[HPforGrownups] The Power of Harry ... (was: Harry's Characterization)

[Magpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 163490

Steve:
> Again, we can use Hermione as the standard. We could even
> say that Hermione is an intellectual and magical genius,
> but she is not even remotely in the league of Tom, James,
> or Sirius.
>
> Now to Harry; Harry is basically a 'B' student, but
> grades (or marks if you prefer) are not a measure of
> true genius. Genius does not guarantee achievement.
> Albert Einstein was considered an idiot by his
> secondary school teachers. Now, I'm not sure that I
> am ready to push Harry up into the intellectual genius
> catagory; it could go either way. But certainly given
> that James and Lily were extremely talented, one can
> only assume that Harry also has inherited some degree
> of that talent. The son of two geniuses is very likely
> to be /smart/.

Magpie:
To me it seems a lot simpler to just accept that although we're told about 
certain people being geniuses in the HP world, the world's not about 
intellectual genius ("books and cleverness"). The magical system isn't 
written in a way that much allows for it. It's all just hocus 
pocus--especially if you're supposed to be one of the geniuses, who seem to 
me to only be maybe Dumbledore and Flamel because they study stuff like 
Alchemy.

Mostly what you've got is physical ability and cleverness, which is often 
described in terms of intellect when it really isn't. Very little of 
anything studied is exactly intellectual, yet we understand that Hermione is 
supposed to be brainy because she can wave her wand the right way on the 
first try. That seems to me where most of the good students fall--they're 
skilled, not brainiacs. Snape is the one who shows signs of heading more in 
Dumbledore's direction with his ability to seemingly create improvements on 
things, but of course we can't really follow that because it's all just made 
up. I can imagine Harry growing up to be like Sirius, but that to me does 
not equal Harry revealing himself to be an intellectual giant. More like 
Harry growing up to be an expert swordsman.

Steve:
> So why doesn't Harry do better in school? Why
> hasn't he achieved things like the Marauder's Map or
> Animagus? I think part of it is Harry upbringing. To
> some extent, Harry has always had to suppress himself
> at the Dursleys.

Magpie:
We've been living in Harry's head for 6 years and if he were hiding Einstein 
in there I think we'd know it--and not necessarily from his grades. I see no 
more reason to come up with reasons why Harry is really a genius only he's 
never shown it because of the Dursleys than I do to come up with reasons why 
sweet and fluffy Snape never gives hugs because it would blow his cover. 
Harry does fine in school, and isn't a genius or an idiot.

Steve:
Standing out is /standing out/ and
> that means being noticed and being noticed means trouble
> at the Dursleys. Mush better, and much safer, to be > quiet and 
> unassuming.

Magpie:
Harry isn't always quiet and unassuming. He's got no problem becoming a 
Quidditch star when he discovers he's a great flyer. He likes flying and he 
likes Quidditch; he practices and he competes. He likes winning. He also 
threatens to go into a bit of a snit when he's not made Prefect.

Steve:
> So, through it all I see Harry constantly holding back,
> and I can understand that. I somewhat did that myself
> in high school. In the small town I grew up in, it
> wasn't good to stand out, so I just slide by as a 'B'
> student, never doing homework or studying. I regret
> that now, because I could have been and done so much
> more. But at the time, that was what I preceive to be
> the best method of surviving without conflict.

Magpie:
But where has this ever been presented in Harry's thought processes when 
he'd rather play Quidditch than study or have intellectual thoughts? 
Especially at times when his grades really count or when he's worried over 
his grades? I don't think his taking more interest in school would make him 
stand out all that much--he already spends a good amount of time on his work 
and seems to be giving it his best effort most of the time. He doesn't mind 
it in sixth year when he's really making himself stand out and enjoying 
appearing like a better student than he is in Potions. He doesn't seem to 
connect to the HBP at all on the intellectual level. He neither knows nor 
cares why the Prince's improvements work.

>From what I got from Carol's post, she seemed to be saying that he was a 
perfectly fine student, but that what he's really known for and what his 
strengths are lie elsewhere. Einstein may have gotten D's, but that doesn't 
mean getting D's makes you Einstein. I've no doubt Harry will grow up to be 
a perfectly competant wizard, even though here, at practically the end of 
his schooling, he seems hopelessly behind all the other adults. But I don't 
see him turning into a somebody else even if that someone were a genius.

-m