Secrets of Harry's past - Tranfer, or not, of Information.

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 190083

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dumbledore11214" <dumbledore11214 at ...> wrote:
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> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Shelley <k12listmomma@> wrote:
> <SNIP>
> That's my irritation with Lupin- he's denying Harry a sense of identity of who he is, and in doing so, he's almost denying that he was good friends with both Lilly and James. Harry's starving to know where he comes from; ...."
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> Alla:
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> ...
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> I mean the answer to it always had been rather obvious to me, ... it was simply being done for surprise value.... Now do I agree with it? Oh my goodness of course I don't. I think it was cruel and horrible and most importantly unnecessary if you are looking at the story from within. ... I mean, not to tell him all of what you listed makes no sense to me except the author waved her hand and wanted readers to learn it later.
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> JMO,
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> Alla

Steve:

While I agree to a certain extent, I'm not as sure that it is as simple as that. 

Take Lupin for example, I'm sure, like Sirius, he feels a degree of personal guilt for what happened. Plus, he doesn't really know Harry. Yes, he knows who Harry is, but for 11 long years and more, he has had no personal contact with him. 

I think most would leave it up to Harry to take the lead, rather than force information on him that he might not want to hear. Now, he might want to hear it, but you don't know. 

When Lupin or anyone else speaks of Harry's parents, Harry luxuriates in the feelings of that knowledge, but he rarely to never asks for it, and he rarely to never gets it. He does savor it, but he doesn't go chasing it.

That was one of the very positive things about Sirius and Lupin, they knew both his parent, one could say, intimately. And Harry takes joy in knowing that resources is there, but does he ever pursue the resource, does he ever tap it? I don't think so. If he does it is rare. 

However, I think that is somewhat human too. I think in his mind Harry felt they would have years to explore these details. So, he took heart in knowing the resource existed and was there for him, but never to rarely availed himself of that. 

I think a degree of this is the natural separation of kids and adults. To some extent, they live in separate isolated worlds. Harry may not have wanted to bother 'the adults' with is childish questions. Harry may have felt that perhaps, his parents were a sensitive subject for the adults, and not known how to broach the subject. 

I think people underestimate the divide that exists between adults and kids, and especially kids and adults that seem to have some type of authority. 

You can blame them for not telling, but you also have to blame Harry for not asking. 

Now, in some sense, Harry does not really have that much casual access to any of the adults. They are teachers, for the most part, and they are not the type of people that a kid will engage in casual conversation. There is a degree of formality forced on them by their respective positions. 

I don't deny that the author manipulated the plot to control the release of information, but within the plot I can understand why information did not transfer as easily as we would have liked. 

Steve/bboyminn