Harry's scar , vulnerability, and Occlumency (Long)

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 121897


Carol:
Alla in an other post (which I can't go back to and copy without
losing this one--Yahoomort will eat it, you know) argued that the
Occlumency lessons were *causing* Harry to be more vulnerable to
Voldemort, but I think he was already vulnerable. The dreams predate
the Occlumency lessons by several months, Harry feels the urge to 
bite Dumbledore almost immediately after the *real* incident with Mr.
Weasley just before Christmas time, which predates the Occlumency
lessons and may be the reason Dumbledore arranges them.
 
Granted, he feels a pain in his head soon after the Occlumency
lessons, but this results from something Voldemort is feeling and not
from the lesson itself, which has not *directly* revealed anything
related to Voldemort. It has only led Harry to figure out what his 
dreams are about, putting two and two together as Snape would do. His
scar still hurts from that moment of realization and it's true that 
he's white and shaky, but this could be as much from the 
*realization* that he's been dreaming about something Voldemort 
wants as from the lessons themselves. I don't remember a similar 
reaction after other lessons, but I could be wrong.

Alla:


Well, yes, Harry most certainly experienced similar reaction after 
other Occlumency lessons.

"In fact Harry would have given a great deal to be making as much 
progress in Occlumency as Neville was just making during D.A. 
meetings. Harry's sessions with Snape, which had started badly 
enough, were not improving; on the contrary, Harry felt he was 
getting worse with every lesson.

Before he started studying Occlumency his scar had prickled 
occasionally, usually during the night, or else following one of 
those strange flashes of Voldemort's thoughts or moods that he 
experienced every now and then. Nowadays, however, his scar hardly 
ever stopped prickling, and he often felt lurches of annoyance or 
cheerfulness that were unrelated to what was happening to him at the 
time, which were always accompanied by a particularly painful twinge 
from his scar. He had the horrible impression that he was slowly 
turning into a kind of aerial that was tuned in to tiny fluctuations 
in Voldemort's mood, and he was SURE (emphasis mine) that he could 
date this increased sensitivity firmly from his first lesson with 
Snape" - OOP, p.554, paperback, american edition.


So, it seems to me that even if Harry was vulnerable before, which 
eh of course was, his vulnerability GREATLY increased since the 
first lesson.

I find it strange.




Carol:

(Alla, Hermione's remark that "I expect anyone would feel that way 
after they'd had their mind attacked over and over again" is just a 
friend's sympathy--note "I expect." She doesn't *know.* She hasn't 
looked up the effects of Occlumency in book. And even if it does 
result from the lesson, as I pointed out in another post, we can't 
assume that Harry's reaction is normal, since he's the first and 
only person with a mind-link to Voldemort. And Snape didn't see his 
reaction, which occurs after Harry has gone with Ron and Hermione to 
the library.)

Alla:

Of course Hermione's remark is the remark of the concerned friend. I 
just don't think that it was unknowledgeable remark. When Hermione 
is used to give us some unquestionable facts, she is not always 
accompanies those facts with the remark. I read it in such and such 
book.

For example

"I'll tell you what it means," said Hermione ominously. "It means 
that Ministry's interfering in Hogwarts" - OOP, p.214.

Has Hermione read it somewhere? NO. She listened to Umbridge speech 
and made correct conclusion.

Just as she listened to Harry's complaints and made a conclusion, 
which I believe is correct.


Carol:
 
He does not actually feel sick (as he did before the vision of the
snake) and feel excruciating pain in his scar (as he always does when
Voldemort is feeling strong emotions) until he goes upstairs, and the
cause of this pain is not the Occlumency lessons but Voldemort 
feeling "jubilant, ecstatic, triumphant" (OoP am. ed. 541).


Alla:

I believe he was JUST AS SICK as he did before vision of the snake.

Consider the following quote. "Something good's happened," mumbled 
Harry. He was shaking as badly as he had done after seeing the snake 
attack Mr. Weasley and felt very sick. Something he's been hoping 
for." - OOP, p.542.

 

Carol:
 
Conclusion: Snape is *not* trying to open up Harry's mind to
Voldemort. 

snip

Alla:

I think I showed that exactly opposite conclusion is just as firmly 
supported by canon as yours.


Just my opinion,

Alla