Sirius

[foxmoth at qnet.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 14974

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Jen Faulkner <jfaulkne at e...> wrote:
> On Thu, 22 Mar 2001 foxmoth at q... wrote:
> 
> > > Amy wrote:
> > > What made people believe that Sirius was
> > > so powerful a wizard? I still don't get it...
> > 
> > Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier better known as the 
> > Marquis de Lafayette, hero of the Revolutionary War, was appointed a 
> > major general in the colonial forces at the age of 19, and was a close 
> > confidante of George Washington. 
> 
> Is that really a fair comparison though?  Certainly, throughout history
> there have been lots of people to have accomplished major military
> exploits by that age, but very few of them, if I'm not mistaken, were
> still in school (minors) at 17/18.  The wizarding world seems to
> coincide with the Muggle world in having a notion of adolescence, a
> period between childhood and adulthood, which greatly delays the
> beginning of adulthood.  If you've only just entered adulthood, it's
> difficult to become a successful general.
>
Washington's army resembled a guerrilla organization a great deal more 
than the modern US army does. 
	 Nor am I sure I agree that Muggle adolescence and Wizarding 
adolescence coincide. JKR has said that the wizards have no "higher 
education" and we see in FBAWTFT and in GoF that they can join the 
Ministry of Magic at 18 or 19. Since they come of age at 17, they are 
considered adults during their last year at Hogwarts. In Percy's case, 
he immediately becomes second to a very powerful wizard, and no one 
thinks it very odd that he is sent to Hogwarts as Crouch's replacement, 
instead of a more experienced member of the Department.
 
Pippin