Re: CHAPDISC: HBP20, Lord Voldemort’s Request

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 158202

> 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.  [snip] ...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?

Magpie:
That was more my take on the scene.  I thought Dumbledore was being 
completely manipulative throughout all those Pensieve scenes and it 
was working like a charm--which is not the same as saying he was 
necessarily lying about his basic feelings.  The odder thing for me 
was also that it all seemed to have much more value besides getting 
Harry to do what he said and giving JKR a way to kill time before the 
climax. It seemed like Dumbledore could have got the whole thing 
quicker just talking to Slughorn in the right way, and that all the 
focus on how important this memory was and how important it was for 
Harry to get it from him himself didn't exactly pay off.

-m