Harry and the Law (was:Re: Is Harry a Murderer / Killer!! ?? !! Yeah or Nah??)

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 151220

> >>Betsy Hp:
> > Oh, I don't know.  Draco could make a reasonable argument that   
> > he was trying to protect himself from an aggressive stalker.  
> > Especially if the map came out.  
> > <snip>
 
> >>Geoff:
> <snip>
> Harry is obviously trying to find out what Malfoy is doing, which 
> I don't think necessarily falls into the category of 'stalking'.
> <snip of canon>
> Aggressive?
> Who was the first person who moved from defence into a real attack?
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Oh dear.  I was being a bit flippant in the above post in response 
to a comment I took to be a bit flippant.  I should stop doing that 
as it tends to get me in trouble. <g>  I honestly don't think Draco 
was correct in attempting to cast the Crucio.

However, was Harry stalking Draco?  Sure he was.  With a proper 
motivation, yes.  But he was, none the less, following Draco 
sometimes while hidden by his invisibility cloak, and using the 
Marauders' map to actively follow Draco's movements.

When Harry found Draco crying in the boys room he didn't just 
stumble onto the scene because he had a pressing need to use the 
facilities.  He actively or *aggressively* searched Draco out.

"...[Harry] saw Malfoy's tiny, labeled dot standing in a boys' 
bathroom on the floor below...
"Outside the bathroom, he pressed his ear against the door.  He 
could not hear anything.  He very quietly pushed the door open." 
(HBP scholastic p.521) 

When Draco does finally spot Harry, Harry is rather obviously 
peeping through the door to watch and listen to Draco.  He's not 
innocently walking into a room and catching Draco out.

Yes, Draco is the first to become *physically* aggressive.  But 
Harry was aggressively engaging in the act of stalking or spying on 
or hunting or following Draco.  Which, yeah, I don't blame Harry for 
doing at all.  Just as I don't blame him for reacting to Draco's 
attack.  (Stupid to use a spell he had no notion of, of course -- 
but by no means evil.)

Betsy Hp