The Hogwarts Library and search engine...

[sevenhundredandthirteen]

No: HPFGUIDX 47582

Grey Wolf wrote:
The easiest way to find anything in a library is something that we 
have yet to see Harry doing: asking the librarian! That is what Pince 
is there for, after all.

Me:
That's not necessarily true. During Harry's preparation for The 
Second Task, he does actually ask Madam Pince for help:

"However, though he, Ron and Hermione searched through their 
lunchtimes, evenings and whole weekends- though Harry asked Professor 
McGonagall for a note of permission to use the Restricted Section, 
and even asked the irritable, vulture-like librarian, Madam Pince, 
for help- they found nothing whatsoever that would enable Harry to 
spend and hour underwater and live to tell the tale."
(GoF, Chapter 26 "The Second Task," Page 419, Australian Paperback 
Edition)

Also, that excerpt really shows just why people aren't running to ask 
Madam Pince for help- an "irritable, vulture-like" woman that 
students are reluctant to approach isn't a very efficient cataloging 
system when you think about it- not if people avoid using it. It 
seems to imply that people only ask Pince as a last resort, and are 
prepared to sift through the library on their own accord. Pince 
crabbily "brandished a feather duster" at Harry and tells him to get 
out of the library just because he was loitering about looking over 
at the Restricted Section in PS, which shows, at least, that she's 
not the most amicable sort, even when confronted with a harmless boy 
standing silently and keeping to himself. (Although, it should be 
noted that in PS when the trio decide not to ask her for help, it's 
not because of her irritable nature, but because they don't want to 
risk Snape finding out.).

Also, I'd also wager that another factor contributing to why Harry 
doesn't appear to ask Pince for help frequently is simply because 
he's friends with Hermione- who's love of books would mean that most 
resources he would need for schoolwork she already has, or can show 
him where to get, or alternatively, is accessible in his own text-
books.


Grey Wolf wrote:
However, Harry and co. seem possesed by a latent distrust towards 
figures in authority and prefer trying to find the info on their own 

Me:
Whilst I'm not arguing that the trio *don't* possess a distrust 
towards authority, in Pince's case this isn't totally applicable 
because they *do* ask her for help (as noted above). However, in PS 
their reluctance to ask her for help (they don't want Snape to find 
out, which would imply that they assume Pince will tell him) does 
exemplify a mistrust of authority. Harry also asks McGonagall for 
help (asking her for a permission slip to use the Restricted Section) 
which is demonstrative of acknowledging and trusting a figure of 
authority. In contrast when they manipulate Lockhart into signing the 
permission note for the book with the Polyjuice Potion in it, it is 
very much demonstrative of a distrust and disrespect for authority. 
Interestingly enough, the two disrespectful ones are from 1st and 2nd 
Year, whilst the two trusting ones are from 4th Year. Perhaps Harry 
is maturing- well, at least in relation to his idea of authority and 
learning (Although probably not so much in his idea of authority and 
discipline- he still disobeys rules about staying in his dorm in 4th 
Year).

Grey Wolf wrote: (about what Bootekusic wrote)
In every example you have put, they had a reason to keep others from 
knowing what they were looking for: they cannot let know that they 
have clues about Flammel (it would put Hagrid in danger for having 
told them), they cannot let know that Hagrid told them the first task 
would involve dragons, they don't want Krum to know that they have 
solved the egg puzzle, etc. 

Me:
The first example- Flamel and that it would put Hagrid in danger 
doesn't actually cross their minds- they're more concerned above 
Snape getting wind of what they're doing: 

"He, Ron and Hermione had already agreed they'd better not ask Madam 
Pince where they could find Flamel. They'd be sure she'd be able to 
tell them, but they couldn't risk Snape hearing what they were up 
to." (PS, Chapter 12 "The Mirror of Erised," Page 146, Aus. Paperback 
Edition)

I suppose that it's arguable that the reason they don't want Snape to 
find out is because he'll assume it was Hagrid that told them, but I 
assume that they don't want Snape to find out because he'll suspect 
*them* and do something horrible to them to stop their investigation, 
or do something to them to get them out of the picture.

In the second example- the Dragons, there is no references either way 
as to whether they did or did not ask for help- according to canon 
Harry and Hermione just read dozens of books about Dragons looking 
for the simple spell Sirius told Harry about until Crouch/Moody slips 
the information to Harry before they got too desperate. So they don't 
really go out of their way to hide the knowledge of The First Task 
from anyone. They do conceal themselves when they're practicing the 
Summoning Charm- but that's not because they're withholding 
information about knowing about the task, it's because they're forced 
to continue practice until at least 2 o'clock in the morning the 
night before the task until Harry can actually do it properly.

In the third example- The Second Task and Krum, apart from what I've 
already said that shows that Harry did ask for help and didn't 
conceal his knowledge, it's pretty clear that Krum already knows- 
they see him jumping into the Lake. And Hermione doesn't like Krum in 
the library only because his giggling fan-club follows him 
everywhere. Krum is not noted at all realy in relation to the 
research on The Second Task.

~<(Laurasia)>~