Harry should certainly feel badly about sectumsempra. What was wrong with expelliarmus? Worked against Voldemort!
But Draco's remorse over Katie and Ron and bringing Greyback into the school is pretty compromised. His feelings about working for Voldemort as revealed in his conversation with Dumbledore are complex. There's remorse but also fear and ambition, and which is going to win out is not yet clear. He doesn't express concern about attempting to crucio Harry. The crucio and sectumsempra are just like Draco's stamping on Harry's face, another display of inter-house schoolboy rivalry. I'd have been happy to see Harry apologise to Draco but the culture among the students at Hogwarts doesn't allow such a thing. Can you imagine Draco's total incomprehension! Harry doesn't do a lot of angsting over his sectumsempra but he does know and say that he was wrong and gets on with his punishment. Harry has found himself doing a number of dubious things in the course of HBP; it's quite a theme of the book, I think. I love how JKR piles it all on so that separate events become connected and it's hard to be certain where right ends and wrong starts. Harry has a fight with Draco. Snape punishes him, because he has the opportunity as much as because it's deserved. Harry kisses Ginny, ditto! Really he should have pushed her away, saying, "No, Ginny, this cannot be. I must away and ponder my general unworthiness and recurrent failures. Only when I am worthy of Draco can I allow myself to kiss you. Er..." :D
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Date: 2006-11-17 12:39 am (UTC)But Draco's remorse over Katie and Ron and bringing Greyback into the school is pretty compromised. His feelings about working for Voldemort as revealed in his conversation with Dumbledore are complex. There's remorse but also fear and ambition, and which is going to win out is not yet clear. He doesn't express concern about attempting to crucio Harry. The crucio and sectumsempra are just like Draco's stamping on Harry's face, another display of inter-house schoolboy rivalry. I'd have been happy to see Harry apologise to Draco but the culture among the students at Hogwarts doesn't allow such a thing. Can you imagine Draco's total incomprehension! Harry doesn't do a lot of angsting over his sectumsempra but he does know and say that he was wrong and gets on with his punishment. Harry has found himself doing a number of dubious things in the course of HBP; it's quite a theme of the book, I think. I love how JKR piles it all on so that separate events become connected and it's hard to be certain where right ends and wrong starts. Harry has a fight with Draco. Snape punishes him, because he has the opportunity as much as because it's deserved. Harry kisses Ginny, ditto! Really he should have pushed her away, saying, "No, Ginny, this cannot be. I must away and ponder my general unworthiness and recurrent failures. Only when I am worthy of Draco can I allow myself to kiss you. Er..." :D