DD's Knowledge (was Re: Nice vs. Good, honesty,)

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 153284


> LUPINLORE:  Then is Harry mistaken about Dumbledore knowing everything 
> that goes on at Hogwarts?  That would explain a lot, but if so it 
> needs to be made clear.  Dumbledore's knowledge seems to wax and wane 
> in awfully suspicious ways.
> 
> For instance, let's look at OOTP.  He becomes enraged at Umbridge 
> for "manhandling" Marietta, yet takes no action whatsoever to protect 
> Harry from the scar quill.  Why?  Why does one thing enrage him into 
> the most "proactive" DD we've seen to that point and the other get not 
> even a whimper of protest out of him?

Pippin:
We must accept that Dumbledore's ability to spy on the DADA teachers
is limited. A lot goes on with them that Dumbledore doesn't seem
to know about: not only Umbridge's quill but Fake!Moody keeping
real Moody imprisoned in his trunk and brewing up quantities of 
polyjuice, Quirrell's conferences with his turban, and Harry hearing
voices through the walls of Lockhart's office. I have a feeling the
Founders thought they needed a check against the mighty powers
of the Headmaster, so they made the DADA teacher's office 
Imperturbable.

But after all, if Dumbledore thinks Harry has been bullying Draco
in PS/SS  (and whatever was discovered after the fact about the 
polyjuice episode in CoS probably confirmed that impression)
then Harry getting bullied begins to sound like, um, just deserts.

And Dumbledore doesn't stand in the way of people getting their
just deserts, does he? 

It seems to me that a lot of Harry's troubles come from trying to
parent the adults.  If he hadn't tried to cover up Hagrid's dragon
problems, he would've been able to tell McGonagall the truth.
If he hadn't been trying to protect McGonagall, he could have
told her about Umbridge. If he hadn't been trying to protect 
Sirius, he could have used the Mirror. In fact, if he'd  let Sirius 
and Lupin deal with Snape and then with Pettigrew in PoA,
a whole boatload of troubles might have been avoided. 

Pippin