Re: CHAPDISC: HBP20, Lord Voldemort’s Request

[a_svirn]

No: HPFGUIDX 158200

> >   6) Do you find Dumbledore being manipulative here, playing on
> Harry's healthy sense of guilt?  Or is he genuinely seeking Harry's
> opinion for some reason?
> 
> Carol responds:
> Manipulative by stating that he values Harry's opinion? i don't 
think
> so. He's already received Harry's promise to get the memory. I do
> think he wants Harry to be attentive, though, and stating that he
> values Harry's opinion is a good way to motivate him to pay 
attention
> so that he can give sensible answers. But also, he's treating Harry
> with respect, and I think that Harry senses and appreciates that. 
DD
> is moving him gently forward to the point where he'll have to think
> for himself. The more practice he gets while DD is still around, 
the
> better.

a_svirn:
It's not like being manipulative is incompatible with showing that 
he values Harry's opinion. In fact, as manipulation techniques go, 
this one is the most common. First flattery, *you are special, 
Harry. You are unique. You don't even understand how special, how 
wonderful you are*.  Then establishing a special exclusive trust 
relationship, *I love you, Harry, I always have, I've watched you 
from afar, made plans for you. My heart bleeds for you, I'd 
sacrifice myself to spare you pain; I was ready to sacrifice other 
people to prolong your innocence, if only for couple of months*. And 
finally, a classic guilt trip: *it's only this one thing I've ever 
asked from you. Was that too much to ask?* 

But that not what bothers me most about this situation. What really, 
really disturbs me is that I quite frankly do not understand what he 
manipulates Harry to do. He obviously uses his influence on Harry to 
use Harry's influence on Slughorn to get that memory. The glitch is 
that Harry's influence is based on the fact that Slughorn himself is 
not averse to using Harry. So here is Slughorn, a user 
extraordinaire, a man who operates a whole favour-trading network, 
and he's got Harry on the top of his list of people to be used. He 
even came out of hiding and risked Voldemort's disfavour in hope to 
use Harry in some way. Something tells me that it wasn't 
crystallized pineapples he was after. And here is Headmaster 
Dumbledore telling Harry basically "do what you must and spare me 
the details, but get me that memory. I don't care how you'll do it 
as long as you do it" (and he didn't ask any questions too when 
Harry finally pulled it off). In the end it turned out to be a piece 
of cake for Harry – what with a little help of the lucky potion. Yet 
Dumbledore could not have possibly anticipated that, so just *what* 
he was asking of Harry?