CHAPDISC: DH25, Shell Cottage

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 184040

> Jack-A-Roe
> 
> How is Harry cowardly? He has a job to do. Destroying the horcruxes 
> before Voldemort finds out. Short of randomly killing people, he can 
> pretty much do what he wants and I'll back him up on it.
> 
> Bill has already warned him that he can't trust the goblins. He needs 
> the help of a Goblin to get in to the vault. So he lies to Griphook, 
> someone who he believes is going to lie & double cross him. I don't 
> have any problem with this. I think that this would be one of the 
> times that the end justifies the means.


Alla:

I did not say that Harry is cowardly. I agreed that he did a cowardly 
thing here and I stand by it. I love Harry's character dearly and will 
defend him from a lot of things other readers are often accusing him of.
But I will do so NOT because I love his character dearly, but because I 
will genuinely believe that in many situations Harry is either right or 
justified, or excused. Here not so. I still adore Harry's character, 
but I believe that he behaved pretty low here.

I am not sure I remember anything in canon stating that Harry believes 
that Griphook is going to lie and double cross him. Oh sure Bill warns 
him to be careful when bargaining with Goblins, but Harry specifically 
thinking that Griphook is planning something? I do not remember that.

If Harry knew, sure, I would have no problem with it, but I think here 
he stooped to Griphook's level. I wished he would have been honest and 
I thought he got smacked quite appropriately for stooping IMO to 
Griphook's level.

Harry is not dealing with the enemy here IMO. He is dealing with 
somebody whose priorities he does not like ( and neither do I), but 
somebody with whom IMO Harry should have been honest and if the bargain 
fell through, I think Harry should have kept looking and maybe somebody 
whom Bill knows would have indeed agreed to help him.

JMO,

Alla