[HPforGrownups]DD a mischief maker (was: DD KNEW about the Map)

[srsiriusblack at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 48453

In a message dated 17/12/2002 08:02:54 Eastern Standard Time, 
sixhoursahead at yahoo.com writes:


> Would DD confiscate the map?  I do not think so.  He probably believes that 
> Harry has a right to it.  Obviously the map was just MADE for 
> sneaking-about, and rule-breaking, but then, who gave Harry the 
> Invisibility Cloak?
> 



I think this is an excellent point. We all know that Dumbledore has his own 
ideas about the ways things should be in the WW.Giving Harry the Invisibility 
Cloak was 

A) Passing down a belonging from Father to Son- This was the first thing 
Harry really had to connect him with his family other than the tales he heard 
from others. The cloak would have been                                 better 
suited as a gift for Harry when he was of age and perhaps more responsible 
than an eleven year old, but Dumbledore sees it fit for him to have it... 
knowing that it will lead to the same mischief and running amok that James, 
Sirius, Remus, and (grumble) Peter had shared in their school days. 

It seems that Dumbledore strongly supports this kind of behaviour. We can 
tell from the twinkle in his eyes and his encouragement for rule breaking- 
think of the time turner ( although uised to save two lives it was still 
breaking magical laws) or the times where he runs into Harry while Harry is 
under the cloak- that Dumbledore was probably quite the mischief maker in his 
day. There are multiple comments - both negative and positive- in the books 
about how DD runs the school. He is often kept in check by Minerva McGonagall 
when he begins to speak or act in a way  presumably un-headmasterly. ( Aye, I 
made that word up)

B) The Marauder's Map is FUNNY. Dumbledore seems to have a penchant for 
humourous things. So, I would think he would find the map terribly amusing. 
Just as Remus, so warm and tender to Harry, returns the map to him at the end 
of PoA. The writers of the map would "want to lure" Harry and his friends to 
mischeif- they would find it funny. Would Dumbledore? Absolutely!! I think. 
The map doesn't exist to hurt anyone; it exists in good fun and mischief. 

Again, the tradition is there. This belonged to Harry's father. Harry has 
VERY little of his parents other than the looks of his father and his 
mother's eyes, the cloak, and the photo album he recieved from Hagrid. I 
think DD would think it was a travesty for Harry not to have the map. He 
trusts that Harry  will not use the map for anything bad or dangerous but 
rather, use it as it was intended. ( Even though Harry has a way of getting 
himself into dangerous spots.) And, I am sure DD woudl find great amusement 
in the antics of HHR while using the map.

C) DD says in PoA that he knew Harry's father very well both at Hogwarts and 
after. There is a good chance that in their friendship after Hogwarts that 
James "came clean" on a few things. I doubt he explained the Anamagi, but the 
map would be one of those things that he might have talked about. The reason 
I say this is that, ( and I could be the only one) DD is a father figure to 
the students, and at least I, when becoming an adult and moving away told my 
mum quite a bit of the rule breaking and horribly funny/slightly dangerous 
things I did as a child. It would have been a delight for both DD and James 
to share these stories. I can picture DD in my mind laughing and saying 
things like, "So THAT is what you four were up to!"-- somewhat like Ron's 
amasment at Fred and George's joke stuff they created in their room. 

The more I reread the books the more I see that Dumbledore is a little "off". 
His eccentricities are showing the more we get to know him. Yes, he is an 
incredible wizard and headmaster. His ideas are undoubtedly progressive. He 
has a half giant teaching ( I love Hagrid, but in the books Ron explains that 
most of the WW are frightened of Giants), he brings in Remus to teach ( oh 
how I wish he had been able to stay)- despite being a werewolf, and then 
there is Moody. The real Moody is a nut. But, in each of these people, DD 
sees true talent, compassion, love, and trust. Not things your average wizard 
or Wizard School headmaster would see or be willing to risk. DD starts a few 
times in the books to tell what could be perceived as off colour jokes- he 
has a great sense of humour. He is thoughtful and Harry notices the way he 
smiles when he thinks; this makes me want to believe that DD is ofttimes 
finding amusement in everyday things.

If we knew more about DD's younger life, I think we would find that he was 
much like Harry and James. I expect, DD had a small circle of close friends 
with whom he, too, ran amok and had a grand time of breaking rules and 
stirring up trouble which is perhaps why he is so lenient with HHR, much to 
the dismay of Snape. DD probably had Sanpe and Malfoy figures in his life as 
a young wizard--- we know that people like Lucius hate the way he runs the 
school -- so he may sympathise with Harry while also finding amusement in 
just how steamed Snape and Malfoy get with Harry. 

Remus states that DD encouraged he rumours about the Shrieking Shack in the 
village of Hogsmeade. DD is probably proud of how big the rumours of ghosts 
became. Remus says that the shack has been perfectly quiet for years, but 
still people fear it. I can see DD having many a secret laugh when in the 
village still hearing people make comments on how the shack is haunted. He 
seems to enjoy little things such as this, i.e. knowing the truth but hearing 
the fantastic. For instance at the end of book one saying that what had 
happened to HHR  with Quirrel/Voldie was a secret, thus the whole school 
knew. (Although he doesn't seem to squelch rumours that undoubtedly began)

Anyway, these are just my thoughts- nonlinear as always.....

I just really think DD was quite a mischievious one in his day.

-Snuffles


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