Dealing with Dumbledore?

[Inyssius]

I just found this fanfic. It's really immensely good. I've absolutely loved every bit of it so far. I think it's far better than the original books, actually, and I loved those. I'd gush about it for another couple hundred words, but I'd feel weird and the other members of this forum would start getting uncomfortable. Everything about it is just, well, very very good. I'd been dreading reaching what I thought would be a premature end, at chapter 37, and it's great to see it's still being worked on (not to apply any extra pressure or anything, mind you, I can wait).

One minor thing feels to me like it hasn't been addressed, though, and I'm curious to hear your thoughts about it:

In this universe, I don't believe Harry Potter has ever tried to speak with Headmaster Dumbledore. Harry has projected an air of bitter scorn for Dumbledore every time the headmaster has approached him, jabbing him about his failures and ending each conversation as soon as possible. I guess this is at least partially an act, since neither young canon!Harry nor prologue!Harry ever seemed to loathe the man. But if so, it hardly seems like intentionally estranging Dumbledore would be a good idea. I know that Harry is terrified of letting Dumbledore learn his secret, and he's got good reason for that, but Harry has had chances to see that Dumbledore is more concerned about Harry's intentions than the darker parts of his great scheme. A bit of respect for the man, some reassurances that Harry is trying to do the right thing, some attempt to establish a rapport--I think that Harry could give these things easily, there would be little possible downside, and Dumbledore's fears would be a little less likely to get in Harry's way.

So unless Harry really does hate the Professor, the way that he's never even thought about this possibility... seems a little odd, the more thoroughly I read the 'fic.

[Chuckg]

Remember that Dumbledore's own painting, in the future, strongly advised Harry to not try to bring past-Dumbledore in on the secret.

Harry /thinks/ he has a 100% guarantee from Dumbledore's own personality imprint that past-Dumbledore would react badly. That's probably not what the painting was actually trying to say, but Harry's filtering this knowledge in through his vast suppressed resentment at being stuck with the Dursleys, and the other classic Dumbledore-ish manipulations, and so its gotten a little colored.

In my opinion, that nightmare in chapter 29 is (in addition to the Authorlord having fun foreshadowing something about magical cores) largely an expression of how Harry's subconscious fears & resentments on the Dumbledore issue have festered into borderline paranoia. The Authorlord has repeatedly reminded us in end-of-chapter notes that Harry's functioning from severe PTSD and not thinking clearly on certain issues. Dumbledore is clearly one of those issues.

Edit: Actually, on rereading chapter 29, even /Harry/ is aware that he's probably being irrational on the Dumbledore issue. He's just not able to /stop/.

However, there is another point: remember that Harry promised Mr. and Mrs. Weasley that if /they/ wanted to bring Dumbledore in on the secret, they could do so on their own initiative... and that neither of them have chosen to do so yet. And while Harry's all emotionally tangled up on this issue, they're not. So Harry has in part recognized that he's not thinking clearly on this topic and taken a palliative measure against his own resentment of Dumbledore, notably, leaving the ultimate decision in the hands of some more objective third parties.

[Nahmen]

Well posted and I agree. Though I think perhaps the Weasley's are also largely taking Harry's opinion on Dumbledore's involvement on faith at the moment, allowing that in this case Harry, while biased, has slightly more information than they do. I don't know if they so much agree with his stance, as they are willing to defer to him on the issue, at least until they better understand the situation for themselves. I do like that they're at least being written realistically enough to have an actual set of motivations and thought processes BEHIND the decision.

As to Dumbledore himself...I think this incarnation of him (Nightmares) is more or less a man who is extremely intelligent, and sincerely wants to do what is best not only for the world in general, but for the individuals involved. Granted, you can't always get both, but I think he TRIES.

I also find his attitude towards Harry as it stands completely reasonable. Harry is, in his eyes, only thirteen years old. Intelligent, yes. But nobody expects young boys to be wise. He doesn't have Harry's future knowledge. He has no reason to see Harry's clever, well intentioned manipulations as anything more than the cunning web-spinning of a very powerful, ambitious young man. The parallels with Tom Riddle in his youth are many, and likely very disturbing.

To be honest, I don't know whether telling Dumbledore the truth would help or not, provided the man believes it (he probably would not at first). In the original timeline, Dumbledore came to love and respect a brave, shy, but inherently good and very innocent young man, and helped him to save the world. This Harry Potter is not that one, and Dumbledore's actions in response will depend on a lifetime of experience and whatever preconceptions he holds, of which we have received few hints.

So, while I agree the issue with Dumbledore should be addressed, certainly before the man finds out on his own, with an incomplete understanding...I have absolutely no idea as to how. Likely Harry and crew find themselves in the same position.

[Inyssius]

Regarding the well-crafted arguments I haven't quoted in this post: I agree completely. Good points.

I also find his attitude towards Harry as it stands completely reasonable. Harry is, in his eyes, only thirteen years old. Intelligent, yes. But nobody expects young boys to be wise. He doesn't have Harry's future knowledge. He has no reason to see Harry's clever, well intentioned manipulations as anything more than the cunning web-spinning of a very powerful, ambitious young man. The parallels with Tom Riddle in his youth are many, and likely very disturbing.

Certainly. I haven't posted it because it seems a little hyperbolic, but I've tried to list every fact Dumbledore knows about this Harry Potter--actions, abilities, knowledge, allies--leaving out everything that Harry has concealed. It's a disturbing list even if you know exactly what Harry wants (which Dumbledore does not).

----

I know that Harry has spent a great deal of time thinking about, dreaming about, talking about, and acting on the issue of Dumbledore learning his secret. It's interesting to hear your thoughts on that subject, but it's not quite what I'm driving at. Entirely distinct from his real secret, which Dumbledore probably hasn't speculated very much about (he's concealed it very well under layers of more plausible possibilities), are the things Dumbledore does spend a great deal of time worrying about--Harry's broad motivations, his opinions, his desires, his known plans. And Harry could tell him many of these things without much endangering his big secret. Take a look at his conversations with McGonagall, for instance. Some attempt to do the same with Dumbledore seems like it would have a positive effect. I can certainly see Harry deciding the risk is still too great (as Chuck said, he is paranoid there). It just seems a little odd to me that, considering the very careful way he's talked to Dumbledore in the past, Harry doesn't appear to have thought about it.

[Nahmen]

Ah. I think, in large part, it is that his secret is the direct cause behind all of his new motivations, so explaining those motivations to Dumbledore, while not giving away his secret, would likely leave breadcrumbs.

For example, when he explained his reasoning behind his scandalous Prophet attacks to McGonagall, he referenced a 'hypothetical' future for which his preemptive strike is justified. While he can skate with McGonagall on his convictions that such a future is probable, the truth is that he KNOWS that that future will occur (or thinks it will based on his memories). Attempting this avenue with Dumbledore would likely be extremely risky. Dumbledore MIGHT believe him, or he could go to one extreme and start forming suspicious about why Harry is so certain of this event, or toward the opposite extreme and believe Harry is lying. (I don't see Harry letting Dumbledore read his thoughts to prove his own truthfulness.)

I will agree that Harry hasn't been shown ruminating on this problem, but it's likely going on off screen. I believe we'll get an abbreviated timeline of his thoughts on the matter either before he takes action or when the issue is brought up by someone else.

[Kal]

I have to agree wtih Nahman. Not only is HP unlikely to cleanly get away with skating anything with DD like he can with McG, but there is the added perception that DD has reservations. At the begining of the story, we find out that DD had those reservations in the 1st time line (as told to HP via the potrait in the head's office), but his suspicians are likely to be even stronger now. Short of laying it all out, DD's mindset and personality will not accept HP's ideas and speculations. Nor is he likely to believe that his plans are that prone to disaster. We see McG repeatedly getting exasperated with DD driving HP away due to his suspicians, and he is very reluctant to listen to someone whoappears to be one of his closest advisors. There is the issue that DDs portait advises against the disclosure (as mentioned by Chuckg's post above), which is another factor in his reluctance to share his future information.

Taking all of that into account, I personally don't feel he is being unreasonable. Is he right? That is another issue, but logically he isn't completly irrationally in the wrong. He does acknowledge his parinoia on the subject, but he has the ability to listen to his advisors. (Thank you again Chuckg for pointing this part out too.)

Knowing DDs culpibility of events both past and present has left some bitter feelings in HP, and he is using them to keep DD at bay. Time will tell if this has been a worthwhile stratigy, but it was what he had available to him in his inital interactions. The situation needed something other than his original approach, and there is not much else he could have done given what history was available to him. I think of it as making the best in a bad situation -- I can't think of another way to handle DD and maintain the distance necessary to keep the lies to a minimum (and therefore his story streight and not give anything away).

But that is just my take on how it is playing out... Many are likley to disagree.

[jgkitarel]

I agree on most parts, but Harry does recognize that he has to bring DD into the fold eventually. As we have mentioned, the biggest issue is trust between the two of them, which is lacking.

Harry knows Dumbledore, to an extent than most don't, having spent all the time in the future with the man's portrait, but not even he can gauge how the man will react in this particular matter. That, IMO, frightens him to a degree that he is reluctant to admit, even to himself. Add in his actions since coming to the past, and it has begun to strain things between the two of them early on. Matters aren't helped much with DD aware that some of Harry's actions, while questionable, always have a purpose behind them that is clearly targeting a certain section of Wizarding Society.

Frankly, I think DD, while ignorant of how or why Harry clearly expects a resumption of war, has his own suspicions that Harry coined in on something and is taking preemptive action.

This probably scares the old man in more ways than the resemblance between Harry and Tom.

I figure that within a few chapters, Harry is going to come clean with DD, but only after he is stuck in a situation where he completely needed the old man's help to keep things from spinning further out of control. He is already recognizing that after Melissa was murdered, and you know that once he finds the culprits, his reaction is going to be.... violent.

[Nahmen]

Melissa's death is likely a turning point, yes. It represents a significant deviation from the original timeline that Harry did not anticipate and does not understand. True, he knows his coming back was the initial instigating factor that started the process culminating in her death. But he doesn't know steps B, C, etc. I suspect he's looking into it. Involving Dumbledore may or may not help that along. It depends on whether Harry thinks Dumbledore knows something important, would be willing to contribute it, and if collaborating on the issue would be worth the risk.

For now, I'm going to say no. But later...if things come to a head, and Dumbledore's cooperation is required to resolve this problem, Harry will do what is necessary to curtail future bloodshed. Especially since, from his perspective, any new damage to person or property from the old timeline is his responsibility. Sirius likely cured him of the guilt problem - at least a bit - but he will still correctly view deviations as consequences, however unintended, of his own actions.

In short, I don't think Harry will tell Dumbledore anything now; not on the tentative possibility of some undefined assistance. Once he gets a lead, the Melissa conspiracy seems to be well within his covert capabilities. Coming clean with Dumbledore is for now, and in my opinion likely to remain, a separate issue.

[jgkitarel]

There is also taking the middle path in this endeavor. NFP Harry is, at worst, amoral in his approach to things. He is fanatically loyal to those who prove themselves to him, and while he may not have had what I would call full loyalty towards Melissa, he fully understands the nature of quid pro quo. She did him a favor, and became, more or less, his spy in Slytherin as a consequence.

As he told Milicent: “Give me solid proof, and the Aurors will never find the body."

[Kal]

I am not so sure that we can really classify Harry as amoral. He certainly seems to have a moral code that he is following. There are a couple of things going on here that skew his perceptions though.
1- He just doesn't believe that their system of justice acutally works. If anything, he is rebellious with perhaps just a dash of anarchy. He knows the reason Melissa's parents arn't pursuing things is becuase it would be a danger to their other daughter -- that is not the act of someone who has any faith in the justice system. Even in cannon Harry doesn't believe that the ministry will acutally do anything, and we see the same in NFP. Is that corruption moral?
2- Also, there is his rather messed up mindset when it comes to the past/future war. Can he justify killing a killer? Especially when those in power will not do anything against the murder? Is his war really over, or even on hiatus? And, if given the opportunity, would he acutally go through with it when it? I think that pre-time jump Harry would, but this is a merged version isn't exactly the same. I got the impression that he is ballencing the two sides of his personality with different parts showing though at different times. That scene seemed to call forward the soldier-side more than the student. It is probably easier since he would have been feeling angry, frusterated, guility, confused, scared... all the things he had become accustomed to pre-jump. So this is a jumble.
3- It is possible he is attemping to express that he is there, willing and able to help her both in her sister's stead as well as his own promise to do so. This may be a way to get that knowledge to penitrate her grief, in which she would normally ignore his offer of help. It is possible that we are taking that aformentioned line a bit too literally.
So is Harry somewhat amoral? Possibly, but not likely. As with the start of the thread, he is struggeling with what he feels, what he knows from his first run through time, and what both has and hasn't happened yet.
Sorry for the tangent, but the above comment got me thinking, and I felt the need to share.

[WarriorDrgnMage]

Harry does what he feels he has to protect those he loves. Does this make him amoral so would say yes others say no.

There are supporting facts either way and when you look at it from Dumbledore's point of view which is tinged by fear of what Harry might become. Well Harry may be fully justified in his paranoia against the Headmaster. Harry probably know the man better then Dumbledore knows himself particulary in terms of how he would react to certain things.

[Chuckg]

Harry isn't amoral in the sense that he is indifferent to or uncaring about morality -- he draws a very clear distinction in his mind between innocent bystanders and guilty parties, and would sooner hex himself than deliberately harm an innocent.

But mentally, he's a 30-year-old man who has spent over half his life in a vicious counter-insurgency campaign against depraved monsters and conscienceless murderers, so when he sets out to harm the guilty, he does so efficiently, lethally, and without mercy. Remember, this Harry's life has not been normal... the first time around he started out as the equivalent of a child soldier, and ended up being stuck for over a decade in the Wizarding equivalent of the latter stages of the Bosnian war.

Also, as pointed out, Harry knows that the conventional authorities are virtually useless and often heavily bribed, and incapable of hanging on to Death Eaters for very long even if they are successfully tried and imprisoned. Add together column A and column B, and you've got someone who can, while otherwise being an entirely moral person, unhesitatingly take Melissa Bulstrode's murderer out into the Forbidden Forest, kneel him down in a ditch, and shoot him twice in the back of the head.

Harry's a guy using wartime thinking -- from a particularly vicious, nasty, there-are-no-rules war at that -- in a peacetime situation. This is not the same thing as being 'amoral'.

[Nahmen]

I think that Harry does have a firm moral code, and would honestly prefer to see an effective justice system step in and handle this problem. But he's also a realist, and a pragmatist, and knows that that system isn't there.

Would he kill Melissa's killers? If that is the simplest, most eloquent solution, yes. But don't forget the other factors involved. I'm sure he'd let them live at first, if only to flush out anyone giving THEM orders. As said previously, he was working a counter-insurgency operation in the previous war, and it's pointless to wipe out a splinter cell and kill every lead to the guys actually in charge. As this situation is entirely new to Harry, he has no idea who that is. I'm sure he has suspicions, but it speaks volumes toward his character that he isn't 'disappearing' anyone yet.

As for being a mental 30-year old, or whatever; that's a debate on the nature of the merger, I suppose, and personally, I'm on the fence here. Brains and psyches are very complex...thingies. I'll hold my personal vote as Harry being a precocious, hardened 13-year-old with too many memories. If only because of the myriad of biological components that lead toward a healthy, adult brain structure and therefore mind that Harry doesn't have yet. He IS definitely acting - at least at times - as an adult would, but I'm not sure if his perspective in those cases is as genuinely adult as he thinks it is.

[jgkitarel]

I used amoral since it was politer than saying he's a borderline sociopath, which has a rather broad meaning. With his experiences, the collective trauma that resulted in his PTSD, all the killing, and so on, he has no compunctions against killing. The main thing that restrains him is that he's seen enough needless deaths to be thoroughly sick of it, so he wants to be sure before he pulls the trigger.

He could kill every member of Slytherin who he recalls as a Death Eater or supporter of Voldemort, and not feel any remorse over it. He may regret the necessity of doing so, but he did mention that the more of them he can persuade (intimidate) to not support ole snakeface, the fewer he will have to kill later.

One of the biggest reasons he'll need DD's help, is so that he has someone who can restrain the war weary, embittered part of him. Ginny is unlikely to try very hard to restrain him due to her own experiences, and he's seen the cold dead bodies of the others, so he is very likely to ignore them if sufficiently provoked. Dumbledore, whom he respects, and even fears, would serve as the perfect foil for that.

Despite the lack of trust, DD is the only one who would be able to stop Harry cold when he turns savage.

[Chuckg]

I used amoral since it was politer than saying he's a borderline sociopath, which has a rather broad meaning. With his experiences, the collective trauma that resulted in his PTSD, all the killing, and so on, he has no compunctions against killing.

That's... not the definition of 'borderline sociopath'.

Furthermore, he has exceptionally strong compunctions against killing... the wrong people. If he were truly a sociopath, he'd be equally as quick to blow a hole in Ginny as he would in Voldemort the instant doing so could serve his purposes -- which is obviously not the case.

Sociopaths cannot empathize with another's pain, or feel unselfish love, or be willing to sacrifice themselves for another, and Harry can do all three, unt zo.

The main thing that restrains him is that he's seen enough needless deaths to be thoroughly sick of it, so he wants to be sure before he pulls the trigger.

That last one right there, by itself, disqualifies him from your diagnosis. :)

He could kill every member of Slytherin who he recalls as a Death Eater or supporter of Voldemort, and not feel any remorse over it. He may regret the necessity of doing so, but he did mention that the more of them he can persuade (intimidate) to not support ole snakeface, the fewer he will have to kill later.

Harry is a soldier fighting a war, and has been for years. After that long, you either learn how to mentally adjust or you crack up. But this adjustment is not called 'going insane'.

Basically, by the criteria you're laying down, anybody capable of fighting in a war at all without angsting and emo'ing over every trigger pull is a 'borderline sociopath', and that just ain't so.

As far as Ginny being unable to restrain him - Ginny's single most defining characteristic in both the canon and in this series is that she's the one who gets to slap him upside the head and tell Harry what a silly prat he's being when nobody else can or will. And Harry flat-out acknowledges this.

“You really are a lot tougher than you look,” Harry said, smiling the tiniest bit.

“This me or the other me,” she asked without thinking. Watching Harry’s smile fall away, she wanted to kick herself.

“There’s not much difference, really,” he answered after a moment. “I suppose I really do need a good telling off occasionally.”

“So are you saying you need me?” she asked, laughing softly and willing her voice not to quaver.

Harry looked up at her, his eyes directly on hers when he answered. “Yes, I think I do.”

-- Nightmares of Future Past, chapter 28

The fic has repeatedly made it obvious that Harry has absolutely no emotional defenses vs. Ginny. He can't (or won't) block her out or refuse to listen to her regardless of circumstances. If she's cut, he bleeds. If she frowns at him, he immediately scrambles to find out what he's done wrong and how he can fix it. The poor boy's not only hopelessly in love, but carrying a massive guilt trip about her future-self's death... Ginny could pretty much lead him around on a leash if she wanted. Hell, she could rip his soul out of his body and eat it with just a few harsh sentences.

As for her 'experiences', while Ginny is hardly likely to restrain Harry from trying to kill Voldemort, I can't see where the Chamber of Secrets episode is suddenly going to remove all her human empathy for anything remotely shaped like a Death Eater or sympathizer (seeing as how I don't recall that happening in the books either).

And, now that I think about it, there's another person almost as far inside Harry's defenses, that hasn't been addressed: Sirius. Not only was Sirius the first person that Harry told his secrets to in this timeline, but Harry is responding to him pretty much like the father he never had. In addition, Sirius is one of the few people who can relate to Harry on the 'hardened survivor' level, so Harry is less likely to discount his advice on the grounds of 'its coming from someone who hasn't been there and done that'. Sure, there's some things Sirius won't try to restrain Harry from doing, but Harry has other people to warn him off against those. Sirius is still a deep emotional connection that Harry won't block out and doesn't want to reject, which means he's yet another good influence on Harry's behavior, counter to your theory that he doesn't really have any available save Dumbledore.

Likewise, at no point in this story has Harry shown a massive unwillingness to accept advice from people not named 'Dumbledore'. He's listened attentively to and addressed the concerns of pretty much everybody except Dumbledore, on down to and including Percy of all people. The only time he ignores someone's advice is when they're operating on incomplete knowledge (such as not knowing he's actually a time-traveller), and by this point in the fic most of his 'inner circle' is in on the gaff.

So, really, this picture of Harry the virtually out of control lunatic whom only Dumbledore could stop is utterly skewed. Harry's carrying deep emotional wounds, yes, but he's still very functional, and he's surrounded himself with an entire squad of helpers who Harry has made sure know all about his future knowledge and his issues.

[Nahmen]

I will agree with the above that while a battle-hardened willingness to kill is NOT healthy in a 13-year-old, it is not the hallmark of a sociopath. This isn't to say, however, that Harry isn't suffering from a number of psychological problems. He knows it, too.

Of course, how much is due to the scars of the past war, and how much due to his unique perspective on the universe...who can say? (Besides Viridian :P) The boy's under considerable stress, that much is a definite, and he's definitely suffering PTSD - or something like it, anyway, allowing for soul transfers and mergers and such.

In any case, while I agree that Harry is NOT a sociopath, it isn't really an unfounded argument that he may do something 'evil,' if only because of his mental issues interfering too much with his rational thought processes. And while he has a series of checks and balances in other people, there are no guarantees.

More to the topic, would bringing in Dumbledore really help curb this possibility? Would the wise old professor offer something towards Harry's mental stability that the others can't? Does he have resources available - in text, experience or people - who might help Harry to overcome his inner demons? That of course assumes that he doesn't just obliviate Harry from the start. I don't doubt that if Dumbledore comes into the fold completely, he would try to help. But can he?

[WarriorDrgnMage]

More to the topic, would bringing in Dumbledore really help curb this possibility? Would the wise old professor offer something towards Harry's mental stability that the others can't? Does he have resources available - in text, experience or people - who might help Harry to overcome his inner demons? That of course assumes that he doesn't just obliviate Harry from the start. I don't doubt that if Dumbledore comes into the fold completely, he would try to help. But can he?

To quote Remus in Half-Blood Prince (Movie) "It all comes down to whether or not you trust Dumbledore." I think Harry does trust Dumbledore. But, the Dumbledore Harry trusts is demonstrably not the Dumbledore Harry knew when he was at Hogwarts. Harry trusts Portrait Dumbledore. Because of this Harry will not tell Headmaster Dumbledore anything until he, Harry, has no other choice.

[Nahmen]

Ah, I fear my dear I've been unclear. An interesting response to whether or not Dumbledore could be brought into the fold. I happen to think he can, myself; I find him to be a reasonable intelligent and adaptable man. My question was more on the line of 'Can Dumbledore help Harry with his brain?' Still, valid points and good response. :D

[jgkitarel]

Umm, chuckg, I was declared a borderline sociopath after a psychological evaluation. I was also diagnosed with a mild case of PTSD. I am also a perfectly rational human being, (as rational as any member of the human race normally is)

You're also confusing some what I said with psychopathic behavior, which is not surprising as the two are similar enough.

You did raise some points that made me realize that my argument wasn't correct.

Raise this sign and point it @ me

EDIT: Removed very long winded explanation as to why I thought what I did.

[Chuckg]

Umm, chuckg, I was declared a borderline sociopath after a psychological evaluation. I was also diagnosed with a mild case of PTSD.

Bleaaah. Sounds like you ran into an idiot psychologist.

[Nahmen]

Not necessarily. One diagnosis doesn't have to have anything to do with the other, and there are cases where a severe trauma can cause a sociopathic mindset to develop. I will however still agree that Harry isn't a sociopath, and it sounds like jgkitarel agrees in that last post.

But, interesting thought; does DUMBLEDORE necessarily know that Harry isn't a sociopath? He seemed very surprised and relieved when McG told him about Harry's reaction to that accident with Ginny in Defense Club. What's on his mind?

[jgkitarel]

Not necessarily. One diagnosis doesn't have to have anything to do with the other, and there are cases where a severe trauma can cause a sociopathic mindset to develop. I will however still agree that Harry isn't a sociopath, and it sounds like jgkitarel agrees in that last post.

But, interesting thought; does DUMBLEDORE necessarily know that Harry isn't a sociopath? He seemed very surprised and relieved when McG told him about Harry's reaction to that accident with Ginny in Defense Club. What's on his mind?

Considering Harry's actions, combined with his experiences from his future self, the boy has developed in ways that would indicate sociopathy. DD, as intelligent as he is, is not immune to going for the simplest explanation, either. So, I would entertain the thought that DD is certainly considering the possibility of Harry having a sociopathic mindset. Especially since he has a less than cordial relationship with established authority figures.

Molly and Arthur are an exception to this, but I don't think he really considers them authority figures in the usual sense.

[Lightwhispers]

The way I see it, Harry respects people based on themselves, not based on positions they hold. Given that in HP, most people in positions of authority don't do all that good of a job of fulfilling their responsibilities, his bad relationship with them is understandable. With how poorly Dumbledore has managed his responsibilities in Harry's case, I'd say Harry respects his power, but not his judgement.

[Kal]

I have to agree with Lighwhispers. Which likely adds fuel to the fire, as it were. Most 13 year olds have not yet been able to really differentiate the two, as parental figures (the source of our initial understanding of adult respect and authority) combine the two and make little to no attempt to seperate them, as children rarely understand the difference. How many people have you heard, often uttering in frustration "Becuase I am the [parent/adult]"? The viewpoint that Harry follows is a more mature outlook that is developed over time becuase of experience. While it is possible that there would be some level of it there without his merged memories, it would not be developed enough to lead to the actions that this Harry is taking with respect the headmaster. Which makes the headmaster that much more leary, becuase he is not what one would expect from a [pre]-teen.

At least, this is my understanding of the situation.

[unknown4855]

I think Harry will eventually have to trust DD, seeing how harry is really powerful but not very well merged into magical theory. I can see him ask for help when the new timeline begins to differentiate substantially from the previous one and when he and hermione can't figure it out on themselves anymore. As I conceive it, Harry will tell DD at a time when he's shown DD that he means business and when DD is prepared to listen to him.