[HPforGrownups] Harry's "arrogance" (Was: Evil Snape)

[fair wynn]

No: HPFGUIDX 154266

I don't think Harry's actions in going to the MOM were specifically 
"arrogant," but they do indicate his unwillingness to trust anyone other 
than himself.  In many people, one might call that arrogant, but I think 
Harry's been brought up to not trust the adults who are in positions of 
responsibility.

Of course, Harry hates Snape.  But even though Snape did a terrible job of 
teaching occlumency, Harry made absolutely no effort to learn, regardless of 
the fact that he *knew* these were life and death matters.  So in the first 
place, the fact that he got the vision was in part his fault because he 
never tried to learn occlumency.  Second, Harry had been told by Snape that 
Voldemort might use the connection to try to get at Harry.  After learning 
that, Harry should have been suspicious of any vision, even though his 
previous ones had proven to be true.  Thirds, after giving the message to 
Snape, Harry assumed that it was still up to him to "save" Sirius.  He did 
not trust Snape to do anything about it.  Of course, one might say that he 
had no reason to trust Snape, since he knew Snape disliked Sirius, but 
actually Harry had no evidence at all that Snape ever had betrayed the Order 
or done anything that would harm an Order member.  Harry allowed his 
personal hatred of Snape to get in the way and cause him to assume that 
Snape would not act.  After disposing of Umbridge, Harry and friends could 
have returned to Hogwarts and attempted to contact Grimmauld Place using the 
floo, or gone back to Snape and told him directly what was going on.  But 
Harry assumed that he was the only one who could help.

But I don't exactly consider this arrogant.  Harry has been taught since 
babyhood that this is the way it is.  Even at Hogwarts, Dumbledore allows 
Harry to enter into situations where he has to save the day without adult 
help.  Is it any wonder that he'd think he had to do it again?

However, after Sirius' death, Harry realized that his decisions brought 
about Sirius leaving Grimmault Place (recall that when Sirius gave him the 
mirror, Harry didn't hope it because he didn't want to be the cause of 
anything that would lure Sirius out of the house.)  Harry's sense of guilt 
-- even though he is not truly the one at fault -- causes him to want to 
displace that guilt onto someone else.  So he blamed Snape for Sirius' 
leaving the house, which is naturally ridiculous -- I mean what is Harry 
really saying about Sirius if he thinks that a couple of taunts months 
before are the reason Sirius went to the MOM, rather than the danger to his 
godson?  But Harry feels the burden of responsibility for Sirius' death and 
wants to find another to blame.

Harry often shows the same characteristics of arrogance (can't think off 
hand of a better term), because he believes his own "take" on situations 
much more than anyone else's, including Dumbledore.  But whereas in most 
people that might be arrogance, in Harry it seems more like all he knows to 
do.  I don't think he really knows how to really trust others, particularly 
adults.  He can love adults, but he doesn't really trust them.

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