Dumbledore the Counselor (Making your own destiny)

[vmonte]

No: HPFGUIDX 124412


>Alla wrote:

Dumbledore says:
"My answer is that my priority was to keep you alive. You were in
more danger than perhaps anyone but myself realised. Voldemort had
been vanquished hours before, but his supporters - and many of them
are almost as terrible as he - were still at large, angry,
desperate and violent. And I had to make my decision too with
regards to th years ahead. Did I believe that Voldemort was gone
forever? no. I knew not whether it would be ten, twenty, or fifty
years before he returned , but I was sure he would do so, and I was
sure too, knowing him as I have done, that he would not rest until
he killed you." - OOP, p.836.

snip

So, Dumbledore was not even sure when Voldemort will return. he
simply decided that Harry was in danger and made a choice as to how
to protect him. I don't remember reference in canon that Harry's
mother blood was the ONLY protection available, just the one
Dumbledore put his trust in.

Dumbledore made a CHOICE. I understand his INITIAL choice, sort of.
I don't necessarily think that it was the only one option available,
although it is of course possible.

snip

vmonte responds:
Hi Alla. I agree with your thoughts about the Dursleys. I have a
four-year-old son and I cringe every time I reread the chapters with
the Dursleys.

I think that part of the appeal of the Harry Potter books is that
children are being taught that they have a choice in their own
destiny. That even if they come from a broken or abusive home they
have a choice whether to move past it and accept love in their heart, 
or feel hatred and resentment for the rest of their lives. There are 
many characters in the HP books (good and bad) that have problems 
letting go of their past. Old hurts, resentments, bad families, etc., 
color the way they perceive everything else in their life. Harry, 
however, is able to overcome all of this. Not only that, he has the 
ability to feel compassion for people who really do not deserve it-- 
like Petunia and Snape. It's better to come out of a bad experience 
stronger and wiser, and seeing yourself as a survivor, than to become 
a hateful and deeply horrible person like Tom Riddle. The books tell 
children to be strong, be yourself, and do what is right. Not a bad 
thing in my opinion.

JKR has written Dumbledore to be the "epitome of goodness." That's why
when we read: "My answer is that my priority was to keep you alive,"
that this is the only thing Dumbledore could do to make sure that
Harry survived.

And Dumbledore, unlike the Dursleys, allows Harry to be himself. He 
doesn't stop Harry from facing danger, just teaches him enough so 
that he can overcome it. Dumbledore seems to interfere only when he 
knows that Harry's life is in eminent danger (not letting Harry leave 
the Dursleys home in OOTP, DD showing up at climactic moments, DD not 
looking Harry in the eye, etc). Harry loves his life at Hogwarts, and 
he likes the action hero part of his life, he just doesn't like all 
of the attention that gets focused on him. 

In the real world Harry would have been put into witness protection,
given a new name, and placed with a family in Australia. But then
there would be no Harry Potter. 

Harry has always confronted and faced the evil in his life. And he 
has always chosen his own path. In the end he may realize that his 
past is part of what made him strong enough. That's also why I hope 
that he will eventually disregard Trelawny's prophecy.

There has been a lot of discussion lately regarding why Dumbledore
never told Harry about the prophecy. I'm starting to think that he
shouldn't have told him. I really hate the prophecy! If Voldemort 
hadn't listened to the prophecy in the first place he probably would 
have conquered the WW by now. The prophecy has actually stalled LV's
plans. It reminds me of the Mirror of Erised. You become so fixated
by the reflection you see that you forget to live. 

Harry really needs to reject it, IMO.

Vivian