Harry a Hero? Was: The magic power of love.

[hermionegallo]

No: HPFGUIDX 80550

--- "Doriane" <delwynmarch at y...> wrote (post 80538):

> I'll state it once again : I don't see that his DADA skills are so 
> exceptional. So he practiced the Patronus Charm for months and he 
> finally managed it ? Not such a big deal. So he practiced 
additional charms and hexes with Hermione for the Triwizard 
Tournament, so that now he knows more than the other kids ? Again, 
what's the deal here ? 
> So what DADA skills, what magical talents, are you talking about ? 
> He's got a fair amount of it, all right, but not exceptionally much 
> as far as I can see.  

hg replying:
I think his DADA skills are remarkable.  He (at 15) held off 
Bellatrix LeStrange in the MoM battle. I'll admit that she was 
constrained by the need to get the prophecy, but still, it's 
remarkable. She had just defeated Sirius, Tonks and Shacklebolt in 
short order before Harry went after her. 

There are plenty of wizards (Marchbanks and Bones, for example)in the 
book who are deeply impressed by the fact that Harry can conjure a 
corporeal patronus at 15, something he learned at 13.

Hermione is also impressed by his capabilities. 


Del:
> lots of courage. In the heat of fire, yes. But when it comes to 
>planned events, he's just as afraid as anyone : he was almost 
>fainting with fear before the first task of the Tournament.

hg:
Courage is not the the lack of fear, it's the ability to act in the 
face of fear, something that he does prove in the first task. And 
over and over again in the books.

The most profound--to me anyway--example of courage is in the 
graveyard scene in GoF when Harry chooses to step out from behind the 
tombstone, certain that he is going to be killed. But he does it 
anyway.

I am not saying that there are no other courageous characters here. 
Obviously the other five teenagers who go to the MoM are brave.
Ron, for example, consistently shows courage. He sacrifices himself 
on McGonagall's chessboard in SS.  He faces the spider colony in CoS 
and would have certainly gone into the chamber if he could have. In 
PoA, he stands on a broken leg and tells Sirius that Sirius will have 
to kill him to get at Harry. 

But does anyone else in the series face certain death? I don't think 
so, although I am sure this is an arguable point.

Finally, what most clearly sets Harry apart for me is grace under 
pressure.  Quick thinking doesn't quite do this justice. It is far, 
far more than that. He's courageous, and he intuitively knows what 
needs to be done, and he does it. 

His luck is an extension of this and the choices he makes.  He 
chooses to act in the graveyard scene. That saves him. In the 
chamber, he chooses to oppose Riddle and trust Dumbledore.  That 
saves him.  In SS, he chooses to attack Quirrelmort, and that saves 
him.
 
Del:
> I'm just annoyed that he's given so much more respect than 
> any other character in the books, when so many other characters 
> deserve at least as much respect as he does, and could be just as 
> good heroes as Harry, if they were the ones the bad stuff was 
> happening to.

hg:
Harry gets respect because he has earned it. I don't feel I am 
belittling other characters because I feel strongly about one.