[HPforGrownups] What did DD intend to say to Harry?

[caesian]

No: HPFGUIDX 124588


On Feb 13, 2005, at 9:11 PM, lupinlore wrote:
<snip>
  I just wondered how other people out there read this scene.  Did DD go
  into the confrontation intending to tell Harry everything, which
  implies a broader meaning to "not as mad..." or did he only decide to
  do so midway through the conversation?

Caesian now:
My impression was that DD began the conversation (including his choice 
to have Harry wait unattended in his office), with the primary 
intention of helping Harry to deal immediately with the death of 
Sirius.  He evidently decided to lay the blame firmly on himself and 
Sirius in a serious talk with Harry.  Whether this was a valid 
assessment of the situation has very much to do with your opinion of 
whether Harry is competent (as a young person / minor, etc) to be 
responsible for his own errors.  DD makes the argument that information 
he withheld  would have helped Harry - which is probably true (although 
the consequences of him telling Harry sooner are somewhat unclear - 
e.g., what would have happened if Voldemort had access to these ideas 
via Harry?).  He does not point out that Harry did, in fact, have 
information and resources that were ignored.  I believe this final 
conversation was intended to help Harry to cope with the loss, and that 
Harry was told just enough to enable his rational mind to wrap around 
and embrace his own lack of culpability in Sirius' death.  In the RW, 
this is probably a good way of dealing with grief - guilt is a 
paralyzing and often inappropriate response to the loss of a loved one. 
  I think DD went into the conversation intending to tell Harry whatever 
he had to in order to to get him to agree that it wasn't all his fault. 
  He needed to fess up about the prophesy in order for this to make 
sense, and like he said, he'd been meaning to mention it.  Why did he 
choose to absent Harry from his own guilt in this way?  To honestly 
help the boy?  To mold him into a weapon?  To make himself feel better? 
  I dunno.  I'd guess the first.

Caesian

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