Dumbledore the Counselor (was: Dumbledore the General)

[lupinlore]

No: HPFGUIDX 124402


<SNIP>
> 
> >>Phoenixgod:
> >And don't fool yourself into believing that the outcome couldn't 
> have been bad.  Harry could have ended up a sociopath. He could have 
> ended up spineless and afraid. He could have ended up a manipulative 
> dark lord in the making.  He could have been so angry at DD that he 
> might be willing to turn his back on the WW once he learned how 
> important he was.
> >The litany of bad ends that could have resulted from DD's 
> interference are numerous. And all of them more likely than Harry 
> ending up a basically good kid with strong morals.<
> 
> Betsy:
> Yeah.  But it didn't.  The White Queen could have struck Ron in the 
> temple and killed him before he hit the ground.  Grawp could have 
> made contact with Hermione and squeezed her into an unrecognizable 
> paste.  Harry could have veered left instead of right and ended up as 
> dragon kibble.  Sirius could have failed to distract Lupin and three 
> more werewolves could be roaming the Forbidden Forest.
> 
> The books are filled with litanies of possible bad ends that *could* 
> have happened.  That's life in a war zone.  And it's unfortunate that 
> Harry is in this game, but he *is* alive, he *is* relatively stable, 
> and I think it has more to do with Dumbledore's careful planning than 
> mere luck.  IMO, of course.
> 
> Betsy.  Let the snark games begin. <eg>  (Except, of course, that I'm 
> going to bed.)

EXTREMELY weak.  As Phoenixgod says, any of the outcomes he outlines
are much more realistic and predictable than Harry coming out all
right - which he has not, by the way, his inability to trust adults
proves that.  The only things we can ascribe Harry's so-called "good
emotional health" to are:

1) poor writing on JKR's part,

2) sheer luck shining of Dumbledore's decisions.

Out of deference to the author, I think we prefer option #2 to option #1.


Lupinlore