[HPforGrownups] Re: What is with the wimpy spells?

[Lynda Cordova]

No: HPFGUIDX 162738

TheIllusiveOne:

 don't think that's good enough of an excuse. Snape was inventing
spells and modifying potions in his sixth year. James Potter was
casting silent spells in his fifth. Voldemort was IMMORTAL by his
sixth year. Harry's had Voldemort after him for years, yes, but
you'd think that would make him even more motivated to learn useful
and powerful spells, and to work hard in school. Hermione has been
with Harry most of the time, and yet she manages to learn advanced
stuff early (The charm on the fake Galleons in OotP). That's been my
biggest problem with the last two books, Harry went from a powerful,
motivated (the Patronus charm, the spells for the Triwizard
Tournament, etc) young wizard, into a completely average,
unmotivated kid (Not learning Occulemency, being tricked easily by
Voldemort, cheating in potions, etc) and really not doing much of
anything.

Lynda:

Perhaps the reason he isn't learning the more advanced spells is because
Hermione has been there for him to lean on. He has fairly recently
discovered that his father wasn't the all wonderful, ever good wizard he had
built up in his mind. Snape, (a very talented wizard in his youth) is not
someone he wants to emulate--which by the way explains his lack of trying to
attain any skill in occlumency--and let's face it, his life has been rather
full of other stuff, even if the other stuff is the occasional "lesson" with
Dumbledore or planning and training Quidditch matches for Gryffindor. And
then there were those detentions, the ones with Umbridge in OOP and the ones
under Snape in HBP.  Its not a perfect answer, I know that, but then I'm not
looking for that. I've seen enough real life people not fulfill all of their
potential to see it as plausible.

Lynda


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