The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers
Kincaid microfiction "Goodbye"
Bad Alias:
--- Quote from: Mira on March 21, 2020, 08:25:21 PM ---He wouldn't have been able to do that either because Murphy was on scene shortly after Kim left.
--- End quote ---
My read of the text is that he was brooding for a while. It's not clear how much time passed.
--- Quote from: Mira on March 21, 2020, 08:25:21 PM ---They were in Mac's place, which also made it difficult.
--- End quote ---
He's a wizard. Also, he could manipulate her into leaving with him. "This is not to be discussed in public."
morriswalters:
@Bad Alias
This isn't really about apportioning blame. This is about Harry growing as a character. If he doesn't make mistakes than how does he grow? In Kim's case you can either read it as he misjudged her or that he was so wrapped up in that sandwich that he lost track of his obligation as teacher. But if you read it as he acted without error than exactly where do you go after that?
In point of fact the WC does advertise the Laws of Magic. It comes up a couple of times. Charity and the group she is with is warned about it pre Michael. Bock's Books gets inspected.
Mira:
--- Quote from: Bad Alias on March 21, 2020, 08:59:20 PM ---My read of the text is that he was brooding for a while. It's not clear how much time passed.He's a wizard. Also, he could manipulate her into leaving with him. "This is not to be discussed in public."
--- End quote ---
Would that have changed anything? I doubt it, the only thing that could have changed anything was her being truthful and telling him the whole story.
He knew he had done the right thing, he didn't feel good about withholding the rest of the information, but he knew he had done the right thing based on the information Kim had given him and based on her level of talent..
Here is why number one, he felt he had to protect her from herself and her own over confidence..
Next came the White Council
--- Quote ---To say nothing of what the White Council would think of a nonwizard toying with major summoning circles. The White Council didn't take chances with things like that. They just acted, decisively, and they weren't always about people's lives and safety when they did it.
--- End quote ---
In other words he was afraid she could lose her head over this.
Last but not least, he felt rotten because he thought she had trusted him to provide answers that this time he was unable to do..
--- Quote ---I had done the right thing---even if she had trusted me to provide answers for her, as I had in the past, when teaching her to contain and control her modest magical talents.
--- End quote ---
Key word there is, her modest magical talents. She didn't have the juice to pull off that kind of circle and Harry knew it, it would have been malpractice if he had given her all the information, the ending would have been the same. The other key word is trust. Harry tried to answer her because he thought she trusted him to answer her questions, thus he trusted her to tell him the truth.. What he didn't know is she didn't trust him with the truth.. All in all, Harry did do the right thing, but sometimes doing the right thing can go terribly wrong.. He was damned if he did and damned if he didn't, the outcome would have still been the same, Kim failing to contain MacFinn and him tearing her throat out. Yes, Harry will never absolve himself totally even though he did do the right thing based on the information given to him and the talents of the person who gave him the information.
Bad Alias:
--- Quote from: morriswalters on March 21, 2020, 09:10:26 PM ---This is about Harry growing as a character. If he doesn't make mistakes than how does he grow? ...
In point of fact the WC does advertise the Laws of Magic. It comes up a couple of times. Charity and the group she is with is warned about it pre Michael. Bock's Books gets inspected.
--- End quote ---
His mistake is the lesson he takes from these events. Kim didn't die because Harry gave too much or too little information. It's that he didn't garner the trust/respect he deserves. Later in the books, he does get more trust and respect, mostly.
The WC is only spreading word to people on their radar and doing so personally. They need to have seeded the information throughout the world's cultures where someone that wasn't on there radar would be likely to find the necessary information before they went warlock. It's funny; Harry has probably done that with the Paranet.
--- Quote from: Mira on March 21, 2020, 08:25:21 PM ---He wouldn't have been able to do that either because Murphy was on scene shortly after Kim left.
--- End quote ---
--- Quote from: Bad Alias on March 21, 2020, 08:59:20 PM ---My read of the text is that he was brooding for a while. It's not clear how much time passed.
--- End quote ---
--- Quote from: Mira on March 21, 2020, 08:25:21 PM ---They were in Mac's place, which also made it difficult.
--- End quote ---
--- Quote from: Bad Alias on March 21, 2020, 08:59:20 PM ---Also, he could manipulate her into leaving with him. "This is not to be discussed in public."
--- End quote ---
--- Quote from: Mira on March 21, 2020, 09:51:05 PM --- Would that have changed anything?
--- End quote ---
Assuming "that" is Harry physically stopping her from performing the circle spell. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have been ripped apart by MacFinn, MacFinn wouldn't have transformed in the middle of the city, Murphy wouldn't be at MacFinn's house, she wouldn't arrest Harry, Harry wouldn't have been shot, MacFinn wouldn't have been arrested, MacFinn wouldn't have killed all those people at the S.I., Rudolph might not hate Murphy and Harry, and probably a bunch of other stuff.
Now if "that" is convincing Kim to leave, that's an answer to your statement about them being at Mac's, so Harry couldn't physically stop her from performing the spell.
So to answer your question, yes.
In fact if he had convinced her to leave with him to show her how to perform the spell and then trapped her in a greater circle, she wouldn't have been able to perform the spell and might have realized she couldn't in the first place. Now if he finished his steak and potato, Murphy would have shown up, and he would have gone with her and told Kim to put a pin in it. Kim would have either overreacted and alerted Harry to the urgency of the situation or would have told him why it was so urgent. Murphy wouldn't have the drawing. Harry might not be overwhelmed by guilt. Harry might blame Murphy before she could blame him. That might convince her that he didn't do it. That he wasn't withholding information.
Mira:
--- Quote ---In fact if he had convinced her to leave with him to show her how to perform the spell and then trapped her in a greater circle, she wouldn't have been able to perform the spell and might have realized she couldn't in the first place. Now if he finished his steak and potato, Murphy would have shown up, and he would have gone with her and told Kim to put a pin in it. Kim would have either overreacted and alerted Harry to the urgency of the situation or would have told him why it was so urgent. Murphy wouldn't have the drawing. Harry might not be overwhelmed by guilt. Harry might blame Murphy before she could blame him. That might convince her that he didn't do it. That he wasn't withholding information.
--- End quote ---
The answer is no, because Harry did try to stop her from leaving..
--- Quote ---"Enjoy your mean, Harry," she said. "And thanks for nothing."
I stood up as well, "Kim" I said. Wait a minute." But she ignored me. She stalked off toward the door her skirt swaying along with her long hair.
--- End quote ---
If she didn't tell Harry why she needed the circle when he pressed her at Mac's, she wasn't going to be manipulated by him to go elsewhere to talk it over. There were witnesses so he couldn't physically stop her from leaving. This is a young woman who is convinced she is the hero of her own story. Hubris, "you think I am not strong enough to pull it off.." Over confident, she wasn't going to let Harry manipulate her to go anywhere to "show her how to build that circle." Nor would she easily be convinced that that wasn't the place to talk about it, partly because she was clueless about what she was asking.. I also think Murphy shows up quicker than you think, Kim stomps off on the bottom on one page and Murphy shows up on the top of the next and Harry is still nursing his ale.
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