Chapter 37 Dumbledore

[a_svirn]

No: HPFGUIDX 124107



DD speaks no more than the truth when he states that he is the one 
responsible for Sirius's death. He is being however his usual 
evasive self, so that it is not entirely clear from his explanations 
why he takes the responsibility. At least, it was certainly not 
clear for Harry who was too hurt and shocked at the moment (only 
about an hour had passed from Sirius death after all) to think 
rationally. Which, a propos, was probably why DD chose this 
particular moment for his revelations. 

He says that he is going (finally!!) to explain everything. But does 
he? From where I'm staying it seems that he -- true to the form -- 
fills Harry in on some points but again it's "no more than he needs 
to know". Does he reveal his theory about Harry's scar and the 
nature of his connection to Voldemort? He certainly doesn't. He 
manages very skilfully to avoid the issue altogether manipulating 
Harry into discussing the events of previous five years instead. Oh, 
yes, he tells him about the prophesy. Again, only bare facts and the 
text verbatim. But he leaves it to Harry to draw the conclusions. As 
it might have been expected Harry comes up with a pretty 
straightforward interpretation which may be basically true, but it 
is certainly not all there is to it. Moreover, the whole structure 
of DD's narrative is no more than another trap. He deliberately 
keeps Harry in the dark until the end of their interview, but keeps 
asking "You do not see the flaw?" throughout it. Because Harry is 
still none the wiser he feels like an idiot and DD offers him a 
perfect excuse for his actions: "I care for you too much". Now, that 
may be true, but it certainly does not explain his actions in the 
OotP. 

Consider. 1) Why on earth guard the prophesy if the only thing 
Voldemort could have learned from it is that he acted much too 
rashly attacking the Potters and that now he must kill Harry if he 
wants to avoid being killed himself. Big deal! Killing Harry has 
topped Voldemort's to-do list for years. What difference does it 
make if learned that he's been right all along trying to do Potter 
in? 2) If (as I think we all suspect) there is more to the prophesy, 
that Harry realises, which is why DD wants to keep Voldemort in the 
dark about it, why not simply smash it? If 6 teenagers however 
magically gifted they might be could break into the Department of 
Mysteries, so could members of the Order. Or even DD himself. After 
all he has the "original" prophesy. Why leave a copy to lie around?  

The thing is – in OotP DD clearly tries to recreate the situation of 
the first book Which is to say – to lure Voldemort straight into the 
trap. Thus he is able to achieve two main goals 1) to keep him 
occupied and concentrated onto something other than killing Harry 
and generally wrecking havoc, and 2) to make wizarding community to 
acknowledge the fact of Voldemort's return. Now "do you see the flaw 
yet?". I personally could come up with a few. 

First, this plan places Harry into jeopardy, because sooner or later 
Voldemort realises that he could use him and so he does. DD sees 
this possibility before VOldemrt, but still goes for it. Yes, he 
arranges Occlumency lessons, but still too many things could go awry 
and so they do. Somehow I don't think that it has anything to do 
with "too much caring". Rather that DD has no better plan. 

Second, the plan is dangerous not only for Harry. There are innocent 
bystanders for one. Like Bode who's only fault was that he happened 
to work in the Department of Mysteries. DD knows that there are 
likely to be victims among the ministry employees, since at the 
beginning Voldemort didn't know that only he or Harry were able to 
touch the prophesy, but he prepares to pay this price in order to 
win more time for Harry and for the Order. 

And finally, there are members of the Order doing their guarding 
duty at the D of M's threshold.  As far as we know the tall is one 
wounded, one killed and one in Azkaban. Not bad all things 
considered, it could easily have been more. But did all of them 
realise that the thing they guarded was nothing more than bait? I 
wonder. Sirius for one certainly got the picture and wasn't amused. 
He could cheerfully sacrifice the whole Ministry for Magic, and 
probably saw no ill in risking lives of his fellows from the Order, 
but he clearly didn't like the idea of using Harry. 

Still DD's plan worked. Sirius happened to be among the casualties 
that DD knew only too well were impossible to avoid. He is prepared 
to take the blame but still he had 15 years too brood over his 
options and saw no other choice.