Something about Harry (was: Snape and Harry again)

[huntergreen_3]

No: HPFGUIDX 114372

Carol wrote:
> I just say that there's no definitive
> evidence that Harry was *born with* those special powers (other
> than his skill at Quidditch/flying, which I do think he inherited
> from James). They could be the result of the encounter with
> Voldemort, which "marked" him as Voldemort's (future) equal. And
> regardless of whether they're inherited or acquired or both, they
> have to be developed through training and practice, a point you've
> already conceded.
>
> Here's the point I haven't made yet, the reason this is so
> important to me. I don't want the future of the WW to be already
> mapped out, with Harry and Voldemort and the rest as puppets
> playing preassigned roles. I like JKR's emphasis on choice, which
> means that Harry's decisions, even at Hogwarts, matter--and so do
> his mistakes.


SSSusan replied: [a lot of snipping]
>>The issue of things looking preordained seems, to me, to come up
more with the *prophecy* than with whether there's something special
about Harry from birth. It's the *prophecy* which some could argue
takes away more of the choice--it surely brings into more clear
focus that specialness of his, anyway, and makes it clearer what his
choice is about. Before he knew the prophecy, Harry chose more
freely--unknowingly, if you will--to do "good things" like going
after the stone, rescuing Ginny, etc. Now that he knows about the
prophecy and his ultimate Big Choice, it almost feels that his
choices, though still present, are more limited.<<

HunterGreen: (jumping in)
I feel the same way about the prophecy, and was severely disappointed 
when it was introduced into the text. I think I agree with both Carol 
and SSSusan in that regard. I would prefer for Harry to have been 
special when he was born (with the ability to do things like throw 
off the imperius curse and learn difficult things like the patronus 
charm very easily), because that means the prophecy is not self-
fulfilling. If Harry was born as an average wizard (with perhaps the 
capacity for being a Quidditch prodgidy), and the prophecy came along 
and *caused* him to be special (by causing Voldemort to attack 
him/give him some of Voldemort's powers, and causing his mother to 
die to save him, which gave him the blood protection), then I think 
Harry has Professor Trelawney to blame for his life. I would prefer 
to think that Harry *already* had the power to defeat the dark lord, 
and that she only *predicted* it, rather than causing it (the events 
at the end of PoA would have happened the same if she hadn't 
predicted them, for example). However, I think this is where the 
story is going, so I have trouble believing it, its more of a 
lingering hope.

Either way (born or by prophecy), Harry being the 'saviour' of the 
Wizarding World eliminates choice. Yes, he can choose not to, but 
that's not much of a choice. Especially where the prophecy is 
concerned, he's being told its his responsibility. Some things in the 
series--like in real life--are barely a choice. Its easy to get 
caught up in the idea of choice as a theme and that everything comes 
down to choice, but that's not *always* the case. With the things 
that have happened in Harry's life, there have been many things that 
were hardly his *choice* at all (like being raised by a family who 
hates him and being kidnapped at the end of GoF which thrust him into 
the liar/attention wanter role that he had in OotP). He's known 
as 'the-boy-who-lived', a title he can't really escape, was that his 
choice?