Saving Ginny (was Re: Lockhart's incompetence)

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 143213

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "quigonginger" 
<quigonginger at y...> wrote:

Ginger:
 
> I'm going to throw in some text that I think shows that the 
teachers 
> did have a pretty good idea that they were just getting Lockhart 
out 
> of the way, rather than expecting him to solve anything.  All 
quotes 
> are from ch. 16 of CoS, American paperback.
> 
> When Lockhart enters the staffroom, "the other teachers were 
looking 
> at him with something remarkably like hatred.
> "Snape stepped forward.  
> "'Just the man,' he said.  'The very man.' (snip) 'Your moment has 
> come.'
> (snip)
> "'That's right, Gilderoy,' chipped in Professor Sprout. 'Weren't 
you 
> saying just last night that you've known all along where the 
entrance 
> to the Chamber of Secrets is?'
> "'-well, I-' sputtered Lockhart.
> "'Yes, didn't you tell me you were sure you knew that was inside 
it?' 
> piped up Professor Flitwick.
> "'D-did I?  I don't recall-'
> (snip)
> Lockhart lookes around at his stony-faced colleagues.
> "'I- I really never-you may have misunderstood'
> (snip more dialogue and Lockhart leaves)
> "'Right,' said Professor McGonagall, whose nostrils were 
> flared, 'that's got *him* (emphasis JKR) out from under our feet."
> 
> End quotes.  
> 
> I snipped conversation that was more of the same, but it seems to 
me 
> that Snape took the lead and the others followed.  I don't think 
that 
> any of them had any hope save that he would leave the room and 
leave 
> them in peace.  As a matter of conscience, I'd think that if they 
had 
> any inkling that he would succeed, they would have offered some 
sort 
> of backup.
> 
> It doesn't say it in the text, but I think it's implied well enough 
> that we can pretty safely assume it, especially since Lockhart was 
> doing some serious backpeddling throughout as the others pressed 
him 
> further.

Geoff:
My concern is, that although there is a certain amount of smug 
satisfaction in watching Lockhart backpedalling, what were the staff 
actually proposing to /do/ about Ginny once they'd got him out of the 
way?

It seems fairly obvious that they didn't expect him to get very far 
but then immediately turned their minds to less urgent matters such 
as keeping the students secure in the dormitories and sending them 
home on the Hogwarts Express. There seemed to be no thought of trying 
to reach Ginny....