Teacher vs. student help on tasks (WAS Re: Cheating in GoF...)

[jenny from ravenclaw]

No: HPFGUIDX 27632

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., cynthiaanncoe at h... wrote:

-snip good comments about Hermione's help-
> 
> Teachers can facilitate by providing classrooms, etc.
> 
> House elves can help.
> 
> Ghosts (Moaning Myrtle) can help.
> 
> Friends can help.
> 
> Judges (Bagman) can't help, unless they really are secretly DEs who 
> are working with Crouch/Moody to restore Voldemort to power and 
> thereby stand to make a bundle on a bet. <bg>
> 
> Innocent convicted murders who happen to be the godfather of a 
> champion can help.
> 
> Champions can help each other.>

I think the key word here is "help", because there is a big difference 
between helping and cheating.  Hermione and Ron actually get 
permission from McGonagall to help Harry - he refines his charms and 
hexes because they help him practice.  If McGonagall knew that they 
also "helped" Harry research information for Tasks I and II, I don't 
know that she would have been so permissive about that.  Helping Harry 
practice what he has found on his own is quite different than giving 
information to him. 

Moaning Myrtle was really the one who cheated the most by actually 
giving Harry a big hint about using the Egg properly.  She used the 
information she got by spying on Cedric and passed it along to Harry, 
because she saw that he was unable to figure it out on his own.  
That's cheating, because Harry did NOT figure out the Egg on his own, 
BUT who would have ever thought that any of the champions would 
receive help in any form from a ghost?  I'm sure any mention of ghosts 
is not in any rules; it's unchartered territory.

Interestingly enough, Dumbledore is the only Headmaster/mistress who 
does not help his champions in any way (which makes me respect him 
even more, if that is possible and feh! to anyone who calls him vain).  
I really don't like that cheating is and has always been a part of the 
Triwizard Tournament; it makes me a bit uncomfortable.  I'd have to 
say, after the Tournament is finished, that none of the champions were 
really able to complete the Tasks as each of them relied heavily on 
others to get through each Task.  Also, if cheating has always been a 
big part of the Tournament, then what is the point of it really?

--jenny from ravenclaw ***************************