Harry and starvation

[phoenixgod2000]

No: HPFGUIDX 123639




> Del replies:
> Blood tells nothing, and one's parents don't determine how one is
> going to evolve.

I knew I was going to get into trouble over this. Actually, blood 
does tell.  Look at twin studies. They can be seperated at birth and 
share any number of characteristics that no one would suspect have 
any sort of biological basis. But they do. I think parent and child 
can share similar characteristics. 

It is my contention that Harry would have been just as strong in a 
different home because he has inherited traits from both of his 
parents. Even the characters you present below show inherited traits 
from their familes which prove my point.
 
> Draco doesn't measure up to his father in any way.

Sure he does. Draco *is* his father writ small, petty, and 
inexperienced.
  
> Sirius rejected his family.

Yes he did. Sirius, a proud, strong, independant wizard, rejected 
his mother. A proud, strong, independant witch. Surely no connection 
there...
  
> And most of all, Neville, the son of two people who defied the dark
> lord three times, the grandson of an old woman with a strong 
> backbone,is only starting to pull himself together.

Neville showed hints of spine as far back as the first book.  He has 
it within him, it just needs to be brought to to the fore. It's hard 
to make the distinction since we don't see the Longbottoms in any 
othe way other than sick but I bet Neville is more like his parents 
than even he knows. 
  
> If blood tells, then the pureblood ideologists have it right, and 
the
> Muggleborns (the descendants of people who persecuted and killed 
the
> wizards) should indeed be excluded from the WW.

> Del

Why? I think that there are clearly inherited personality 
traits/temperments that a child can get from his parents even when 
parents aren't there to model them because they're dead or insane. 
That doesn't mean anything for what a child does with those traits. 

If Draco Malfoy decided in his cunning slytherin mind that the best 
way to make the Malfoy name strong and respected in the wizarding 
world was to entrap his father and turn him over to the ministry I 
could make the same arguement because he would be drawing on the 
same traits that he does as a junior death eater. The traits he got 
from his parents.

I make no moral decision about people based on their blood, but your 
parents and blood do matter when it comes to personality and traits. 
Of course Muggleborns should be in the wizarding world. They are no 
less wizards than purebloods, they are just wizards with a different 
culture and understanding.  
 
> Alla:
> 
> I interpreted Phoenixgod' argument as  it is much more likely that 
> Harry got his strength of character from his parents than from 
> resisting Dursleys' abuse.

That is what I am saying. I knew there was a reason why I liked you 
so much ;)
 
> Of course , blood is not a guarantee that person will turn out a 
> certain way ( and it should not be,IMO), BUT it is a possibility ( 
> which I wholeheartedly agree with Rowena) that child will 
> genetically inherit certain character qualities from the parents.

> Alla

That too. Once again, look at twin studies. There are more things 
about us that are at least partially nature instead of nuture than 
even we understand about ourselves.  This whole post is of course, 
just my most humble opinion. 

phoenixgod2000, who just realized this post can be used to justify 
H/G as an inherited predisposition towards redheads and runs out of 
the room screaming.