Dumbledore the teacher (was: Umbridge, detention, scars, and plotlines, oh my!.

[a_svirn]

No: HPFGUIDX 126119


 
> SSSusan:
> Two questions.  And I'm *not* trying to convince either of you 
that 
> you're wrong -- just trying to think through possibilities here.
> 
> As for the TWT, I think how one evaluates DD's behavior turns on 
> whether one believes that the name's having gotten into the cup 
and 
> then gotten out as a selection *truly* constitutes a binding 
> contract, regardless of HOW those things happened.  This has been 
> debated here before, and there are those who feel that there has 
to 
> be a way for a Headmaster or step in and say, "Oh, no, no.  This 
is a 
> mistake.  He's underage and he will NOT compete."  There are 
others 
> who believe that the stated *binding contract* really is just that 
> and there was nothing DD could do to get Harry out of it.  (Hard 
to 
> imagine, a bit, I'll admit -- I mean, what if Harry had just 
> said, "No, thanks"?)
> 
> The question which came to mind for me as I read Phoenixgod's 
reasons 
> for not finding DD very believable in OotP was this:  Could it be 
> that until the very end of GoF, DD could convince himself that 
> Harry's antics were all "practice," but now that Voldy had a 
> *corporeal body* back, could hold a wand and move about at will, 
was 
> human again, it meant that DD could no longer deny the reality of 
the 
> situation?  Voldy was back at full force, and Harry would have to 
> face him -- the real thing.  It wasn't "practice" anymore.  I 
mean, 
> could that explain why he so suddenly turned *from* allowing Harry 
to 
> do all these risky things *to* trying to protect him in ways he 
> hadn't before?
> 
> Just askin',
> Siriusly Snapey Susan

a_svirn:
I don't believe that DD deliberately let Harry to continue as a 
fourth champion. As far as we can see he's been getting increasingly 
more worried throughout the GoF. He knew that LV was getting 
stronger and he wasn't happy about the TWT situation. Still, his 
helplessness does look strange, I admit.

There are actually much more questions concerning this business with 
TWT. In fact I'd say that Book 4 is the most controversial so far.
I do believe that the selection of champions constitutes a "truly 
binding contract". So what?  The tradition of holding TWT was 
abandoned a few centuries ago precisely because the whole thing was 
too dangerous and the death tally too high. Then all of a sudden the 
Ministry and DD decided that they could give it a try providing that 
a few rules were changed. So why not change the one regarding the 
selection as a binding contract? It was extremely careless for 
Crouch and DD not to anticipate that kind of thing. After all, 
students were bound to try befuddling the goblet, and considering 
the background of the Durmstrang's headmaster they couldn't in all 
honesty rule out attempts of sabotage and cheating. So why stick to 
that "binding" thing? Just because the Goblet is made that way? 
Surely they could think of something. Make another goblet, if 
necessary. 

(Come to think of it, why didn't they organize a series of "play-
offs"? They certainly had enough time: there was a month gap between 
the selection and the first task and intervals between the tasks 
took a couple of months each. And it does seem bizarre that 22 kids 
came all the way to Hogwarts just to be rejected right upon 
arrival). 

And doesn't the whole setting strike you as an extremely unfair one? 
For starters three judges out of five were British. Moreover it 
seems that unlike their foreign colleagues every teacher at Hogwarts 
from the Headmaster down to Hagrid knew what was in store for the 
champions. Now, Crouch/Moody did say that cheating is a traditional 
part of the tournament, didn't he? It still doesn't explain why the 
other two schools agreed to participate under these terms, however. 
Certainly NOT the best way to foster a better international 
relationship. 

And the tasks themselves. OK, the first one was a bit on the extreme 
side, but no denying it was spectacular. But the other two? We saw 
them through Harry's eyes, so they were spectacular enough for us, 
but imagine that you were part of the audience? You could only have 
seen how the champions prepared to brave the lake, and how they 
entered the maze. What kind of tournament is that if all you can do 
is to watch the lake surface or the maze hedges? For hours and hours 
presumably. I really would like to hear what sort of commentary Ludo 
Bagman came up with under the circumstances. 

And finally why did LV bother with this tournament at all? If all he 
needed was to arrange a port-key, surely Crouch jr. could arrange it 
any time he wanted without going to such lengths in order to ensure 
Harry's victory? One can turn ANYTHING into a portkey, can't one? 
And Crouch-Moody had the whole year at his disposal. 

a_svirn