It's funny the way that the whole fighting thing is brought up in canon--Ron and Hermione assume that's what Harry's going to learn how to do. It's not really a shock that that's not what Harry has to do--that's a staple of fantasy where it turns out to be about something other than skill. And that's always a good idea, really, because a kid probably isn't going to have the skill of someone who's been training their whole life. (Avatar combines these things where the kids improving their skills is a big part of the show and makes them fairly evenly matched, then the special "it's more about morals than skill" aspect just pushes them over the edge.)
But in this case it really points out how little there is to learn. I think that problem is set up right away because okay, it's fine if the kind of magic they learn are just things that are metaphorical for growing up like learning how to create a Patronus or banish a boggart. But in that kind of system the magic almost has to be slower for everyone. But it isn't. It's really quick and easy magic and that makes it both hard to figure out why they don't have to learn to fight (and yet can just hold their own in ninja battles with DEs) and why anybody uses anything but Expelliarimus, the stunning spell and Avada Kedavra in a duel. We don't ever see anybody being clever in a duel by using one spell as a strategy that leads to something else. They just wing bolts at each other, a jelly legs here and a tickle spell there. It's more a comedy duel than something badass.
In fact the people who *are* invited are the most tiresome - there’s a link there somewhere.
Part of the set up seems to be just so Harry and Ginny can be uninterested because they're so above it all. So naturally all the other kids have to actually look forward to having dinner with the pervy, obese old man who talks for hours about people he knew 50 years ago.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2008-10-10 09:05 pm (UTC)But in this case it really points out how little there is to learn. I think that problem is set up right away because okay, it's fine if the kind of magic they learn are just things that are metaphorical for growing up like learning how to create a Patronus or banish a boggart. But in that kind of system the magic almost has to be slower for everyone. But it isn't. It's really quick and easy magic and that makes it both hard to figure out why they don't have to learn to fight (and yet can just hold their own in ninja battles with DEs) and why anybody uses anything but Expelliarimus, the stunning spell and Avada Kedavra in a duel. We don't ever see anybody being clever in a duel by using one spell as a strategy that leads to something else. They just wing bolts at each other, a jelly legs here and a tickle spell there. It's more a comedy duel than something badass.
In fact the people who *are* invited are the most tiresome - there’s a link there somewhere.
Part of the set up seems to be just so Harry and Ginny can be uninterested because they're so above it all. So naturally all the other kids have to actually look forward to having dinner with the pervy, obese old man who talks for hours about people he knew 50 years ago.