Programming Harry for Violence

[terri_testing]

Someone in the Mary-j-59 thread on prejudice against Muggles made me realize something. S/he pointed out that Harry never attacked the Dursleys in his childish magical outbreaks.

And I realized that this was true.

Comments

[oryx_leucoryx]

Excellent and very thorough analysis! So Harry got a vacation at The Leaky Cauldron, arranged by the Minister himself. And all the ice-cream sundaes he could eat.

(Though Harry's pre-Hogwarts acts included turning his teacher's wig blue. Was that another passive-aggressive attack? At the very least it wasn't obviously attributable to him.)

[oryx_leucoryx]

See! Florean may have been one of Albus'personal supporters, keeping an eye on Harry, spoiling him with ice-cream, and telling him how horribly Muggles had persecuted wizards in the past. Then the DEs killed him to block one of Albus' information sources.

[chameleon_irony]

Very insightful!

[nx74defiant]

Harry starts out a likeable boy. By the end I liked Draco much better than Harry.

[oneandthetruth]

This makes Hogwarts sound like one of those madrasas run by terrorist groups whose purpose is to brainwash young people into becoming mindless bigots and suicide bombers. That's it!

We've always known Hogwarts existed to inculcate kids with proper "wizarding values" and teach them how to fit into magical society while turning their backs on non-magical society. But this is the first time it's been suggested, even by implication, that the school's purpose is train students to be violent criminals warriors.

[oryx_leucoryx]

Was the plan to train all of them up as warriors? Just the Gryffindors (plus any Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws who chose to associate with them)? Or Harry specifically? I doubt Albus wanted the Slytherins to acquire the warrior mentality.

[nx74defiant]

I doubt that Albus gave a second thought to what would be best for any of the students. The only person who matters is Harry.

[oryx_leucoryx]

I think Hermione was another honor student in Albus' madrassa. After 4 years in which she attacked the Potions Master and his property 3 times (in addition to other 'adventures') she was given a position of authority and discipline over fellow students, which was not taken from her after scargate.

I wonder what Albus thought of Neville's development.

[oryx_leucoryx]

No wonder Harry responded so extremely to Draco: tripping Harry’s Dudley-triggers (spoiled only child of well-off parents, blandly expecting the universe to fall into his lap, and being casually cruel to those he felt beneath him), but USING HARRY”S OWN WEAPONS to do so-wit and speed, not crude force.

Harry was using Slytherin methods pre-Hogwarts. I don;t think it was just the presence of the soul-bit that caused the Hat to consider the option. Of course these are characteristic tactics of chronic victims. More support to the fan-theory that abused children are more likely to Sort into Slytherin.