Snape & Lupin Loose Cannons?/Is Dumbledore Great?

[cindysphynx]

No: HPFGUIDX 33398

I hate to pick nits, but I will if I have to:  :-)

***********

Judy wrote (about whether Snape learned of the cross-dressing boggart 
incident):

> > Snape *did* find out about this incident -- it says the 
> story "spread 
> > like wildfire", and there are several mentions of Snape being 
angry 
> > about it. 

I don't think we can be certain that Snape knows about the boggart 
cross-dressing episode, although Harry certainly thinks he does.

The text says:  

"Snape was in a particularly vindictive mood these days, and no one 
was in any doubt why.  The story of the boggart assuming Snape's 
shape, and the way that Neville had dressed it in his grandmother's 
clothes, had traveled throught he school like wildfire.  Snape didn't 
seem to find it funny.  His eyes flashed menacingly at the very 
mention of Professor Lupin's name, and he was bullying Neville worse 
than ever."

Yes, Harry and the students believe that Snape is angry because he 
heard the rumor, but the students might not be correct about that 
(like the way the rumor that Snape wants the DADA job is suspect).  
The fact that the rumor spread doesn't necessarily mean it made it 
all the way to Snape, or that Snape is even angry about it.  We later 
learn the real reason why Snape hates Lupin.  

As for Snape bullying Neville, who knows what is going on there?  
Snape bullied Neville a great deal before and after the boggart 
incident.  He obviously has his reasons, so I'm not ready to 
attribute the bullying to knowledge of the boggart incident.  The 
assumption might be correct, but maybe not.

Mahoney wrote (in the feminism debate):

>I 
> mean, what does Dumbledore *do*?  Other than head up banquets, and 
> possibly do administrative things behind closed doors.  He's great, 
> according to all of his fans, but so far his greatness has only 
been 
> expressed by timeliness and the occasional wise word (granting that 
> great things are implied for him in future books per the end of 
> GoF).  
> 

If we're trying to make McGonagall's contribution seem significant by 
comparing it to Dumbledore's, this will not be an easy task.  
Dumbledore has a number of honors, has defeated a great dark wizard, 
and has the ear of the Minister of Magic.  Equally important, he is a 
leader, as shown by the fact that he, not McGonagall, is calling the 
shots at the end of GoF.  McGonagall, on the other hand, is reduced 
to standing guard over Barty Crouch, and we all know how that turned 
out.  

Nah, McGonagall is underutilized.  But there's still time to make 
things better.  Maybe McGonagall will have to volunteer for some 
hideously dangerous mission and perish bravely in the attempt.  She 
would die because no one would dare attempt to rescue her for fear of 
turning her into a damsel in distress.  :-)

Cindy