Is it Harry Potter’s Fault Cedric Diggory Dies? (oh, I went there!)
A while back, I asked if it’s Harry Potter’s fault Sirius Black dies. Let’s take that one cruel step further:
Is it Harry Potter’s fault Cedric Diggory dies?
In Chapter 19: The Servant to Lord Voldemort, Harry fights to save Peter Pettigrew’s life. One year later, Peter kills Cedric at Voldemort’s request. Therefore, wouldn’t Cedric still be alive if Harry allowed Sirius and Lupin to kill Peter in the Shrieking Shack? Isn’t it with Peter’s help that Voldemort is able to come back in the first place? Can we go so far as to blame Harry for Voldemort’s return?
Here’s the thing: no one wants to actually blame Harry for the death of his classmate or the return of You-Know-Who. The kid acted in a remarkably compassionate way considering Peter betrayed his parents and orphaned him with the Dursleys.
But sometimes compasion backfires and I think it’s very important to the series that Harry’s kind acts turn on him. Those around him need to die for him or because of something he has done in order to fortify him for that final journey into the Forbidden Forest. An entire war breaks out because of him, but it’s not his fault. He’s just the unfortunate catalyst and its this knowledge that drives him to make the ultimate sacrifice.
So is it Harry’s fault Cedric dies? Probably not, no. But on some level, Harry needs to believe it is.
I guess if you want to get really technical, it’s Lupin’s fault for failing to take his potion, turning into a werewolf, and forcing Sirius to turn into a dog to protect everyone, thus freeing Peter to escape.
Cedric Diggory aside (because we aren’t in that book yet), this chapter Peeved me when I first read it (get it? get it? Peeved? Oh man, I’m clever. I should be a Ravenclaw). This was a twist to end all twists. Scabbers was a wizard? Really? Come on!
Granted, I didn’t have long to fume. Once I realized Barty Crouch Jr. was Mad-Eye Moody, my head exploded like Seamus Finnigan’s levitating feather.
Chapter 20: The Dementor’s Kiss introduces us to how terribly cruel J.K. can be. She admits it herself – writing children’s literature can be a really mean task. Harry is so excited to live with his godfather, he is almost able to produce a patronus. But as we all know, not only will he never get to live with him (save for those days with the Order of the Phoenix), his godfather will die. In fact, anyone he ever saw as a father figure will die. The most dangerous position to be in is a male role model for Harry. It’s like being the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher – it’s a cursed position.
it is, sort of Harrys fault… I never thought of him letting Peter live, but Harry insists on Cedric and him taking the cup toghther… If he had just taken it, like he was supposed to, Cedric would have been alive
It was Harry’s intentlon to have Peter arrested and imprisoned in Azkaban. Had this transpired, Peter would not have helped bring Voldemort back, etc. etc. So if we must blame someone, I would blame the adults present. As you point out. Lupin especially, and Sirius secondarily (for untying him and letting him leave the Shack).
But really, Peter could have done anything after running away, including sparing the spare.
A little farewell inspired by the event
The world is too big and life is too short,
You are no Harry and no Voldemort.
Not even a sidekick — bystander at best,
Watching the heroes to go on a quest.
Exit the theater, close the book,
Hear one more sound, take one more look.
It felt so real, but magic is gone
You are not Chosen, you are just one.
Read it at http://unmaskd.wordpress.com/2011/07/08/magic/
Is anyone ever really “to blame” for an unforeseen accident? Voldemort and Wormtail are the ones to blame for Cedric’s death. Peter is downright stupid. Why did he have to go back to broken down old Voldemort and help him get his powers back? (Like many things, it had to happen so we would have a story to read…)
Surely if you’re going to go that far, then it could be anyone’s fault that Cedric died. Hermione’s fault for not letting Crookshanks eat Scabbers, Ron’s fault for letting him escape, Sirius fault for allowing Harry to stop him? EVEN, if we go really far back, James’ fault for helping Pettigrew become an animagus? Really though, I think we have to accept that it is pretty much 100% Voldemort’s fault… =p
I just want to say that if Peter wasn’t allowed to escape, then sure Voldemort ‘might’ not have been reborn, but also Harry would never of had a chance to kill him. Because Peter saved Harry’s life in the Malfoy’s Manor, and that was because Harry showed some compassion and allowed Peter to live. As I think Dumbledore said Harry had gained an important thing by allowing Peter to escape, Peter owed him, and in the end without Peter, Voldemort would have gotten Harry and it would have been all over. The question of whether James and Sirius could or would have actually killed Peter is another thing, because even if Harry had said sure kill him, knowing Peter he would have weaseled his way out of things, and again would not have saved Harry.
Just saying I love this blog and have read all your posts, up to this one, and most of the comments and have been riveted . I started reading from the beginning back on the 8th of September, and has taken me this long to get up to here, and I’m still not up to date, but I guess it’s good that it is taking me this long, then I don’t have to wait between posts, similar to you not having to wait between books. Your analyses of the books and movies are amazing, and insightful and most of all humorous. I wish I knew what I was thinking when I first read the book/s, and I doubt I would have thought of anything much because I was young when I read the books, I remember going to the ‘midnight’ (early-ish morning over here in Australia) to get the last two books, and that was when I was 13 (for book 7), so who knows when I actually picked up PS and what I was thinking. So, thankyou for giving me some great stuff to read, and links to other interesting blogs where I can read some more great stuff.
Maybe I should have read on a bit further because you mentioned the same point I did a couple of posts later, nevermind.
Hagrid is Harris first father figure and does not die – although JKR says she would have killed him off (fans were expecting him to die in 4,5 and 6) but she always had the vision of hagrdis carrying Harrys lifeless body from the forest back to hogwarts at the end of deathly hallows. she also was going to kill Ron off, turn malfoy good (in HBP – you can probably figure out exsactly where that would have been). Wouldn’t have been quite the same in deathly hallows without ron though!