House Unity--final goal? ( Re: Draco's life vs. Dumbledore's )

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 141879

Bringing Magpie's post up long after the fact, but it has so many 
interesting throughts about where JKR could be headed (aside from 
the inevitable Harry vs. Voldemort battle of course!).

> Magpie:
> If we're talking about just a practical wartime descision,
> obviously the brilliant general is far more valuable than a child
> pawn for the other side. Draco would be an easy loss, Dumbledore a
> great loss.  But this is not a regular battle, and it's not going
> to be won by the brilliant strategy of Dumbledore the General.
> DD's part in the story is over. He knows it, the author knows it,
> most of the sixth book seems to be about preparing for exactly
> this.  Harry has to face the final book without him, and
> presumably he'll wind up doing great.

Jen: I was flipping through the Art of War today and noticed a 
comment Dumbledore might agree with: "To fight and conquer in all 
your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists 
in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." Sun Tzu, 1983 
edition, Delacorte press.

Dumbledore spent the 6th year training Harry not in battle, but in 
understanding his enemy. By the time of the Horcrux chapter, when 
they talk about Harry's power and settle the meaning of the 
prophecy, I really had the sense Dumbledore felt the end of his 
training was near. The pratical training in the cave was an attempt 
to put all the prior work into action, and again Dumbledore's 
teaching mostly consisted of recognizing Voldemort's magical style 
and his strengths/weaknesses. All that to say I agree Dumbledore 
felt secure battle strategies were the least of what Harry needed to 
learn to defeat Voldemort.

Magpie:
> More importantly, there's the Sorting Hat's song, held back until
> fifth year, but I think very important to the series.  However
> nice Hogwarts may have seemed to Harry when he showed up, it's a
> school that is broken and wounded, and it's suffering for it. The
> hat explains how it was founded, how all the founders fought with
> each other, and how the fighting stopped because one of them-
> Slytherin-left.  This stopped the fighting, but at a price.
> Throughout the series--especially in books V and VI, the school
> has been vulnerable because of this rift.  <snipped good examples>

Jen: Another explanation to me of why Dumbledore spent his life at 
Hogwarts and not in politics or the business world. He seemed to 
have two goals by staying at Hogwarts. First he told 
Voldemort: "Well, to a wizard such as myself, there can be nothing 
more important than passing on ancient skills, helping hone young 
minds." (chap. 20, p. 442, Scholastic). So passing on love magic was 
one of his goals. The second, what you are alluding to, we find out 
in GOF: "...we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we 
are divided..." (chap. 37, p. 722) 

Dumbledore's speaking specifically about Voldemort's return there, 
but most of his tenure as headmaster involved the school being torn 
apart from within by Voldemort & the like-minded, so I think it's 
fair to say he saw ridding the WW of Voldemort through unity as the 
*ultimate* goal.

Magpie:
> I don't think this is a case of Slytherins being evil and so we
> should just get rid of them.  I seem to remember recently someone
> brought up Dumbledore referring to Snape has having "come back" to
> them when he became a spy, and wondering if that meant Snape once
> worked for them before he became a DE.  I think DD considers all
> Hogwarts students as belonging on his side, so when Snape joined
> with them he was "coming back."  

Jen: That's a lovely thought and not one I can add much to. I do 
agree it would be in-character for Dumbledore to view his students 
in this manner, as he viewed Draco on the tower.

Magpie:
> As I said, I don't think this has to be about Slytherin being
> evil.  JKR has mentioned that the houses all represent an element
> and that you have to accept all parts of yourself to be healthy.
>  Hogwarts needs all of its houses and elements (water is pretty
> important), and the fact that Slytherin is removed from the other 
> houses is, imo, one reason it's destructive.  Had it been 
> Ravenclaw who left perhaps they would be the "bad" house working
> against the rest.  Not to get too into psychology, but it's like
> the way they say things you repress about yourself can torment you.

Jen: The houses representing the four elements sealed the deal for 
me. Harmony and unity is part of this story and we have yet to see 
that in action. And since I love psychology<g>, the unacknowledged 
parts of the self *are* the source of destruction from within, the 
parts projected onto others instead of integrated into the self. I 
see this happening with Harry toward Snape especially (although 
formerly Draco as well) on the microscopic level, and all the houses 
toward Slytherin on the macroscopic level. 

Related to this, I'm suddenly seeing information in Book 1 I never 
noticed before. One thing was the possibility Harry had 
characteristics from all four of the houses according to the Sorting 
Hat:

Gryffindor- "Plenty of courage"
Ravenclaw- "Not a bad mind"
Hufflepuff- "Talent"
Slytherin- "Nice thirst to prove yourself"

Since we never got to hear what the hat said about anyone else, it's 
hard to compare whether most of the kids show traits of all four 
houses or Harry is unique in that way. Reading that section after 
your post Magpie, it made me wonder if Harry's *real* job might be 
greater than defeating Voldemort like you suggest.


Magpie: 
> Obviously I'm not suggesting that the seventh book will be all
> about Draco--or Snape.  I am suggesting that a true understanding
> with a (formerly) DE Slytherin would potentially be a much greater
> victory than the saving of that one kid.  And I think this seems
> important to the author as well, since she's come up with three
> versions of that kid.  There's Regulus, whom we know turned
> against the DEs, but was unable to live and join with others
>(though his attempt to do so may finally come to light and thus
> help heal the rift).  

Jen: I wonder if the meaning of Sirius' death will come into play 
here, that he learned more about Regulus while living in 12 
Grimmauld and never had the chance to tell Harry before dying? Don't 
know how exactly, people have suggested Regulus is in the witness 
protection program or the mirrors might forge the connection--either 
could work, or JKR could invent whatever magic she needs, even 
taking Harry beyond the veil if the story calls for it! I see 
potential for the Regulus storyline, but believe Harry will need 
validation from Sirius in some form to believe it. 

You mentioned Snape and Draco as well, and without going to far into 
it, I liked your point that Harry and Draco are the ones who can 
sign the peace treaty of this generation, that Harry can't do 
anything about the feud in the previous generation but has the power 
to change the one in the present.

Jen