Sirius' actions/Scene with likeable James

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 156332

> >>Kemper:
> > <SNIP>
> > What if at the end of Harry's written DADA O.W.L's, he and Ron
> > rolled-up on and started provoking Draco while Hermione         
> > pretended she didn't know what was going on?  We already know    
> > what an arrogant prick Draco is, but would we think this scene   
> > of righteous bullying funny? Would Harry be in the right here?  
> > Or would we think a little less of him based on only a 5 minute 
> > incident?

> >>Alla:
> I can try and answer that. Funny, I certainly would not find it,   
> but would I think of Harry less based on knowing everything that   
> happened between him and Draco?
> <snip>
> Not really, I may think that Harry should have been a bigger man   
> and not care less about Draco, but my opinion of him would not go 
> down drastically.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
The funny thing is that Harry can't even imagine *himself* doing 
something like that to Draco.  He can *possibly* think of the twins 
doing something similar, but even that seems a bit reluctant to me.

"...Harry could not imagine Fred and George dangling someone upside 
down for the fun of it...not unless they really loathed 
them...Perhaps Malfoy, or somebody who really deserved it..." [OotP 
hardback scholastic p.653]

And even reading the above I remember thinking to myself on first 
read-through that Harry and Ron would *never* treat anybody like 
that.  Not even Draco.  Because though Harry might laugh if Draco 
were put in a similar situation, he's never been the type to attack 
someone coldbloodedly, merely because he or Ron were bored.  The 
only times Harry lashes out is when he's angry.

If Harry *were* capable of doing something like that...  Hmm, I 
think I would have a harder time liking him.  Gosh, I can't even 
imagine *Draco* doing something similar, and he's supposedly the 
bully of their year. But yeah, I'm not a big fan of pack behavior 
(as I've said before).  It usually brings out (in my experience) the 
very worst sides of human nature.  And Harry tends to avoid running 
with the pack.  (Probably because he's been the victim of pack 
behavior himself.)

> >>Alla:
> I have another hypothetical that I posted in the past.
> Suppose we get to view Draco's memories in the Pensieve. Suppose   
> he palced his memories about GoF train accident in the Pensieve,   
> except he only put there **part** of that particular memory,       
> starting with Gryffindors hexing him?
> Wouldn't you think of Draco as blameless party if you were to see 
> **only** that part of the memory?

Betsy Hp:
Ooh, Alla, do you really want to start that conversation up again? 
<bg>  Honestly I think Draco and Crabbe and Goyle *were* hard done 
by in that particular scene.  Though I wouldn't go so far as to call 
him *blameless*.  (Poor Crabbe and Goyle were though.  They, as 
usual, didn't say a word.)

However, we do get quite a bit of build up into James and Sirius's 
attack on Snape.  So I think this is a bit apples and oranges, 
really.  Since you'd have to start the memory right at the moment of 
attack.

And really, *Harry* is appalled at his father's and Sirius's 
behavior.  And Harry knows Snape.  If Harry is so bothered by the 
pensieve scene, why is it weird that so many reader are bothered too?

Betsy Hp