Imperius Resistance and Occlumency, was Harry's anger (was Re: Draco's anger.)

[eggplant9998]

No: HPFGUIDX 122856


First I want to thank Amanda Geist" <editor at t...> for an intelligent
well written post; although I disagreed with almost every line I
thoroughly enjoyed reading it and responding to it.  I know we agree
on one thing, we both like Harry Potter.

> his focus is not on improving in Occlumency, 
> but in solving the corridor puzzle: " 'I'm 
> getting bored walking down that corridor 
> every night....I just wish the door would open,
> I'm sick of simply staring at it...' " [554]. 

Yea it's very boring walking down that same dumb corridor, I'd like
something interesting to happen to break the monotony. And what's all
this baloney about Occlumency? Dumbledore tells me it's all so very
very super duper ultra important to learn this crap, but he won't give
me one reason why it's so important. Well, Dumbledore has been wrong
before, and besides, he hasn't talked to me or even looked at me for
months. I once thought he liked me a little. Well to hell with
Dumbledore, I can live without him, Mr. Weasley would be dead if I had
taken his advice before. And my teacher hates me and I don't trust him
one teeny tiny inch, too many of my previous teachers have tried to
kill me. To Hell to with Snape too! Besides Occlumency lessons make me
feel like I'm about to vomit, and I've got to tell you that's not much
fun.   

> I'm also willing to bet that the first foray 
> into Occlumency, when Harry did resist Snape
> to a degree, did strengthen Harry's mind a bit 

I'll take that bet because the world's greatest expert on Harry
Potter's mind strongly disagrees with you, Harry potter himself.

> Harry is using the existence of the Occlumency
> lessons to give himself an excuse not to talk
> to Dumbledore. 

It's Dumbledore who refuses to so much as look at Harry for month
after month and doesn't provide the slightest clue of a reason for the
snub. Are you really surprised Harry thinks Dumbledore doesn't give a
damn about him?   

> He does *not* apply himself any harder.

That's true, Harry didn't work harder to make himself weaker.

> Harry *lies* to Snape about the number 
> of dreams he has had.

Lying to an enemy is always a good policy. It is possible, even
probable that Snape is indeed an enemy, at the very least he is an
unfriendly bastard.

> I feel Snape pegs him accurately—Harry does 
> want them [the dreams] to continue, because
> he feels they are a valuable channel 
> into Voldemort's doings. 

Probably true and not an unreasonable wish for Harry to have, after
all, such a channel had already saved Ron's father's life. 

> Snape's reaction, however, is not personal in the slightest. 

What?! 

> Snape is about the business at hand, 
> not some one-on-one power struggle. 

Snape is not above anything of the sort, he is one of the most petty
characters in literature. The man is positively tiny. 

> He also may be angry because Voldemort was 
> making himself aware of Harry's mind mere 
> minutes after Snape has said to Harry that
> he, Snape, was responsible for spying on the
> Dark Lord. Harry, because he has failed to 
> apply himself adequately, may just have put
> both the spy effort and Snape himself at risk.
> I'd be angry myself, in Snape's position. 

Years ago Dumbledore testified in open court before hundreds of people
that Snape spied on Voldemort for him, it's very hard to understand
how it could all be a big surprise to the Dark Lord now at this late
date. 

> Snape, as Eggplant has so often pointed out,
> does nothing to remove the Pensieve before he
> leaves the office on this occasion. I, though,
> don't feel he should have needed to.

Obviously Snape needed to take precautions; but he must have been
living in some dream world because he thought he didn't need to hide
the Pensive from Harry. The jackass! 

If the circumstances were reversed and Harry had removed his most
secret memories to the pensive do you think he would be stupid enough
to let Snape see him do it? And if he was that dumb do you think Harry
would be moronic enough to leave Snape alone with the very same
Pensive? And if Harry was that certifiably retarded do you seriously
expect us to believe that Snape, of all people, would be too honest,
noble and just too committed to fair play to look into Harry's
Pensive??! If you really believe all that then I have some swamp land
with oil on it I'd like to sell you, and a real nice bridge too.

> He is on the same side as Harry. 

That is, to put it mildly, far from obvious.

> it was a failing of Harry's that he betrayed
> both Snape's and Dumbledore's 

Snape's trust? What on Earth are you talking about?

> The Occlumency had been strengthening his mind,
> albeit very slowly 

If that was true then I don't understand why JKR lets Harry believe
up to and including the very last page of the book that Snape's
Occlumency lessons made him weaker not stronger. 

 Eggplant