Dumbledore the Counselor (Making your own destiny)

[finwitch]

No: HPFGUIDX 124463




> vmonte responds:
> 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.
> 
snip
> 
> 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.

Finwitch: 

Yes, well -- now I agree that, so far as Dumbledore knew at the time, 
4 Privet Drive *was* all he could do to keep Harry alive.

However, I think that this was NOT true anymore in OOP. Not, because 
there was the 12 GP for Harry. In fact, Harry - unlike Sirius, 
Hermione, Ron etc. was the one attacked. By Dementors - who IMO would 
have done things worse than death to Harry. Harry was still 
recovering from Cedric's death - well, I guess battling the Dementors 
forced him to do it quickly - but he WAS in danger. And none at 12 GP 
was.

Very humane, yes.

And what exactly was wrong with placing Harry at Dursleys, where he 
was 'protected'?

It undermined the Choice Harry made behind the gravestone. Harry 
figured he'll die anyway, and he'll do it fighting, not hiding.

Dumbledore ignored Harry's acceptance of his mortality (interesting 
that Trelawney it NOW predicting he'll live long... of course, he'll 
die after that...) and his choice to fight and puts Harry into 
hiding...

In a way, as much as Dementors tend to *cause* depression - well, 
Harry knows how to fight them, and he will. I think it possible that 
without Harry casting that Patronus - he would have fallen to 
depression, Dementors or no. Sirius compassion was Harry's sole 
comfort and probably saved his life. I doubt Dumbledore realised what 
Sirius knew all too well; when people are exposed to misery for too 
long they tend to kill themselves; they forget who they are; they go 
grazy. 

Finwitch