Harry's Abilities (WAS Re: Am I the only one...)

[P. Alexis Nguyen]

No: HPFGUIDX 135783

Valky:

> Onto another matter, I recall a thread earlier that discussed Harry
> having no ability to match Snape. I'd like to take this opportunity to
> differ greatly on that. During the DADA lesson that was focussed upon
> the use of non-verbal defense, Snape made to attack Harry in a very
> fast move and without warning. Harry beat him to the mark, verbal or
> non-verbal Snape was no match for Harry's gut reflex. Remembering that
> Hermione quoted the book on nonverbal magic saying that the point was
> to give the caster a "split-second" advantage notice how JKR points
> out Harry's ability to make the split second advantage moot, he's just
> that fast in defense. OTOH in Flight of the Prince, Harry's attacking
> of Snape seems to put him right off his game, which seems to say a lot
> about what Harry's talents will limit for him, but it definitely
> doesn't take away the brilliance he showed in the DADA clasroom or his
> outshooting of Draco in the bathroom, albeit with disastrous
> consequences.

Another point to add in Harry's favour:
Harry had just witnessed Dumbledore's death (or supposed death,
depending on what camp you're in).  He's emotionally distraught, and
Harry just isn't good when he lets his emotions get the better of him;
we've seen this time and time again.  On top of that, the first thing
you learn in any self-defense class is that you must keep calm; the
person who is calm generally prevails over the person who isn't.  In
the Flight Of The Prince, Snape is certainly keeping his cool up until
the end, while Harry is just throwing jinxes to appease his anger.  In
my opinion, you cannot take this scene to say that Harry is lacking in
potential and/or power.

While I still wouldn't say that Harry is a wizard of Snape's caliber,
Harry is still fairly proficient and has proven himself so, more times
that some (many?) people on this list seems to have given him credit
for.  In GoF, he proved that, if he applies himself, he has a great
capacity for learning.  To echo a remark [Lexicon] Steve made, I'm
hoping that this means that Harry will learn and improve in the future
since, at this point, he's ill-equipped to handle Voldemort.  However,
Harry has proven he has the capacity to become a great wizard, so
here's to hoping that Book 7 isn't a disappointment.

~Ali