If you were Headmaster of Hogwarts...

[mongo62aa]

No: HPFGUIDX 37023

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "grey_wolf_c" <greywolf1 at j...> wrote:

> 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).

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).

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. <

You know, under more normal circumstances, I would agree with you.  
My proposed curriculum is VERY unbalanced, and leaves Harry ill-
prepared to deal with life after Hogwarts.  But Harry has to be ALIVE 
in order to deal with post-Hogwarts life.  From a story-internal 
point of view, it looks very possible that Harry and Voldemort will 
indeed face each other mano-a-mano, where dueling skills will decide 
who lives and who dies.  Sure, he will need a lot of help to get that 
far, hence the importance of Ron and Hermione, but at the end of the 
day, Harry's dueling skills look likely to be the deciding factor in 
the war.  Remember, it is not just Harry, but the entire magic 
community that is depending on Harry's fighting ability.  Sure, my 
proposed curriculum is unfair to Harry, but this IS war.

Bill