Harry's dream in PS/SS

[rbookworm46]

No: HPFGUIDX 139080

Christina wrote:
Considering what we now know about Snape, Draco Malfoy, and 
Horcruxes, what does everyone make of the dream Harry had his first 
night at Hogwarts? It seems like one of those passages we should be 
able to dig through for clues, but I can't think of any theories 
this could lend itself to. It hardly seems like something that JKR 
would put in just to show Harry's distress.

<snip quote from PS/SS>


Bookworm:
It's funny that you mention this – I was thinking about
Harry's dreams a few days ago.  Didn't he also have one that
ended with Ron and Hermione wearing crowns?  [reminder to self –
it's time to reread PS/SS again]

I do agree that JKR put this dream in for a reason, probably 
foreshadowing.  At one level, the turban that was talking to him 
turned out to be hiding Voldemort.  And in CoS, Harry did question 
why he was put into Gryffindor instead of Slytherin.  

The way the turban becomes heavier and painful might foreshadow the 
way Harry is moving slowly toward dark magic.  According to the 
Sorting Hat, Harry has ambition and a "thirst to prove"
himself, and would have done well in Slytherin.  Will his Gryffindor 
traits continue to counterbalance his Slytherin traits?

Lady Indigo wrote, "Harry's moving further and further towards
the Dark Side of the Force through his hate," (Message 139054). 
In OoP he tried to use the cruciatus curse on Bellatrix and caused 
little harm; in HBP he used Sectumsempra on Draco with much more 
dramatic effect.  What other dark magic will Harry explore in book 
7?  The dream doesn't indicate whether or not Harry actually got
the turban off.  Will Harry be able to resist the lure of
`easy' magic and choose to do what is right?  Or will the
Slytherin traits suffocate him?

Malfoy turning into Snape?  Simplistically, Malfoy was a boy's 
enemy – the bully and rival, but basically causing childish 
troubles.  Snape is a man's enemy.  Harry has started to become a 
man, but will have to grow more before he faces Voldemort again.  
Possibly, even though not part of the dream, Dudley was Harry's 
training for dealing with Draco; Draco provided training for dealing 
with Snape.  Could Snape have been training Harry to face 
Voldemort?  Could JKR have meant something totally different?  What 
was there about the dream that is important for the narrative but 
that Harry has forgotten?

Some possible theories, but more questions asked than answered once 
again.

Ravenclaw Bookworm