CHAPTER DISCUSSIONS: Chapter Thirty seven - The lost prophecy

[Tonks]

No: HPFGUIDX 124043


Discussion Questions:

2. Harry blames himself for Sirius death.  Do you? 
5. Do you blame DD?


Sirius is dead because Bella chose of her own free will to kill him. 
So the primary blame is hers.  Bella killed Sirius.  DD did not and 
Harry did not.  It is important that we remember that.  

As to Harry:  Harry was told to study Occlumency.  Told by DD, a 
person whose judgment Harry trust.  Harry didn't like his teacher, 
but even still he did go to the sessions. He made an attempt.  The 
*main* reason that Harry did not learn Occlumency was his 
curiosity.  Harry's curiosity has gotten him into trouble time and 
time again.  Hermione has a lot of curiosity too but she thinks 
first and consults a book for facts before acting.  Harry on the 
other hand has a tendency to just jump right in and worry about the 
consequences later.  

I know that DD says that he should have told Harry sooner, but I am 
not so sure that Harry was ready sooner. DD blames himself.  How 
many of us can see the future and if we knew now what we will know 
then would do something different now?  One simply can not do that. 
DD used his best judgment at the time, which was all he or any of us 
can be expected to do.  I do not blame DD.  

Harry on the other hand was given a direct order by his Headmaster 
and Harry should have followed it without question. (Now I know some 
of you will jump up and down and disagree with the idea of following 
authority no matter what, but hear me out.  First there are 2 types 
of authority.  One is the type that DD has, and the other the type 
that Umbridge has.  Let's not go off on a tangent here. We are 
talking about the lawful authority of a respected person that Harry 
knows to have his best interest at heart. Umbridge would be a 
different matter.)  So, moving on
 Harry disregarded a direct order 
and that was not good. Harry wanted to see what was behind the 
door.  Harry had a choice, many choices in fact, and he blew it.  He 
had a choice to follow DD (an older, wiser person who Harry knew had 
his best interest at heart) and he did not take this seriously 
enough.  Harry had a choice to do his homework and practice, but 
again he choice not too.  Harry wanted to see what was behind the 
door and he deluged himself, and allowed LV to delude him as well, 
into believing that since he saved Arthur's life it was really a 
good thing to keep seeing these things.  Ah... such is the way of 
LV
 he works in a person's mind to make them think that the wrong 
thing is really the right thing. A true Slytherin!!!  And it 
worked.  Harry half believed that is was the right thing, even when 
he heard the wee small voice of Hermione in his head telling him 
that it was the wrong thing.  But Harry is young and we can cut him 
a little slack because of that.  He has not learned to listen to 
that soft quiet voice of reason and truth and be able to follow it.  
This is called Discernment of Spirits, and it is a skill that Harry 
has yet to learn.  

So following in the direction that LV lead him, Harry ends up 
putting himself and his friends in mortal danger.  And as always 
wiser more experienced wizards and ultimately DD have to come to his 
rescue.  

Harry made some serious mistakes.  He was lead astray by LV and by 
his own natural sense of curiosity.  He is young.  He has been 
through a lot.  It is hard to think and act rationally when you have 
a migraine (his scar hurting.)  Remember in book 2 when Ginny did 
all of those terrible things – attacking people – when under the 
power of LV?  Then DD said that she was forgiven because she was not 
acting of her own free will.  The implication is that if she was 
acting of her own free will, even as a child, she would have been 
guilty and subject to punishment.  Now let us turn back to Harry.  
How much of this was Harry and how much was LV?  Can Harry say *the 
devil made me do it*?  Maybe, maybe not.  Harry made a series of 
poor choices.  (Frankly I am shocked by this, because I really did 
not think that he would ever do that.  So my young hero has fallen 
from grace. And I along with DD have a tear in my eye for him.)   

There are choices and there are choices.  Harry's intent has always 
been for the good.  Harry has not taken the wrong path because he 
*knowingly* choose to do what he knew to be wrong.  Harry gave in to 
his curiosity, but curiosity in and of itself is not evil.  Harry 
did make other bad choices that he thought was for the right 
reason.  He has done what many before him have done.  We all learn 
from our mistakes and go on to do better next time.  Harry will have 
to look at his actions and sort out the real crime from the 
imagined.  Harry should have worked harder at the Occlumency 
lessons.  He should have respected Snape's privacy and not looked in 
the pensive and gotten tossed out of the sessions.  He should have 
told someone older and more experienced what was happening to him 
and gotten their help to sort it all out.  I don't think that Harry 
has ever deluded himself into thinking that he was a match for LV.  
He always seems to know that he can not face LV alone.  So I don't 
think that it is arrogance here.  

Harry will undoubtedly blame himself for everything that has 
happened.  But he is not to blame for Sirius' death.  He made a poor 
choice for the right reason and as a result placed himself and his 
friends in danger.  They made choices also.  Harry friends made 
choices of loyalty.  Sirius felt an adult's duty and love for a 
child.  Harry friends and Sirius did the only thing that people of 
love and honor could do.  One can not blame any of them for that.  
They were willing to die for a friend.  Once Harry sorts it all out 
he will see his mistakes and learn from them.  And he will have to 
forgive himself for any part that he may have played in his 
Godfather's death. 

In conclusion:  The ultimate *blame* for Sirius's death is Bella's 
and Bella's alone.  She is the one that made the choice to kill.  LV 
is guilty as well because he deceived and lied to Harry and led his 
astray and thus set the stage for the evil that was to occur. DD has 
no blame in this and it is his feeling of grief that is talking when 
he says that he has.  Harry made some serious mistakes.  I once 
thought that he was above that, but the true is that Harry is very, 
very human.  JKR shows that here.  Harry's mistakes have been at a 
very high cost.  Such a high cost at such a young age, it just tears 
you heart out to watch.  Harry's intent was not to do harm.  His 
intent was to help.  LV used what he saw as Harry's weakness against 
him.  I am sure that DD would say that what seems to be our greatest 
weakness (our ability to love) is our greatest strength.  Harry must 
forgive himself for what part he had in this and grow from it to be 
a wiser and stronger wizard, as I know that he will. 

Tonks_op