Sportsmanship/legitimacy

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 151913

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "a_svirn" <a_svirn at ...> wrote:
>
> My yesterday's reply did not materialize, so I think I'll try again.

Geoff:
I think we are all suffering from that problem. It took me two goes to get 
my last message on the board.

> > > a_svirn:
> > > Anyway. Because of this "culture of the game", as you put it, the
> > > rules simply aren't working. There is a rule that no underage
> wizard
> > > can participate; a bit of cheating - et voila! a fourteen year
> old
> > > enters the lists (and stays there).
> >
> > Geoff:
> > A fourteen year-old who did not put his name into the competition.
> > His
> > name was placed there as part of a carefully camouflaged plot for
> > his kidnap, torture and assassination.
>
> a_svirn:
> Yes we all are aware of that. But it wasn't the issue under
> discussion.

Geoff:
To quote Dumbledore "Yes and no".

Harry did not "enter the lists". He was press-ganged into them by friend
Crouch!Moody.

a_svirn:
> > > Harry, the second Hogwarts champion, has *no* de jure standing
> > > whatsoever - he simply shouldn't be there, but it doesn't deter
> > > him
> > > from participating and winning the tournament. What exists de
> > > facto is eventually legitimised. And the rules in effect loose
> > > their meaning and cease to be.
> >
> > Geoff:
> > Again, he didn't want to participate; he was told by Crouch that
> > he had to because he had (unknowingly) been drawn into a binding
> > magical contract. He didn't want to take part or win.
>
> a_svirn:
> Again, it's not about Harry. There is no need to defend him at every
> turn.

Geoff:
I'm not, but it may be the way that we look at things from a slightly
different standpoint. I seem to sense that you have an agenda to
blame Harry and suggest that he cheated right from the beginning.

He found out about the dragons because Hagrid took him out to
show him and wouldn't reveal what they were going to see. He then
knew that Viktor and Fleur would have been told and so he
ensured that Cedric also knew to try to re-establish a level playing field.

In general terms, the champions then knew what was in the offing for
the remainig tasks, namely something underwater and a cup in a maze.

a_svirn:
> The
> hosts break blatantly the most fundamental rule of the tournament by
> introducing an extra champion...

Geoff:
I am trying to avoid a "table tennis" post, but I must return to my point
that the hosts didn't introduce an extra person. This was due to
Moody!Crouch's altering the Goblet of Fire.

Perhaps Dumbledore should have given less credence to Barty Crouch
Senior's judgment about the binding contract.

But that would have spoiled the story.....