BANG! You're dead! [potter not skilled?]

[Mev532]

No: HPFGUIDX 78924

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "arrowsmithbt" 
<arrowsmithbt at b...> wrote:

> What he's been through would turn anyone old and grey. But I think
> that you're overestimating Harry. He's not a skillful wizard, he stumbles
> from one crisis to another, coming through by sheer luck or outside
> influence (such as co-incidental wand conflict). What he is though, is
> lucky. He can learn a new spell when needed, but a whole new state
> of mind, plus a new mental discipline, plus a new magical subject?
> Don't think so. He could probably manage to stay ahead of most of
> the students, but Voldemort? Arch-fiend and super-mentat? I'd 
> better start dieting now, I'm going to have a lot of choccie frogs.
> 

I'm replying to an old post but I think this requires more 
discussion. I disagree fully with your assertion that "He's not a 
skillful wizard." I believe that in books 4 and especially in book 5 
we have finally begun to see a young wizard with real power and the 
skill to use it. He did stumble from crisis to crisis in books #1-3, 
but I loved in book 4 when he begins training for the triwizard, 
learning stunning spells, deflections--learning to think on his feet. 
This is taken to the next level in book 5 with the DA. He is finally 
turning into the powerful wizard he is destined to be. He can deflect 
spells, use many curses, jinxes, and hexs. He was taking on adult 
death eaters in the MoM, and that was a perfectly level playing 
field, no phoenix, or crazy luck or residual protection spells were 
helping him. Sure Harry had to get lucky against Voldemort in book 4, 
but come on, the dark lord is the second most powerful wizard in the 
world. I think Harry will continue to train and by the end of book 
seven emerge as, if you don't mind the term, a proper bad-ass, 
radiating the kind of power that dumbledore has. 

And seeing the depth of what this magic is is what I really love 
about book 5. We finally start seeing the grown up magic that is no 
longer just cute or funny little tricks, like turning snuff boxes 
into mice (but the whiskers remain, accidentally), or ton-tongue 
toffee. It is serious and powerful stuff. DD and others possess 
terrifying powers of destruction that we are finally beginning to see 
(though I did wish for a little more destructive spells to be flying 
in the VM DD battle in book 5). Thanks for reading.

Big HP fan Dave