L&J typical? (FF) - Lockhart - Snape - Dumbledore in PS/SS

[Amy Z]

No: HPFGUIDX 19383

Heidi wrote:

>But you cannot put fleur & bill into the "childhood friendship -> 
>marriage"
>category, because they didn't meet until Fleur was over 17, and Bill 
>was
>somewhere between 23 and 26, depending on your chronology

Very true.  Actually, I think Bill is older still (~29).  Somewhere 
along the line I figured him at ~14 years older than Ron, although I 
know it's far from definite.  Anyway, the issue isn't just the 
improbability of so many childhoodàmarriage relationships, but the 
imagination of fanfic writers-—as Carole (I think it was) said, 
aren't there any other witches and wizards in England?  Is it 
unimaginable that any couples will form who weren't already hinted at 
in the first four novels?  However, I certainly don't mean to pick on 
Ebony, the wiz who pulled Orla Quirke out of obscurity.  Also, all of 
my criticisms should be viewed with the suspicion due to critics who 
don't write themselves.

Lockhart:

I think Lockhart is very funny (I went around the house for some days 
saying "Harry, Harry, Harry," until my dh looked like he was going to 
have one of us committed), but he's too broadly written for my taste-—
I couldn't see him as a real person.  He was just too over the top.  
OTOH, Doreen's post made me rethink this opinion.  I may know a few 
people who are actually like Lockhart (shudder).  I might have to 
revisit Prof. L.

Michi asked re: Snape (welcome to HP addiction and the list, Michi!):

>Is he going to redeem himself in GoF?

We're not telling!  Actually, we do tell quite often.  So read fast!

Jamie wrote (welcome to you too, Jamie!):

>And, btw, does Dumbledore remind anyone else of Lloyd Alexander's 
Dallben?

Yes!  But as I said, he's also unique.  The wise old wizard is not an 
archetype I get tired of—-maybe because I never had a grandfather?

Pippin, I agree that Dumbledore isn't inactive through PS/SS.  I also 
think it makes a lot of sense for Dumbledore to let Harry face these 
dangers--even Voldemort, especially, as Jamie just pointed out, since 
V is in a weakened state.  I'm just a bit nervous about how close a 
shave it was; even Dumbledore feared he'd arrived too late.  I wonder 
what he did intend to happen, then?  He returned Harry's cloak a 
second time "just in case," and if Harry is right, he wanted them to 
go after Quirrell and he also knew Harry would be confronting 
Voldemort—-yet he didn't want him to face him alone, and rushed after 
him when he learned where he was.  So what was Dumbledore's plan?  
Did he intend for there to be a showdown, but at a time that he was 
at Hogwarts to back Harry up, and he misjudged the timing?

Now I'm getting a headache.  Someone with a plot-perceptive brain, 
please figure this one out for me.

Amy Z