the Mirror of Erised/potion test

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 47764

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Alex" <abobos_revenge at h...> wrote:
> 
> Kind of related, (and it may have been discussed before) but did
anyone else notice how easy the first Stone-protecting obstacles were?
I mean, if 3 first year students can get past them without getting
killed or anything, then I conclude they must have been designed to
get past with relatively little difficulty. Sort of a false sense of
security thing, going through the easy little protections, and then
there's this horrible confusing mirror at the end.
> 
> Alex

bboy_mn comments:

This idea that the 'obstacles' in the chambers we Sooooo easy to
overcome has been brought up before, and I didn't buy it then and I
don't buy it now. Although, I will admit that a lot of people agree
with you.

1.) A GIANT vicious three headed hound from hell. Oh sure, I'm
confident that nearly every wizard, dark and light, knows how to deal
with a Cerberus hellhound. I'm sure hounds from hell pop up all the
time. NOT! I mean Snape is no inexperienced wizard and it almost bit
his leg off.

2.) The Devil's Snare - a plant that first saves your life by breaking
your fall then crushes and strangles you to death. Again, I'm sure
that nearly every wizard knows what to do when they are completely
immobilized and being crushed to death by a Devil's Snare (more
sarcasm). The only reason Harry and Ron got out was because Hermione
got off the plant before it had a chance to grab her. Even then, she
only saved her friends because she is a virtual encyclopedia of
knowledge. 

And let's not forget about the fall itself. It takes a pretty brave
person to leap into a black hole and fall, what we are lead to
believe, was a very... very... very... substantial distance.

3.) A room full of hundreds of flying keys, of which we presume, only
one will open the door. Now the solution was simple, the key matches
the lock, but how many people would think of that right away? How many
people would spend hours capturing key after key, hoping the next one
would be the right one? It required Ron observation skill and strong
'chess players' logic to figure out which key would likely be the
right one. It took the flying skills of three of them working
together. I took Harry's skill as a seeker to spot and capture the
key, but only with the help of Hermione and Ron who blocked the escape
routes for the key.

4.) The chess game - now there's an easy one. I'm sure McGonagall is a
rank amateur chess player which is why she chose chess as her
protective enchantment (more sarcasm, just want to make sure no one
missed it). Chess is not an easy game to begin with. One would assume
that McGonagall chose this because it was one of her strengths, so it
is unlikely that a typical 'chess club' chess player could defeat it.
And let's not forget the added pressure of the game. In this game, if
you are taken, the taking player tries to kill you. Chess under threat
of death or severe bodily harm does not make for an easy game.

5.) The Troll - they got luck, Quirrell already took care of it, but
this troll, if I recall correctly, was substantially bigger that the
one they defeated in the bathroom. The bathroom troll was only
defeated by BLIND DUMB LUCK, and certainly not by any special skill or
talent. Ron used the only charm he knew, which was one, prior to this,
he couldn't do, and it was the wrong charm to use and he used it in
the wrong way. I don't think many wizards are eager to be trapped in a
small room with an angry 15 foot (or whatever) mountain troll. I mean,
the smell alone would probably be enough to disable or at least
disorient you.

6.) Riddle of the Potions - Even Hermione admitted that most wizards
would have been doomed when face with that riddle. And, let's not
forget that solving the riddle incorrectly mean either poison, or
massive burns. Not an easy task to solve a riddle when you know your
life depends on the answer; no room for error and no second chances.

7.) The mirror - even knowing how the mirror works doesn't help you
get the stone. Yes, it shows your deepest desire but so what? You
desire the stone. It shows you the stone. But HOW do you get the
stone? Harry had absolulely no way of knowing that it was his desire
to not use the stone, and not his desire to get the stone that would
allow him to actually get it. For anyone who truly wanted to have and
use the stone, they were hopelessly doomed.

Let's take Seamus, Dean Thomas, and Lavender Brown, and see if any
three first year students can get past these enchantments. NOT!

Harry, Ron, and Hermione are three very exceptional individuals, each
of whom posses an innate genius that even they are not aware of.

Sorry, hope the sarcasm wasn't too nasty. I wasn't really trying to be
nasty or rude, but I could just never see how anyone could think that
these protections were 'easy'.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

bboy_mn