deathtocapslock | Harry Potter Abridged! HBP Chapter 19

[Later, Ron is in the hospital wing. Fred and George come to visit]

Fred: Now how will we give him our present?

George: It is a shame that you can’t come to Hogsmeade anymore.

Fred: Did we tell you we were thinking of buying Zonko’s? Use it or lose it, and all that.

Harry: Well, anyway, it looks like Ron will be alright. He’ll just be in the hospital wing for about a week. Good thing there was a bezoar in the room, really!

Fred: By the way, do our mother and father know about this?

Ginny: Yeah, they’ve been through here already.

Fred: Well, anyway, just how did the poison get into the mead, anyway? Did Slutborn add it?

Harry: But why would Slutborn want to poison Ron? That would be low even for a Slytherin.

Fred: Could it be that he was trying to poison you instead?

Ginny: Oh! Is Slutborn a Death Eater sent to kill Harry?

Fred: Well, you never know with these slimy Slytherins.

George: There’s also a possibility that he was put under the Imperius curse.

Ginny: Well…it’s possible that someone else put the poison in the bottle, and the poison was meant for Slutborn.

Fred: But who would want to poison Slutborn?

Harry: You never know. Maybe the Death Eaters think he’s too valuable to Dumbledore?

Ginny: Oh! I just thought of something! Could whoever it was be targeting Dumbledore? Harry, you said Slutborn had intended to give Dumbledore the mead as a gift!

Hermione: But why would someone trust a gluttonous slob like Slughorn to give a perfectly-good bottle of mead away?

[Just then, Hagrid enters!]

Hagrid: Ron, Ron! I’m so sorry this happened to you! Why anyone would want to hurt you I have no idea!

Harry: We’ve just been discussing that.

Hagrid: Say, do you think someone has it in for the Gryffindor quidditch team?

George: That’s a possibility, but why would anyone want to do that?

Fred: Well, I could see Oliver Wood doing something like that.

George: That’s a fair point.

Hermione: I don’t know about that, but I do think it’s suspicious that neither attack seems to have reached its intended target.

[Mr. and Mrs. Weasley enter]

Mrs. Weasley: Wow, Harry—you’ve saved Ron’s life!

Mr. Weasley: I’m so glad we have you as a friend to the family—you’ve saved us so many times!

Madame Pomfrey: Excuse me, but there’s only supposed to be six visitors in here at a time.

Harry: That’s alright—Hermione and I can leave.

Hagrid: I’ll go with you.

[They walk off down the hallway]

Hagrid: This is really bad. If more people get attacked, the school might be shut down.

Hermione: Oh, no! That would be terrible!

Hagrid: Dumbledore seems quite nervous about it, actually. Why, I saw him arguing with Snape just the other day!

Harry: Snape?! What about?!

Hagrid: Well…I just overheard them arguing. Snape said he didn’t want to do a thing anymore. I couldn’t tell what thing he was talking about.

Harry: You couldn’t tell?! But this is so suspicious!

Hagrid: Now, now—it could mean anything.

Harry: I know it means Snape’s up to no good!

Hagrid: You don’t know that!

Harry: Yes I do!

Hagrid: Oh, honestly!

[But just then Filch appears]

Filch: Hey, you! You’re not supposed to be out this late!

Hagrid: But they’re with me. I’m a teacher. You have no right to criticize my judgments, you dirty squib! Now begone!

Filch: Dammit! You’ll eat your words when I become a respected villain on Game of Thrones!

[Harry and Hermione leave Hagrid and return to their rooms]

McLaggen: Hello, Harry! Listen, I heard something terrible happened to Ron. He’s not going to be fit for this week’s match, is he?

Harry: No, I suppose he won’t.

McLaggen: Great! That means I get to be the keeper instead!

Harry: Yeah, yeah. Whatever.

McLaggen: Hooray!

[Lavender approaches Harry about Ron for most of next week]

Lavender: So, anyway, why won’t Ron let me in to see him? Seriously! He’s always asleep when I arrive and he never invites me in! And I’m his girlfriend!

Harry: Not my problem. Maybe he’s finally realized that you’re just an insignificant side character and Hermione is the only one for him.

[Before the quidditch match, Harry goes to visit Ron]

Ron: So how is McLaggen holding up?

Harry: Ugh, I hate that asshole! He’s a smug jerk who thinks he’s better than everyone else on the team! Oh, by the way, Lavender won’t leave me alone.

Ron: She isn’t? I can’t imagine why.

Harry: It’s because you never see her!

Ron: Oh, alright. Well, I suppose I can make some time for her.

Harry: If you want to break up with her, just say so. Don’t prolong my agony!

[On the way out to the quidditch pitch Harry runs into Draco!]

Harry: Draco, Draco! Where are you going?!

Draco: That’s none of your damn business, you freak! [Stalks off]

[Harry goes to the quidditch pitch and goes out with his team]

Luna: Hello, Hogwarts! Today I, Luna Lovegood, will be your commentator! [Pause] Well, anyway, it looks like Zacharias Smith is uncomfortable today. I wonder if the incident from the last game had anything to do with it. Oh, well. Ginny’s playing a good match as usual. Did I mention she’s really good and kind and stuff? Please don’t kill me, Ginny! Oh, and there’s a goal scored by Hufflepuff!

McLaggen: That was totally not my fault! Ginny distracted me by dropping her ball!

Harry: What are you talking about?! You are the one who needs to keep your eye on the goal posts!

Luna: Huh. It looks like Harry’s arguing with his keeper. If he keeps this up he’ll never catch the Snitch.

Harry: Oh, no! She’s right! I must look for the Snitch!

Luna: By the way, Zacharias Smith appears to be having trouble keeping the quaffle in his possession. I can’t imagine why. Maybe he’s coming down with a rare disease….

[After a time, McLaggen starts harassing one of the beaters]

Harry: McLaggen! You leave that poor, innocent beater alone!

McLaggen: [ignoring Harry] Give me that club!

Beater: But why? You're not even trained as a beater.

McLaggen: Shut up! I'm such an asshole that my own glory is more important than this game I profess to love so much!

[Unfortunately, just then a bludger comes toward them, and McLaggen swings it just in time for it to hit Harry!]

[Harry wakes up in the hospital wing]

Ron: Harry! What happened?!

Harry: McLaggen is an annoying dumbass who deserves to die!

Madame Pomfrey: Harry, don’t get so excited! You’ll aggravate your injury!

Ron: Well, needless to say we lost the game. But on a more positive note, Luna is the best quidditch commentator this school has ever seen!

Harry: By the way, did I tell you that I saw Draco on the way out to the match?

Ron: Draco?!

Harry: Yes! I totally would have followed him if I could have gotten out of the stupid match.

Ron: But there was no way you could have—you’re the captain!

Harry: Yeah, like I don’t know that. Oh, if only there was some way I could keep tabs on Draco. But how?

[Later that night, Harry has a brainwave]

Harry: Of course! Dobby and Kreacher!

[Just then, the two house-elves appear]

Dobby: You called?

Kreacher: What do you want this time?! Can’t you just let me work in the kitchens in peace?

Dobby: That’s not a very nice thing to say to him!

Kreacher: I don’t like you!

Dobby: I’ll get you for being mean to Harry! [Attacks Kreacher]

Kreacher: Honestly, you’re so pathetic. Real house-elves fight with magic.

Harry: Never mind that now! Listen to me!

Dobby: Yes?

Kreacher: Yes?

Harry: I’d like the two of you to spy on Draco. Follow him around and see what he’s up to. And Kreacher?

Kreacher: Yes?

Harry: You are not to contact or aid Draco. All I want you to do is follow him, and report to me regularly. Only me, mind—no one else. And both of you, don’t get caught.

Dobby: Will do!

Kreacher: If you say so….

[The house-elves disappear]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

McLaggen: Great! That means I get to be the keeper instead!

Harry: Yeah, yeah. Whatever.

It makes no sense for the team not to have back-up players, or a second string. Given they need a certain number of positions covered and it is a high risk for injury sport where are the extra team members?

Shouldn't back up people been chosen who go to the practice, learn the team game plan, but rarely ever get to play?

Harry should have been working with McLaggen all along.

Also in an Interview JKR tells us Auror Harry cleans up the Auror dept., right...

That would be more believable if we saw him learning to stand up to and reign in a teenage know-it-all sports fanatic before he goes on to correct men who could say - listen kid I've been doing this since before you were born, don't tell me what to do.

McLaggen: Shut up! I'm such an asshole that my own glory is more important than this game I profess to love so much!

The more I read of your McLaggen, the more I think that he mistook himself for the hero of Harry's books. We're all the heroes of our own movies, after all - McLaggen just acts like he knows it.

This chapter makes it clear that there was never any need for Hermione to Confund McLaggen. A player who won’t listen to the team captain, doesn’t focus on his proper role, and interferes with his teammates to the extent that one of them ends up in the hospital and the team loses the game besides, does not belong on the team even if he does make the most saves in try-outs. It’s not just technical skill in one position that matters; it’s also the ability to work with the rest of the team. If Hermione hadn’t interfered (and if Harry had the same degree of courage in dealing with people that he does when dealing with physical dangers), Cormac would have made the team, then been booted out in favor of Ron because Ron is a team player and Cormac isn’t.

if Harry had the same degree of courage in dealing with people that he does when dealing with physical dangers

In HP courage is valued as the most important virture, but only one type.

Courage in facing physical danger is true Gryffindor courage, so that is the only kind that matters.

Neville isn't acting like a Gryffindor until he recklessly insults the Carows and faces physical danger.

Lupin can be the biggest coward in the books when it comes to dealing with people, but that doesn't matter. He is still considered good.

Neville is praised and awarded points for standing up to his friends, but that type of courage is never recognized again.

Neville is awarded ten points for standing up to his friends, while Harry is awarded sixty for needlessly facing physical danger, putting the Philosopher’s Stone (which was safe inside the mirror) at risk, and killing the Defense teacher without actually harming Voldemort.

Until I looked it up, I remembered Harry as winning a hundred points, but in fact physical courage is valued over moral courage by only six to one, not ten to one.

Not just Harry - but Ron and Hermione received 50 points each and they didn't even make it to the final room. So, just winning a risk without necessarily saving the end result is worth 5 times Neville's courage. I wonder whether it was partially because he 'lost' to Hermione's petrificus?

However, in reality Harry's extra 10 points (compared to theirs) was for what happened in the last room. So, I do sometimes wonder whether he was deducted some possible points for risking the stone, killing Quirrel or letting Voldy escape. I DOUBT it, but I do wonder why his risk in the last room was worth only 10 more points than Ron's sacrifice in the chess match. In a way I can understand Harry getting more than Hermione since he faced the same risk she did by drinking the potion Hermione chose.

So, did he get 50 points for the risk he took with Hermione and only 10 points for the next room (doubtful) or did Hermione win all the points available in the potions challenge. I suppose, Harry could have gotten his extra 10 from trusting Hermione's judgement and his own 50 for the next room?

I thought the whole deal was to bring Gryffindor's points up to just above Slytherin's. Any more would be *cough* excessive.

Well, yes, but he COULD have given Ron and Hermione 30 points each and Harry 100 points and still come out the same. That's where the wiggle room comes in for the question why was Harry's points only 10 more than Ron or Hermione's IF it was supposed to be about saving the Stone from Voldy?

So I now question whether Harry's extra 10 points was due to risking twice, while they only risked themselves once each?

I always figured that, at least in the early books, the trio, as friends, were supposed to be equals, each bringing a unique but essential skill to the task of defeating Voldemort. Harry, as the Boy-Who-Lived, was naturally more equal that the others, but he wasn’t a lot more equal. Not in Book One, anyway.

Neville, not being Harry’s actual friend, was considerably less equal, but not completely without value. He was a Gryffindor, after all.

Edited 2015-06-12 01:07 (UTC)

Harry Potter Abridged! HBP Chapter 19

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Types of courage

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