Mental Discipline in the WW: A Comparison (long)

[nrenka]

No: HPFGUIDX 130236

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Irene Mikhlin 
<irene_mikhlin at b...> wrote:

> All true, and don't forget the act of sabotage by Sirius! Sirius 
> undermined Harry's motivation from the get go, treating the idea of 
> the lessons as Snape's private whim or something. Brilliant, 
> Sirius, that will really communicate to Harry just how important
> Dumbledore finds these lessons.

I have a question: since I'm lazy and forgetful, I can't remember any 
time afterwards when Sirius' admonitions/warnings/'sabotage' recur in 
Harry's mind.  If so, are we perhaps putting too much importance upon 
it?  If JKR never felt the need to bring it up again and thus invoke 
it as a cause for Harry's attitude, then it's a bit of a leap that 
we're making between the comment and Harry's actions.  Unless, of 
course, you want to argue that it was an utterly essential component 
poisoning everything from the beginning, and stuck with Harry 
throughout.  A difficult argument to make when other reasons and 
motivations are actually stated in the text as important.

I'd agree that Harry's motivation isn't top-par, by any means.  But 
if Harry never thinks specifically about Sirius' comments again, who 
are we to make them into an item of such grand significance, 
especially above things which actually *do* get multiple mentions in 
the text?

-Nora hopes we get some more information, maybe in interview, about 
the teaching of Occlumency