Hagrid, Dumbledore, & Second Chances

[judyserenity]

No: HPFGUIDX 40286

Ok, I'm weighing in on the "Does Dumbledore give out too many second 
chances?" thread.

Debbie (elfundeb at a...) said:
> I can excuse Dumbledore's actions, sort of, on the basis that he has 
> a dual role - he's both headmaster and leader of the anti-Voldemort 
> resistance...

Yes, Dumbledore's actions make much more sense if you think of him as 
primarily the "general" in the anti-Voldemort fight, as opposed to 
primarily a school headmaster.

I also want to point out that JKR portrays Dumbledore as being 
omniscient (all-knowing), or very close to it.  He has the Pensieve.  
He knows Trelawney's predictions, and knows which ones are accurate. 
And, he has Fawkes, who appears to be able to tell who is evil is who 
is not. Plus, of course, he has his own knowledge and wisdom. It is 
strongly implied that Dumbledore can tell that his actions will have 
the desired effect, although it's not always clear how.  For example, 
how did he know where to put the Mirror or Erised so that Harry could 
find it?  What makes him so confident in Harry's abilities to defeat 
Riddle/Voldemort?  (etc, etc)

So, I think the way JKR has set up the story, we are supposed to 
believe that Dumbledore's staffing decisions are right.  We may not 
like this aspect of JKR's writing, but Dumbledore's judgment is 
more-or-less unquestionable within the Potterverse.  (In some ways, 
JKR has set up Dumbledore as a God-like figure, although I'd say 
Voldemort is much more clearly Satanic than Dumbledore is God-like.) 

Now, let me defend a few other characters.  First, Lupin.  I don't 
blame Lupin for leaving the Shack as a student; I blame Sirius.  Well, 
OK, as a major fan of Snape, I'm not favorably inclined towards 
Sirius, so maybe that's no completely fair.  Still, knowing their 
personalities, isn't it likely that Sirius and James were the ones who 
wanted to leave the Shack, not Lupin? Lupin had been trying to hide 
his lycantropy from everyone, even them; why would he leave and risk 
exposure?

I can just see Sirius or James saying "Come on, Remus, it's boring 
spending all night in the Shack; let's get out and run around a 
little."  And Remus, knowing all the risks his friends had taken to 
become animagi, would feel obligated to go along. 

As for taking the job as DADA prof, what choice did he have?  He 
wasn't just impoverished and threadbare, he was *starving*.  What's he 
going to say: "Hmm, there's no one to teach DADA, and omniscient 
Dumbledore thinks I'd be good for the job; I never bit anyone before, 
and I'm even less likely to now that there's the Wolfbane potion -- 
nah, I'll just say no, and starve to death." 

Now, on to defending Hagrid.  I winced when he was made a teacher.  (I 
am also a teacher, although on the college level, not on the secondary 
level.) Still, I think he's a good *person*, just not a good teacher. 
He's very loving, which I think is what JKR sees as his best trait. 

My husband had an interesting theory about Hagrid's childishness -- 
maybe half-giants aren't fully mature until they're 100, or something. 
 This could explain Madame Maxine's greater maturity; she may be much 
older. I do think that Hagrid's personality is probably due to his 
giant blood.  Another possibility why Madame Maxine doesn't have the 
same peronality traits is that when two dissimilar parents breed, the 
offspring are highly variable. In other words, some half-giants might 
have a human personality, some might have a giant personality, and 
some might be in between. 

As for what will happen to Hagrid -- yes, I think he is definitely 
going as an emisary to the giants.  And yes, I think he will die.  I 
also *fear* that Fleur will be the new Care of Magical Creatures prof 
(or the new DADA prof).  And, I'll dislike her as a teacher much more 
than I ever disliked Hagrid. 

-- Judy