[HPforGrownups] Re: Harry, Draco and bathroom.

[fair wynn]

No: HPFGUIDX 162413


Eggplant
>When Harry only has a split second to make a decision he follows his
>hunches, that is his true skill and the reason he's still alive. But
>forget that, let me ask a different question: Do you think it would
>have made a better story if he hadn't used that spell? I don't.
>
wynnleaf
This is an interesting question.  And it's not just would it be a "better" 
story, but would the story have taken the same direction?  No.  If Harry had 
used expelliarmus, then Draco would simply have been disarmed.  Snape would 
never have come into the room at all.  Harry wouldn't have gotten detention. 
  Harry probably wouldn't have reported Draco attempting the crucio -- or 
even if he had, nothing much would likely have happened given that Harry had 
already been reported things about Draco to no avail.

So why did JKR do this?

What did it do for the plot that Harry used Sectumsempra?
That he so seriously injured Draco?
That Snape rescued Draco?
That Snape gave Harry detentions?  And that Harry missed out on Quidditch?

What was JKR wanting to show Harry?  What did she want us to see?

I think JKR wanted Harry to use a spell that was really destructive -- his 
horror at the results of the spell is important.

Further, JKR wanted to establish that there was at least one Really Bad 
spell in the HBP's notes.  But at the same moment she reveals that the HBP 
created a terrible spell, she also had the HBP himself come in, reveal the 
song-like countercurse, and give his own opinion of the spell - Dark Magic.

We see Snape's relatively gentle demeanor with Draco and his reassurance.

We see Snape in a healer role.  We had already been told about 
Snape-as-healer due to Dumbledore's injury with the ring horcrux, and Katie 
Bell's being cursed by the necklace.  At this point, we get to "see" Snape 
as healer.

We see that Snape now knows that Harry is using the HBP potions book, but 
does not push very hard to get it back or confront Harry with his use of the 
book.  (BTW, I see no reason for Snape to keep his having created 
Sectumsempra secret from Dumbledore -- DD knows lots of worse stuff about 
Snape already, so it really doesn't make any difference.)

We also see Harry's determination to keep the book.

I think JKR wanted Harry to get detention.  But why?  What do we learn from 
Harry's getting detention?  We see that Snape did not request expulsion, 
even though McGonagall thought it Harry's action warrented it.  We learn 
that the Marauders ganged up on other students, not just Snape.  We see in 
the detentions, none of the altercations between Snape and Marauders and 
must wonder why?  We are told of no detention records for Snape and should 
wonder why.

So JKR achieved many things through having Harry make the mistake of using 
Sectumsempra.

I'm sure there are several more things she achieved that I didn't think of.

wynnleaf

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