[HPforGrownups] Re: Was Draco trying to kill Harry? Was:What if other teachers behaved like Snap

[Mrs.) Lee Storm (God Is The Healing Force]

No: HPFGUIDX 101293

| From: pippin_999 [mailto:foxmoth at qnet.com]
| Sent: Monday, June 14, 2004 17:45 PM
| Pippin:
| He didn't have to study them. He encountered them on the train
| and he was so terrified he nearly wet himself, according to Fred
| and George. If what you say is true, Draco should have thought
| the sight of him would scare everybody in the stadium including
| his own side into fits. I don't think so.
|
| He was trying to distract Harry, I'll grant you that. But if you
| think that could have been fatal, what about "Weasley is our
| king"? Nobody seems to have thought that was particularly
| dangerous. It just distracted Ron and made him let the Quaffle
| in.

[Lee]:
To me, there's a big difference between a very insulting song and seeing
something that's been known to make a person pass out.

Harry saw what he interpreted to be a dementor.  Perhaps if he'd waited
another few moments, he would have realized that those mental affects
weren't happening so the thing couldn't be a real dementor.  But he saw what
he perceived as a dementor; he acted rapidly and shot off his Patronus, then
went on to gain the snitch.

Quoting from POA, US:
     "Oh!" screamed Cho, pointing.

     Distracted, Harry looked down.

     Three dementors, three tall, black, hooded dementors, were looking up
at him.
     He didn't stop to think. Plunging a hand down the neck of his robes, he
whipped out his wand and roared, "Expecto patronum!"

     Something silver-white, something enormous, erupted from the end of his
wand. He knew it had shot directly at the dementors but didn't pause to
watch; his mind still miraculously clear, he looked ahead--he was
nearly there. He stretched out the hand still grasping his wand and just
managed to close his fingers over the small, struggling Snitch.

END QUOTE

So, Harry really believed they were dementors; he probably figured that his
mind remained clear because he had reacted so fast and, possibly, had been
prepared anticipating this possible occurrence of dementors.

I still hold that if he hadn't been prepared, the sight may have caused him
serious injury.  Knowing what dementors could do to him, he reacted well
under pressure, IMO.

Yes, "Weasley Is Our King" was downright nasty, distracting, flustering,
etc.  But it wasn't known to cause anyone to lose consciousness.

Cheers,

Lee :-)

Do not walk behind me,     | Lee Storm
I may not care to lead;    | N2FGC
Do not walk before me,     | n2fgc at optonline.net (or)
I may not care to follow;  | n2fgc at arrl.net
Walk beside me, and be my friend.