Choosing sides

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 118735



Anna wrote :
"Well, Draco told Harry about the right and wrong kind of wizards with
Ron Weasley standing next to Harry. That Harry met Ron, and that they
got on well on the train, seemed more significant to me than that
Harry had seen Draco previously. When Harry refused Draco's offer, I
took it for a sign of Harry's loyalty for people he likes, not so much
as rejection of Draco."

Del replies :
I disagree, for one simple reason : if Harry had made friends with
Draco that day in Madam Malkins', he might never have met Ron to start
with. Draco would have been the one helping him onto Platform 9 3/4,
and they would have shared a compartment.

Harry might have realised after a while that he doesn't enjoy Draco's
friendship so much, but he might have been in Slytherin House by that
time. Too late to make friends with Gryffindor Ron.

Anna wrote :
" Everybody is shaped by experiences and will ineract with others
accordingly. That does not eliminate the ability to chose. 

The choices made from now on really will show what he's made of.
 
There are clues to that in all five books already. Harry does not sit
 passively around. His choices may be gut reactions most of the time,
but they are choices nontheless. Highlighting, if nothing else, that
he is not an analytical kind of person. "

Del replies :
But does he truly choose, or does he just react in a pre-programmed way?

For example, did he choose not to go to Slytherin, or did he just
react to the concepts of purebloods and evil ? Was it really a choice
when Harry didn't take time to look for the *good* sides of Slytherin
House ? The Hat tried to tell him that he would do good in Slytherin,
that Slytherin would help him on his way to greatness, but Harry was
so bent on his refusal that he didn't stop to listen and make an
*educated* choice.

Harry often tends to make decisions based on a *limited* number of
elements. Slytherin is racist and breeds more evil wizards than other
Houses ? Evil, I won't go there. I had a dream that Sirius is being
tortured at the DoM and my previous dream was right ? I'm going. Even
when people try to present him with counter-arguments, he doesn't
listen. I don't call that making real choices : I call that jumping to
conclusions.

Del