Xeniphilius, Hostages, and Voldemort (WAS: Re: CHAPTER DISCUSSION: )

[Mike]

No: HPFGUIDX 183110

> > Jerri: 
> > I may be alone in this, but I feel great sympathy with 
> > Xenophilius. His only daughter is a hostage, who knows where
> > with who knows what being done to her.  How many of you parents 
> > feel CERTAIN that you would have the strength not to betray a
> > person who you supported in theory but didn't know when your
> > child's life was on the line?
> 
> Zara:
> I agree entirely. Xenophilius was acting under duress. Before
> Luna was kidnapped, he had gone out of his way to support Harry
> with the Quibbler. 
> 
> I also think the text encourages us to be sympathetic to him,
> <snip>

Mike:
Sympathize with - yes. How could one not feel sorry for Xeno for the 
situation he has with Luna? But excuse - no. Sure, Xeno should stop 
supporting Harry in the Quibbler, not do anything to piss off the DEs 
and/or Voldemort any more. As long as they have Luna he should keep 
his head down and go back to printing the nutty stories he used to. 
Or maybe even print the kind of stories Voldemort wants. Become 
disactive in the fight and disengage from the resistance. But 
negotiating with the DEs or becoming proactive on behalf of the DEs 
is folly and pointless. They are never going to let Luna go 
voluntarily and becoming helpful will have the opposite effect that 
Xeno wants.

Xeno did not have to call the DEs and try to turn over Harry. I think 
we were meant to contrast Xeno's actions with Draco's actions, as 
Zara did. Xeno was a good guy coerced into acting bad. Draco was 
ostensibly a bad guy that didn't want to be there anymore.


> Zara:
> I have always felt the same way about the criticism of Draco's 
> character development, also, the idea that Draco regresses/does
> not progress, after the Tower scene, because he does not choose
> to fight for the Order. I am not saying he would have wanted to
> fight for the other side, but he could not even run and hide,
> while his parents were hostages. The most he could do, was
> precisely what he did do - follow orders (as when he tortured
> people on Voldemort's orders, with a lack of enthusiasm that was
> evident to Harry) and try not to be helpful when he could avoid
> it (as when he did not identify the Trio at Malfoy Manor).

Mike:
Yes, precisely how Xeno should have approached his situation. Don't 
openly rebel against the bad guys, but be of as little help as 
possible. As Zara said, "follow orders". Xeno called in the DEs, that 
was going above and beyond following orders. There is no reason to be 
helpful to the DEs at this point. They wouldn't give Luna back even 
if they had captured Harry on Xeno's betrayal.

As Goddlefrood pointed out, Xeno, "his being a little eccentric and 
quite possibly even barmy" allows us to forgive him this betrayal. 
Based on his character I suppose one couldn't expect better. So I 
will forgive him, but I don't excuse him. What he did was still wrong 
if not out-of-character.

Mike, who quite frankly could have done without Xeno entirely, which 
would have probably meant doing without the Deathly Hallows. And that 
would have been bad, how? ;-)