On the trivial and the profound/Harry and HBP book

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 165510

> Alla:
> 
> I think we are probably starting to talk past each other again. Am 
> not Valky of course, so if I am wrong she will correct it.
> 
> Again, can speak only for myself, but I do **not** see Valky 
denying 
> anything that you wrote in this paragraph and if I may add, 
neither 
> do I deny anything you wrote in this paragraph.
> 
> It was my impression that Valky was denying **other** parts of 
your 
> argument ( and if that was the case, I agree with her as well).
> 
> Like for example in this paragraph you wrote that you never 
suggested 
> that his main reason for keeping the book is to advance his 
academic 
> reputation, that it is a side product for you.
> 
> Well, all can I say - great, I agree with it, but this not the 
> impression I got from your other posts on the subject. Sorry that 
I 
> misunderstood you, because I thought you were arguing that 
advancing 
> his reputation IS the main reason Harry keeps the book, one of the 
> main reasons anyways. And that I completely disagree with.

Magpie:
I agree with that too. And I also agree that the main problem is 
that all of us are hearing not just what each other is saying, but 
what it sounds like we're saying. Because just as I am not saying 
that Harry's main reason for keeping the book is to gain an academic 
reputation (since that never even really entered my mind) but it 
sounded like I was, perhaps other people are not trying to argue 
that Slughorn's compliments to Harry are accurate and deserved or 
else not significant at all, which they sometimes approach sounding 
to me. To me all the stuff about how Harry's learning stuff from the 
book or has bigger things to think about or isn't primarily 
interested in besting Hermione and Draco seems like some kind of 
distraction, because it's irrelevent, imo. I don't see how it would 
change things even if it was Harry's primary goal--and of course, if 
that were his goal and he got there by really working on his 
studies, there would be nothing wrong in that at all. It's not a bad 
goal by definition! But I agree that it's never much of a desire for 
Harry. He doesn't particularly like Slughorn's praising him in this 
way because he knows it's not true and frankly, I don't think he's 
that confident about always pulling it off. He just would rather 
have that than explain Slughorn's mistake to him.

Alla:> 
> You are saying that this is not the huge crime worse than murder. 
> Great, we agree again, but Betsy in this thread argued exactly 
that - 
> that Harry lying to Slughorn **is** worse than murder. I am sorry 
> that I misunderstood her as well, or did not understand the joke.

Magpie:
She was, but I thought she made it clear she wasn't truly trying to 
argue that the one crime wasn't worse than the other. She was 
talking about the possible meanings and motivations for the 
characters and comparing them--if Snape were DDM and killed him for 
the good of the cause on Dumbledore's orders.  I would say that 
Snape was still of course committing a far more serious act than 
Harry is regardless, but I could see the point she was making in the 
other context.

-m