The Importance of the Houses and Harry's judgement ( LONG)

[phoenixgod2000]

No: HPFGUIDX 138032


> Betsy Hp:
> One word: Fake!Moody. ]

Fake Moody even fooled Mister Perception himself, Albus Dumbledore, 
so I wouldn't hold that against him too much. I think on the main he 
is normally able to judge good and bad sorts fairly competently. He 
saw right away what kind of person Draco was way back in the first 
book, and this was when he was desperate to make the friends he never 
had in the muggle world--and no, I don't think Draco is a poor little 
rich boy with bad friend making skills. Draco is a bad, egocentric 
little villian in the making. He might not be much of a killer but 
that seems to be failure of cowardice and sqeamishness than anything 
else. He certainly shares Death Eater ideology.


> I'd also point out his general displeasure in having Luna and 
> Neville along for his great MoM raid in OotP (something about them 
> being the last DA members he'd choose?).  And they end up serving 
> him quite well. 

He didn't want them because they weren't the best in the DA. Just 
because they did better than he thought doesn't mean a different set 
of aids wouldn't have done just as well, if not better.  He was 
luckily they were as good as they were. I certainly wouldn't have 
picked Neville and Luna over a few other, more obviously competent 
members of the DA and I like both of them.
 
> I'm not saying Harry is a complete dunder-head when it comes to 
> judging people (he does quite well with Scrimgeour). 

I hated the way he dealt with Scrimgeour. every time he he was asked 
if he was DD's man I was praying he would say that he wasn't DD's or 
the Ministry's, he was his own man. As much as I liked DD in the HBP 
I hated that Harry went back to trusting him implicitly--as if OOTP 
never happened. I would have liked to see Harry take a stronger 
position and not just roll over and play nice for the old guy.

> Betsy Hp:
> Well, there's Draco, and... erm...  There's Draco.  Has Harry 
> conversed with any other Slytherin?

Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, Millicent, Flint, the nameless cheating bastard 
members of the Quiddich team, the house members who refused to stand 
for Cedric, and all the ones wearing Potter Stinks badges back during 
GoF.  Harry hasn't exactly been treated well by any Slytherin, not 
just Draco.  Why exactly should he think well of any of them?

 >And HBP showed us that Harry doesn't know Draco all that 
> well.  He seemed rather shocked to find Draco crying in the boys 
> room.  

You have such rose colored glasses when it comes to Draco I don't 
even know where to begin!  When I read that passage it seemed to me 
that Draco was crying about the stress of the situation and not out 
of any guilt that he might be experiencing. He had already nearly 
killed two people and we never the slightest bit of genuine remorse, 
IIRC. Maybe I would say Harry had misjudged Malfoy if the brat had 
showed any sense of sadness from what he was doing, but even his 
moment of weakness was self absorbed.  And lets not forget that Draco 
is responsible for mutilating Bill, whatever other injuries done 
during the raid, Dumbledore's death, and nearly killing any number of 
students. Undoubtably the body count would have been higher had not 
three or four people not been dosed with Luck Potion.

And I'm sure he disagreed with Dumbledore when Dumbledore 
> first told Draco that he wasn't a killer.

I think DD is wrong. Draco is sqeamish, not moral, and there is a 
difference.
 
>But I don't think Harry *ever* considered that Draco might 
> actually be a victim of Voldemort's.

Draco is not a victim! he is a accomplice. He should be in prison.
 
> Betsy Hp:
> Just out of curiousty, Alla, who has Harry liked that you have not? 

Well, I can't answer for Alla, but I agree her so I am going to 
answer for myself. Molly, Hermione, and Ginny. I hate all three and 
they are HP's favorite gals. I also don't like Remus all that much 
either. Dumbledore is also occasionally on the bottom of the list.
  
> Betsy Hp:
> Oh ick.  I hope not.  I'm not sure how harmony is achieved when all 
> the instruments are taken away.  Of course, I'm a fan of the house 
> system, so obviously, YMMV. :)

I was disappointed that there wasn't more laying the ground work for 
house unity in this book. I think it is going to play a part in the 
story but for it to pay off emotionally it can't be thrust upon us 
suddenly. It's been foreshadowed somewhat but it hasn't been set up. 
and I'm sure she can set it up and pay it off in one book. I suspect 
she is going to try to and I will find it unsatisfying, just like I 
do the H/G plotline.

phoenixgod2000, who would be posting more but is in the middle of 
moving, which is absolutely no fun at all.

 
> Betsy Hp