Harry's choice to save the world WAS:Re: Snape as Harry's protector

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 184716

> Pippin:
> Hasn't it been a common observation that Harry always was the sort 
of
> person who would sacrifice himself to save others? <SNIP> 

Alla:

Yes of course.

Pippin:  
> At that point Harry hadn't had more than a paragraph or two of
> interaction with Dumbledore. He'd been given the cloak, but 
Dumbledore
> thinks of the cloak as something that enables you to hide from 
danger,
> not an invitation to go out looking for it. 

Alla:

Um, that if you are not of the opinion that Dumbledore totally set 
Harry up for doing the tasks of the first book. I am of that opinion, 
even if Harry did not have much face to face interaction with him.


Pippin:
> If anyone deserves the blame for Harry's hero complex, it's the
> producers of Dudley's cartoon shows, because AFAIK, Mega Man is the
> only positive role model ever mentioned at Privet Drive. But I think
> as far as Dumbledore was concerned that was a totally unintended
> consequence of the blood protection. After all, he could hardly
> predict one year old Dudley's taste in popular entertainment.

Alla:

I think Dumbledore absolutely developed Harry's saving people thing 
to ridiculous proportions and yes, by placing him with Dursleys too. 
BUT I do think that it was in Harry's genes too, so I do not blame 
Dumbledore 100% since I think it was already there. But I do not 
think I  quite see the relevance of what you wrote to the point that 
I was making.

Dumbledore: 
> I think Dumbledore didn't tell Harry about the soul bit because he 
was
> afraid that Harry would sacrifice himself too soon, not that he
> wouldn't do it at all. What Harry gained by waiting was not the will
> to sacrifice himself for others, but the breadth of spirit to see 
that
> he could and should protect more than just the people he could 
relate to. <SNIP>

Alla:

I do not quite care what "greater good" reason Dumbledore had in mind 
for not telling him. What I am saying is that to me it translates 
into *witholding crucial information* from Harry and by that 
*limiting his choices* no matter what those choices would be. I mean, 
of course it is nothing new for Dumbledore IMO, but every time I 
think about it, I am disgusted by it.

I also think that Dumbledore may have not told Harry for the same 
reason he did not tell Harry about Snape being the eavesdropper and I 
think in both situations Dumbledore would not admit it to himself.

I think Dumbledore grew attached to Harry as he says at some point, 
but of course his attachment did not mean that he stopped consider 
Harry as his weapon. We do both accept interviews, yes? So JKR did 
say that Harry was his weapon till the end.

So I just think he did not want to see Harry being upset with him and 
just well, chickened out of the task. I am of course speculating, but 
I believe it is not too far out in the field of impossibility.

So Dumbledore gave unpleasant job to somebody else. Again.
 
 JMO,

Alla