If you were Headmaster of Hogwarts...

[grey_wolf_c]

No: HPFGUIDX 37021

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "mongo62aa" <william.truderung at s...> wrote:
> I am curious if anybody else has thought about what they would have 
> Harry learn if they were Headmaster of Hogwarts.  I think that we can 
> take it as a given that at some point, probably in his seventh year, 
> Haryy will face Voldemort, probably alone, and only one of them (at 
> most) will be still alive after that.  If that is the case, then I 
> would think that it is ESSENTIAL that Harry be given far more 
> preparation than he is getting now.


I am a student (for a few years more, at least) and, as all students 
I've ever known, I have, at some point or another, asked myself "Why do 
I have to learn such-and-such class? What possible use will I find for 
it?" (for example: I'm studying Computer Science. Why do I have to 
learn Management Accounting?). The fact is, you sometimes need to learn 
things because you may *need* them, but more importantly because you 
need to learn *how to learn*. Harry will face Voldemort at some point 
in the future. D'dore doesn't know the circumstances, and he's giving 
Harry the broadest possible education to cover all possibilities. With 
that base, Harry will be able to improvise, adapt and learn how to beat 
whatever he faces. Unlike computers, the world is not a case of "if the 
red light blinks, push button A. If the red light goes steady, push 
buttom B, etc.". Harry will face the unknown, and he will need the 
capability of learning much more knowledge itself (although a few 
curses will probably come handy anyway).


> So what would I do?  First of all, eliminate all of the nonessential 
> classes that Harry is currently taking, in order to free up time for 
> more useful studies.  History of Magic: drop it.

As I stated above, I do not see classes as non-esential. "Those who 
don't know history are doomed to repeat it" the saying goes (at least 
in my language). Maybe the teacher is not as good as he could be, but 
Harry is learning about great magical battles and international 
relations and who-knows-what. Voldemort will not be defeted (I hope) by 
a who's-the-fastest-shooter competition of AK between Harry and him. 
Instead, he will be defeated by careful planning and strategy. If that 
is so, I hope both Harry and Ron are paying careful attention to the 
great planners of old (from Alexander the Great to Napoleon and beyond, 
or their wizard equivalents; say what you will about their methods -I 
often do-, but they were VERY effective).

> Divination: drop it.  Astronomy: drop it.

I'm not sure what the difference is between this two, but nonetheless 
it must be important for wizarding, especially the second one. The 
first one was choosed by Harry, and it's still his choice to keep it or 
drop it. Why astronomy is important should be discussed further, but 
I'm not going to pile it on top of this discussion.

> Herbology, and Care of Magical Creatures: 
> there is some useful material here, but not enough to justify the 
> time spent, in my opinion.  Drop both of them.

Both of them have proven enormously useful over the books (remedies 
against stoning, helping Buckbeack(sp?)-Sirius, etc. I believe a major 
weapon against any wizard is bubotubors, when thrown to his hands: he 
wont be able to hold a wand, uch less use it, and takes hours to 
recover. Resuming, I would leave them as they are.

< Snip Potions, Transformation, etc. which I agree with>

> In addition, I would add 
> several new classes.  Muggle Martial Arts: these would be useful in 
> themselves if Harry loses his wand at some point, and also help Harry 
> with his physical stamina, strength, speed, etc. as well as his 
> mental toughness and discipline.  Physical Training: taken in 
> conjunction with Muggle Martial Arts to improve Harry's physical 
> condition.  This may well be part of Auror training, rather than a 
> separate class.

Appart from the fact that the flying lessons are some sort of physical 
training, I don't see canon-wise the introduction of that sort of 
lessons. Wizards dislike and mistrust muggle methods, and specialy any 
sort of physical contact during a fight. I don't think it would be 
useful anyway (at any rate, not more useful than flying lessons)
 
> However, all of this training would not be enough to beat Voldemort, 
> who would remain much older and more experienced.  I would also teach 
> Harry as much as possible of the 'Old Magic,' whatever that is.  It 
> is apparently very powerful, and difficult for Voldemort to break.  
> Most important of all, I would have Harry learn some 'New Magic,' by 
> which I mean magic specially developed for Harry, and which Voldemort 
> cannot know how to counter.  I suspect that Hermione would play an 
> important role in this.  Ron, also, would play a role, developing 
> strategies and tactics to deliver that 'New Magic' while keeping 
> Harry alive.
> 
> If anybody has comments, I would love to hear them.
> 
> Bill

Old magic seems defensive in nature, and looks like it takes quite some 
time to use, so it has little use in outright battle. As the rest (the 
new spells and strategy), that's exactly wht I mean: to create them, 
you need ideas, and for those ideas you'd better heve been tought 
history et al. since Ron, Hermione and Harry haven't the time to repeat 
every though any wizard has ever had.

Hope that helps,

Grey Wolf