, poisoning him and opposing anyone (Snape or
Dumbledore) that it senses is Voldemort's enemy. Twice we see Harry
wanting to bite Dumbledore as if he (Harry) were the
Voldemort-possessed venomous snake (Nagini?) that bit Mr. Weasley.

Something similar happens, though not to the same degree, in the
"Occlumency" chapter:

"But Harry's anger at Snape continued to pound through his veins like
venom," with the result that he's unable to block Snape's Legilimency
spell and ends up seeing Cedric's dead body (OoP Am. ed. 535).

Granted, Harry doesn't want to *bite* Snape (that would have made an
interesting scene!) but there's a clear analogy of anger to venom,
with the implication that anger is poisoning Harry's mind.

Maybe it isn't Snape's fault, or Harry's, or Dumbledore's that the
Occlumency lessons failed. Maybe the fault is Voldemort's.

Carol