[HPforGrownups] Re: More Old Hat & Dumbledore/Belgarath

[Herald Talia]

No: HPFGUIDX 24384

(snip) >> > Personally, I don't like Gandalf. He's aloof and
condescending. He
> > doesn't tell his heroes everything, which I hate. 
> 
 And Dumbledore does?  If Dumbledore was so approachable, why did 
> Harry 
> fear to send him an owl in GoF ch2?

Harry's a first year student. Of course he's not going to just send an
owl casually to Dumbledore. In a British boarding school, class
distinctions like that are very important, and Harry would never be so
presumptuous. It's just not done. I went to a private parochial school,
and we loved and were in awe of our prinicipal. I would not have given
her a casual call. Even if I had a problem, I'd work a lot on it myself
before going to her. It's respect. Harry just didn't want to look like an
idiot in front of someone he loves and admires. Remember, he wrote a
letter in his head and thought it sounded "ridiculous" and so he didn't
send one. 


(snip)> No, Gandalf doesn't go around telling everything to everybody,
but 
> neither does Dumbledore.  It is too dangerous.  "Perilous to us all 
> are the devices of an art deeper than we possess ourselves."  (JRRK 
> - 
> TTT) "The Truth is a terrible and dangerous thing, and must be 
> treated 
> with respect."  (or something like that)  (JKR -- SS)

	As far as the truth that goes, Dumledore agrees to tell Harry as much of
it as he possibly can and we, IMHO, believe him. I wouldn't believe
Gandalf if he said something similar. His purposes are too alien, he's
not of Middle Earth and his idea of "truth" and mine may not be the same.

	Isn't there a famous version of Merlin that's like Dumbledore? Genial,
absent minded but with a "gleam"? IMHO, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Merlins
are probably the most  realistic. But there is a genial, bumbling Merlin
out there. 
Robyn 

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Donald heard a mermaid sing, Suzy spied an elf.
But all the magic I have known,
I've had to make myself- Shel Silverstein
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