Re: Slytherin Public Relations & More Questions
- From: richard e white <chiphead@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 02 Aug 2008 02:19:33 -0700
DaveD wrote:
"Thom Madura" <Tommadura@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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DaveD wrote:
"santosh" <santosh.k83@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Thom Madura wrote:
<snip>
However - I always thought that the final battle would have shown a
McGonagle that was a lot more powerful that we thought. Is it possible
that McGonagle is like Hermione - extremely well versed in magic - but
maybe not quite as powerful at it as some?
This is what I feel too.
I get the impression that powerful magic in the Potterverse is a
combination of 3 things: research- knowledge-study; innate ability, a
sort of natural inborn power; and practice. You can compensate for
weakness in one area by working hard at the others, but that weakness
still results in a plateau or barrier beyond which you can't progress.
It's a bit like many sports - you can work out in the gym, study strategy
and have a good coach to improve your technique, but not having the right
build or balance of stamina-v-explosive power for that particular sport
or event will still limit your success. Conversely, someone may have the
right build, but if their technique is poor and they don't practise, they
generally don't do very well.
Hermione is obviously the first - knowledge - with a lot of the third -
practice - but it seems she's not all that innately powerful, and
McGonagall seems fairly similar: at the Battle of Hogwarts her approach
seems to be more canny, using clever tactics rather than raw power.
Transfiguration, which seems to be her speciality, appears to be more
about focus and dexterity than power.
Harry appears to be fairly average in those two areas in that he doesn't
study or (usually) practice anything like Hermione does, but he does have
a fair bit of innate ability with some things, especially Defence against
the Dark Arts skills, eg his Patronus, and resisting the Imperius curse.
I am not so sure that this is completely the case - with Harry or Ron.
Nobody studies as much as Hermione does - so lets leave her out.
We have Ron being named a prefect - and Dumbledore said he did not name
Harry because of what he already had to do.
Prefects are normally the top of class people. Both Ron and Harry had to
get high marks to be considered. While they might not match Hermione -
they must do about as well as any other top male student.
Well (and this could be as much a result of JKR's problems with numbers),
don't forget there aren't very many to choose from for prefects! There's
only around 10 student per house per year, approx. 50/50 m/f, so that's only
5 Gryffindors to choose from to start with!
Harry's ruled out because of all the other stuff he has to deal with so that
leaves 4, Neville's still not doing very well (probably studies hard but
lacks confidence which is something that diminishes innate abilities in most
activities including it would seem, magic) so that only leaves 3: Ron, Dean
and Seamus. We haven't heard much about them except Seamus seems good at
blowing things up in the films (can't remember if there's any mention of
that in the books)
Only the feather during Harry's first charm lesson.
and they all struggle with potions, and none seemed to
obviously excel in other areas,
wrong. Nevel excells in herbology.
eg the DADA classes Harry ran so they appear
to be much of a muchness.
DaveD
--
Richard The Blind Typer.
Lets hear it for talking computers.
Lets go for talking i-pods!
.
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