Sportsmanship in Harry Potter

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 151762

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "finwitch" <finwitch at ...> wrote:
>
> 
> > Catherine now:
> > ... if the bubblehead charm is something that is taught in 
> > Charms in 7th year, how come Hermione didn't find it? We 
> > really don't know how much help the others got for the tasks.
> > And there's no canon to prove anything.
> 
> Finwitch: 
> 
> Well, the Bubblehead Charm was widely used in the Trio's 5th 
> year because of the constant smoke-bombing, even by younger 
> students.
> 
> I assume that it was in a library book, not a regural Charms 
> book. As to why Hermione didn't find it -- Why, someone else 
> ... had checked it out!
> 
> Finwitch
>

bboyminn:

Harry and Hermione looked long and hard in the library for some way to
stay underwater for over and hour and live, but they weren't having
much luck partly because they didn't know what they were looking for.
After the Bubble-Head Charm was demonstrated in the Tri-Wizards
tournement, then all the student knew about it and it would have been
much easier to find and learn. I suspect in fifth year, a few students
looked up the Charm, and when the need arose they taught it to their
friends who in turn taught it to their friends and it spread through
the school. 

My point is that it is understandable that more students would know
about the charm after it was so effectively demonstrated in the
Tournement. Those 'after-the-fact' students would have a much easier
time finding and learning that charm because they had seen it
demonstrated and knew its name. Harry and Hermione were looking for a
needle in a haystack, or more accurately looking for an unknown
'something' in a haystack. That is a much more difficult task.


to A_Svirn - 

"Harry got tips *and* solutions on a silver platter. Cedric got tips
but came up with solutions by himself."

It's pretty clear we don't agree on this subject in general, but
that's OK, it would be a dull conversation if everyone agreed. In
fact, if we all agreed, wouldn't the conversation be pretty much over?

I do understand what you are saying and the points you are trying to
make, but I have to disagree (big surprise) on the idea that Harry got
'solutions on a silver platter'.  Yes, he did get help, but we can
safely assume the other champions also got help as well. You seem to
have already acknowledged that point. Yet, I still see Harry working
out his own solutions. He did the flying to get past the dragon. Moody
told Cedric how to solve the Egg clue. True we don't know exactly what
Moody said, but we do know what Cedric said, and it was vague and
indirect. Once Harry was in the bath, with a little help from Myrtle,
he worked the clue out himself. That is, he interpreted the meaning of
the clue. 

I absolutely acknowledge that Harry had help, but I can't quite go as
far as 'solutions handed to him on a silver plater'. That seems like a
gross overstatement. The truth is that, even with help, Harry wins by
the skin of his teeth. He hangs on the edge of losing and struggle
desperately to get by. In the end, he just barely squeezes out a win,
and as I have already said, sometimes he is well aware that his
victory is flawed and hollow. He feels he has the technical win but
not the moral victory, and therefore feels no victory in his win.

For what it's worth.

Steve/bboyminn