“Yes, perhaps you’d better come too, Weasley.” Even when his best(-ish) friend has just been attacked, Ron’s still an afterthought behind Harry Potter.
Yes, this line was pointed out to me recently as canon evidence that McGonagall (along with everyone else) ships Harry with Hermione. :-)
The whole "faith in Dumbledore ... because he's Dumbledore" thing got rather wearying in the early books, didn't it? Because he didn't lift a finger to protect his students, especially Harry.
As an aside ... I think one of the many errors in DH is where Dumbledore says this:
"We have protected him because it has been essential to teach him, to raise him, to let him try his strength," said Dumbledore, his eyes still tight shut.
I take this as an attempt by Rowling to justify putting us through seven books of Harry Potter adventures when he was destined all along to be sacrificial fodder. "So, uhm, why have we been reading about Harry's years at Hogwarts when he apparently should have been destroyed as a Harrycrux?". Answer - because Dumbledore says it was 'essential' that he 'try his strength'.
Okay, on the face of it I think that's nonsensical to the extreme - there's no reason, 'essential' or otherwise, to have let Harry live and 'try his strength', given that Dumbledore intended for him to die. But that fact aside, does that line in DH exonerate Dumbledore from all of his mistakes and dereliction of his duty of care towards his charges in the early books? Dumbledore does nothing to prevent the basilisk attacks - because he's letting Harry 'try his strength'? He lets Quirrell run around the school because he's letting Harry 'try his strength'? He winks at Harry and Hermione going back in time to face a hundred dementors because he's letting Harry 'try his strength'?
My incredulity is straining beyond its limits, but I'm curious as to whether those fans who feel the need to defend Rowling and the books seized on that quote of Dumbledore's to explain the headmaster's seeming incompetence, such as what has been noted in this chapter. Did Rowling intend that line to explain, to pardon, all of Dumbledore's 'mistakes'?
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2010-12-17 11:45 pm (UTC)Yes, this line was pointed out to me recently as canon evidence that McGonagall (along with everyone else) ships Harry with Hermione. :-)
The whole "faith in Dumbledore ... because he's Dumbledore" thing got rather wearying in the early books, didn't it? Because he didn't lift a finger to protect his students, especially Harry.
As an aside ... I think one of the many errors in DH is where Dumbledore says this:
"We have protected him because it has been essential to teach him, to raise him, to let him try his strength," said Dumbledore, his eyes still tight shut.
I take this as an attempt by Rowling to justify putting us through seven books of Harry Potter adventures when he was destined all along to be sacrificial fodder. "So, uhm, why have we been reading about Harry's years at Hogwarts when he apparently should have been destroyed as a Harrycrux?". Answer - because Dumbledore says it was 'essential' that he 'try his strength'.
Okay, on the face of it I think that's nonsensical to the extreme - there's no reason, 'essential' or otherwise, to have let Harry live and 'try his strength', given that Dumbledore intended for him to die. But that fact aside, does that line in DH exonerate Dumbledore from all of his mistakes and dereliction of his duty of care towards his charges in the early books? Dumbledore does nothing to prevent the basilisk attacks - because he's letting Harry 'try his strength'? He lets Quirrell run around the school because he's letting Harry 'try his strength'? He winks at Harry and Hermione going back in time to face a hundred dementors because he's letting Harry 'try his strength'?
My incredulity is straining beyond its limits, but I'm curious as to whether those fans who feel the need to defend Rowling and the books seized on that quote of Dumbledore's to explain the headmaster's seeming incompetence, such as what has been noted in this chapter. Did Rowling intend that line to explain, to pardon, all of Dumbledore's 'mistakes'?