In defense of PoA, and Why Lockhart?

[Jilly]

No: HPFGUIDX 27529

 My first post, so I'm a little nervous...


>>Hermione: Ah... but you see Harry - time travel is
far too dangerous 
to be used ever. Except, of course for the stunningly
important 
matter of helping me take a few more lessons.>> 

and of course for saving the ever-popular Godfather.
Actually, I found the time-travel bit at the end less
convenient than the chapters preceding it where the
"truth about Scabbers" comes out.  I remember reading
the chapters in in the Shrieking Shack thinking "my,
this seems rather difficult to believe"  I guess I was
really identifying with Harry at that point :)  If
Pettigrew hadn't finally broken down and admitted
working for Voldemort, I really would have had issues
with it.  "Oh, Sirius *just* was choking Harry, and
said he killed Harry's parents, but look, here's the
rat, he's an animagus, and his finger is missing."  Of
course, all these revelations occurred for me at about
1 AM (yes, I read PoA fastest of the four, in just
under 8 hours, so that might also account for my
missing many other details the first time through...)
Not that I'm complaining. PoA is still my favorite
book. 


now, on to Lockhart...
I always felt that Dumbledore hired him because
perhaps Dumbledore wanted to see how authentic this
man was.  Dumbledore seems to know things that the
rest of the wizarding world doesn't, so maybe he
figured either Lockhart would prove himself to be what
he promotes himself as, or not.  But maybe I've gotten
to used to the idea that the Hogwarts Headmaster knows
(almost) everything.  (I was very surprised he didn't
know about the MWPP activities during their school
days and that he believed Sirius was guilty)

That said, if Dumbledore just hired Lockhart because
he seemed the best man for the job, why didn't he hire
Lupin a year earlier?  At the end of CoS, he says he
is going to draft and advertisement, and maybe Lupin
did get the job through that advertisement, but isn't
it also possible Dumbledore specifically wanted him at
Hogwarts after Sirius' escape (remember at the
Welcoming Feast, Dumbledore introduces Lupin by saying
"has kindly consented to fill the... position")? 
Maybe not. Maybe that's already been discussed.


Jill - (whose spelling was atrocious until she
spell-checked and proofread 3 times)

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