Harry's arrogance (was Evil Snape)

[Peggy Richter]

No: HPFGUIDX 154295

> >fairwynn said <snip>
> >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.<snip>
> 
==Harry has already tried contacting Sirius. He believes Sirius is 
being tortured by LV. He has seen, in the Longbottoms, that the 
results of that torture can be death or worse.  He already tried 
having Snape help him and didn't get anywhere (agreed that Snape 
could hardly give a clear acknowledgement with Umbrage there) AND he 
already knows that Snape is in the habit of forestalling him -- the 
incident where Snape blocked Harry trying to reach DD to get help 
for Crouch in GOF.  AND when he left, Umbrage's allies,  the 
Inquistion Squad and Filch still controlled the castle. Nor does he 
know that the ministry will help him -- everything he's seen to date 
in OOP is that they will arrest him, not help. -- using a floo would 
signal Ministry people, not friends of Sirius.  Using Umbrages' 
means he has to go back to the castle, fight his way past all the 
allies of Umbrage and get to that ONE floo he can use and even then, 
if he finds Sirus not there, all he has accomplished is more delay.


>From the posts here, it's amazing that Harry is considered the hero 
of the series.  He's stupid. He doesn't study. He is arrogant about 
every decision he makes for himself-- which is what I always thought 
being an adult was-- making decisions for oneself.  Not depending on 
someone else, however wise and however much the epitome of goodness, 
to make them for you.  He's wrong to distrust people. He's wrong to 
trust people.  He's wrong to trust himself and he's wrong to take 
any action at all that isn't choreographed and approved by Snape and 
DD.   

Snape, DD, the ministry and the OOP have all had decades to fight 
LV. They had decades before the prophesy.  They didn't get the job 
done.  So if Harry takes matters into his own hands, it is not 
arrogance.  It is taking on the role he has been designated to take –
 the role of St. George slaying the dragon.  And yes, it is the case 
that the same action is good or bad based on what you intend.  
Otherwise the invasion of France by Hitler and the invasion of 
France on D-day are the "same type of evil" because they  were both 
armed invasions.  I like to think the PURPOSE of those invasions 
makes the former evil and the latter good.  The same applies to 
jinxes, hexes and yes, even curses.  It was for that reason that the 
Ministry allowed aurors to use unforgivables.  That decision may or 
may not have been right, but it was not so that the aurors could 
become evil.  It's easy to abuse power – Umbrage is a prime 
example.  But even if one is the epitome of goodness, it is easy to 
abuse power. Knowing when and where and how to use the power one has 
is a question even the most wise differ on.  Expecting Harry to be 
perfect at it is unreasonable, when we debate about if DD's use was 
or wasn't always correct.  Heros don't just wait for someone "wiser" 
to direct them (not even in LOTR ).  At some point they have to make 
their own decisions.  Having Harry be wrong yet again does not 
further the story. Rather it diminishes the hero and becomes a tale 
advocating no one do anything about evil because they might be wrong 
in what they do.  I don't think that is JKR's philosophy.  I think 
finally, Harry is right and DD and the others are the arrogant ones.
PAR