Forbidden Forest

[jedi102580]

No: HPFGUIDX 39746

datalaur wrote:
> Harry was in real danger of being killed... or was 
> he?  (Surely Malfoy was in no danger from his father's Master.) Was 
> the centaur's appearance fortuitous, or was he "on guard"?  This 
> whole scene is very confusing because we are to believe in either 
> deliberate risk-taking by Dumbledore (to what end?) or that no one 
> could figure out why someone would be killing unicorns.  Even so  
> the Forest is very dangerous... why make 2 first years to go off on
> their own, in the dark, without even Hagrid's protection?  Suppose 
> they had run into Aragog or something similar?  

For one, they are told to stay on the path, and there is an implied 
possibility that the more dangerous creatures of the forest will tend 
to avoid the paths.  We certainly know that Aragog would not be on 
the path, particularly when Harry and Draco are carrying a lantern.

In addition, although Fang is said to be a coward, there is mention 
of the fact that nothing in the forest will hurt Hagrid or people who 
are with him; perhaps this applies to Fang, as well.

Thirdly, is it definite that Hagrid even confirmed the trip with 
Dumbledore?  We know Hagrid to be somewhat optimistic regarding the 
dangers that some creatures may possess.  Granted, he knows that a 
creature must be very evil to kill a unicorn, but he may expect that 
such a creature would be very far from a vital and healthy state, and 
would lay low, and certainly have no reason to attack 11-year-old 
children.

Finally, I don't believe that Harry could have been killed.  
Voldemort does not even have a physical form at this point, and the 
worst that could have happened is the type of formless attack that 
occured in the dungeon, with the stone: an attack that I dare say 
would not have even put Harry into such a precarious state if it 
weren't for the fact that he had just been using all the power in his 
body to repel the touch of Quirrell/Voldemort.

-- 
marilyn

[sorry so long-- double apologies on the fact that we're both 
newbies, and I'm sure this has been discussed many times before...]