[HPforGrownups] Re: Of Sorting and Snape

[Bart Lidofsky]

No: HPFGUIDX 175688

lizzyben:
>Yes, love & compassion are useless. LV is beyond help, and no one 
>should even try. 

Bart:
I know what you are trying to say, here, but you do bring up an interesting point. Because Morty IS beyond help, at least practical help (if he were a normal human, he COULD be sent to an institution where they MIGHT be able to help him, but the question comes of how many lives should be destroyed to save him). But that does not mean that Harry shouldn't have tried, if not for Morty's sake, for Harry's own sake. Looking at what happened: Harry tried to convince Morty that he is doomed unless he repents, Morty fails to listen and casts the YAAK at Harry, who acts, not to harm Morty, but to keep Morty from doing harm. After seeing what will happen to Morty, Harry can go on, knowing that he did everything in his power to keep that from happening. There are no wuddacuddashuddas here. And, who knows? A miracle MIGHT have happened. 

lizzyben:
>Draco's predicament. Compassion isn't Harry's strength - he's got 
>other strengths.

Bart:
I think that, by trying to save Morty, even though he knows it's not going to work, Harry is showing compassion. While almost everybody is born with some degree of compassion, a good chunk of it is learned. Some people are born without it; unfortunately Morty falls into that category. And it looks like, at least in the area of mental illness, St. Mungo's can learn a thing or two from us Muggles. Note the trouble that the DD's went through to keep Ari out of there.

Final comment, without quoting from you: JKR is self-admittedly unfamiliar with RW occultism, so it is wrong to assume that errors that she makes involving those are through anything other than ignorance.

Bart