Harry using Crucio

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 174673

I have been trying to follow this thread  and am having trouble 
because of the volume of posts coming in, often at times when, 
being in the UK, I finish up some way behind the flow so I am 
going to try to comment on the thread without much cross-
referencing to other contributors.

We have discussed possible Christian ideas already in view of 
some of JKR's comments and I want to tie that in because it is 
possible that this has a bearing on the topic in hand.  What I 
say may also be echoed by members who profess other faiths 
but, at the outset, let me reiterate that I am putting forward a 
personal view based on my own belief.

The very foundation of Christian faith is that human beings 
are flawed. We are not capable of seeing the good or doing it 
all the time on our own and are unable to pull ourselves up by 
our own bootlaces. This is why Christians believe that Jesus was 
God in human form who came to help us to seek and succeed 
more often to do good and achieve salvation.

One of the things I appreciate about the Bible is that characters 
are not sanitised but we see them "warts and all". David, one of 
the greatest kings of the Jewish nation is seen, in his worst light, 
to be the seducer of Bathsheba and who arranges the death of 
Uriah in battle so that he can then marry her. On a lesser note, 
we see Peter, boldly declaring his loyalty to Jesus on the night 
before the Crucifixion, denying any knowledge of him three 
times and going into hiding on the following day.

We are all like this; we all have moments which we wish we could 
remove from our experience. I think I lean towards Dennis Grant's 
view that Harry is a figurehead for humanity – not for good as Magpie 
suggests. I have argued on many occasions that  he cannot be Christ 
or a Christ figure but is an everyman, in whom I think we all see a 
little of ourselves. As a result we see the best – and the worst – of 
Harry and his friends. This is what makes him so believable as a 
character and one reason why I like him so much. He isn't the  
squeaky-clean type who never puts a foot wrong. He is flawed like 
everybody else. He makes mistakes because he is rash; because he 
is tired; because he ignores advice and goes his own sweet way.

On this question of him using the Crucio curse, he was certainly 
gripped by extreme rage on more than one occasion when he 
attempted to use it. I presume that readers are familiar with the 
phrase "Seeing red"? I was renowned for living on a short fuse 
when I was younger – even after I became a Christian. I think the 
fires have died down a little now :-) Seriously though, I have known 
a few occasions when I have become so angry that I have sensed 
almost a red mist behind my vision, when I have wanted to seriously 
hurt someone. Fortunately, I usually retain enough control to count 
to ten and calm down a little. but it is in similar moments that Harry 
has behaved in this way.

This does not make matters right but I am sure that many of us, 
hand on heart, can agree that such moments happen. If I could 
imagine myself into Harry's shoes, I think that my reaction towards 
Bellatrix after Sirius' death and under the stress of the approaching 
battle at Hogwarts would have operated on the same level. The point 
is that, although we are all flawed, we have the choice of usually trying
to seek good and trying to be selfless and altruistic – like Harry, Neville, 
Luna etc. or we can allow the bad side of our nature to take over 
completely as it did with Tom Riddle and Gellert Grindelwald, who, as 
a result, totally lack remorse, pity or love.

One of the things which surprised me most about DH were the 
revelations about Dumbledore, the apparent epitome of goodness and 
the questionable things which happened when he was younger with 
Grindelwald and his family. And so here we see that he was also human 
and flawed and tempted. I think JKR also points this up in HBP when we 
see Harry beating himself up about the use of Sectumsempra:
"I'm not defending what I did!" said Harry quickly. "I wish I hadn't done 
it and not just because I've got about a dozen detentions. You know I 
wouldn't've used a spell like that, not even on Malfoy
"
(HBP "Sectumsempra" p.495 UK edition)

So, what's the lesson? We all have an inner fight with ourselves. For some 
it is stronger than others. I am not condoning Harry's behaviour or that 
of the other characters on the "good" side. A final thought. I was 
reminded of the occasion when a woman who had been caught in the 
act of adultery was brought to Jesus by the Jews. They wanted to test 
him because the law stated that stoning was the punishment for a crime 
like this. Jesus waited a while and then said "Let him who is without sin 
throw the first stone". They all crept away leaving the woman on her own. 
Their consciences had pricked them. We are quick to point the finger at
other folk when we might well take the same route if we were in their
position, however moral that may be. And I think the intelligent reader
will see that in the story and take note.

Harry is not a Christ figure. He's not a plaster saint. He's "Harry. Just Harry."