Harry's protection

[naamagatus]

No: HPFGUIDX 113166

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "arrowsmithbt" <arrowsmithbt at b...> wrote:
> 
> Kneasy
> The problem is that you have already decided that love is the motive
> and the driving force.
> It could be duty, courage or sheer bloody-mindedness. Or even hate.
> He may be seeking revenge for James, Lily, Cedric, Sirius and a whole
> list of casualties that may accrue in books 6 & 7. 

We've seen Harry bent on revenge twice - in the Shrieking Hut vs. Sirius, and in the MoM 
vs. Bella. In the first instance, Harry was saved from killing an innocent man by his own 
reluctance to kill and by Crookshank's loyalty (or sacrificial love? <g>). In the MoM, his 
desire for revenge resulted in an Unforgivable curse. And when he waives revenge on 
Pettigrew, JKR tells us (via DD) that it was right and noble. From all this, how can you 
seriously speculate that the resolution will come through Harry seeking revenge? Aren't we 
taught (it's almost hammered into our heads) that revenge is both dangerous and wrong?

<snip>

> 
> IMO Harry will not have a  choice in what he does, though he may
> have a choice in 'when'. Voldy is hell bent on killing him in any event, 
> so Harry is just hanging around for the inevitable showdown. Unless
> Harry goes ESE he is going to cop it in the neck. Since he's going to
> get killed anyway I can see the up-side of making it count by taking 
> out Voldy, but I don't see it as a sacrifice. It's the old soldiers maxim
> of "Since I'm going anyway, I'll take as many of you with me as I can."
> 
> I tend to subscribe to the attitude of Gen. Patton:-
> "Your job is not to die for your country  but to make some other
> poor bastard die for his."
> 

Is Gen. Patton here analogous to DD or to Harry? 

In any case, I of course totaly disagree with you. In fact, for me it seems almost obvious 
that Harry will finaly have to face a choice between killing Voldemort and doing .. well, I 
don't exactly know, but something else. And he will choose the something else, which will be 
the thing that brings about Voldemort's downfall. I haven't got a cogent argument to support 
this, unfortuantely (gut feeling doesn't cut it, I know). 
Although, there is a kind of negative hint, which is that Harry interprets the prophecy as 
him having to murder Voldemort (or be murdered by him). BUT, I think in all the books, when 
Harry thinks he has the solution, he actually doesn't. So, maybe this is evidence supporting 
my thesis.


Naama

> > sacrifice. 
> 
> Kneasy:
> Maybe so. But you've got to admit, there was a downside to her  loving
> sacrifice whether intended or not. 
> 
> > SSS
> > The way I'm envisioning the Harry Sacrifice denouement, it wouldn't 
> > work that way.  
> > 
> > So humor me.  Let's set the final scenario this way.  (And forgive 
> > the lack of creativity & grace in what's to follow--no time or 
> > ability to even attempt to make it pretty.)  Harry, after two 
> > torturous years of wondering what he must do, why he must do it, how 
> > can he get out of it, blah blah blah, finds himself and all his 
> > fellows IN the final showdown.  He has suspected the possibility that 
> > he might have to die in order to end it all, but damn it, he really 
> > doesn't want to.  In this moment, however, he glances around him, 
> > sees all these fellows fighting alongside him, considers all these 
> > people whom he loves deeply.  And then, NOT out of sense of duty or 
> > obligation, but out of deep, sheer love for who they are, for their 
> > goodness and humanity, he chooses to step up and sacrifice himself.  
> > He splats, Voldy get annihilated, end of VW2 and Voldy.  
> > 
> > What, exactly, is the downside of that kind of love?
> > 
> 
> Kneasy
> The problem is that you have already decided that love is the motive
> and the driving force.
> It could be duty, courage or sheer bloody-mindedness. Or even hate.
> He may be seeking revenge for James, Lily, Cedric, Sirius and a whole
> list of casualties that may accrue in books 6 & 7. Which is more likely;
> that or saying "I love you Ron," before going out to face the enemy?
> Ugh. That'd upset a lot of SHIPpers.
> 
> IMO Harry will not have a  choice in what he does, though he may
> have a choice in 'when'. Voldy is hell bent on killing him in any event, 
> so Harry is just hanging around for the inevitable showdown. Unless
> Harry goes ESE he is going to cop it in the neck. Since he's going to
> get killed anyway I can see the up-side of making it count by taking 
> out Voldy, but I don't see it as a sacrifice. It's the old soldiers maxim
> of "Since I'm going anyway, I'll take as many of you with me as I can."
> 
> I tend to subscribe to the attitude of Gen. Patton:-
> "Your job is not to die for your country  but to make some other
> poor bastard die for his."
> 
> Go for it, Harry!
> 
> Kneasy