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

[Magpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 163503

Steve:
> I think in the final book, we will see Harry grow
> tremendously. I think we will get a much truer sense of
> Harry's real underlying magical power.
>
> So, in short (if that's still possible), I was merely
> saying that I think people are magically underestimating
> Harry.

Magpie:
That I can believe may definitely true. I guess for me I just had problems 
with considering all these people geniuses of any kind, because it really 
doesn't seem to interest Rowling. It's really a tangent to what you're 
describing.

Like I said, when it comes to magical knowledge and prowess to me it seems 
like there's just no "there" there. There's nothing to learn, because 
Rowling hasn't worked it out. MWPP didn't create the Marauders Map because 
they are presented as amazingly genius characters, they did it so Harry 
could get this object for plot purposes and it would tie into them.

The Twins are kind of the equivalent of game developers in our world--they 
have a talent in their area that would make them successful and they can be 
really creative about these things that interest them. But there's no real 
sense to it, because sometimes they sell things that don't go together. It's 
like instead of having someone be a believable game developer they also 
churn out cold remedies and weapons and sonnets--all the same way they make 
video games, because there's not really any method to it. And then the world 
is dumbed down so that whatever they create has never been created before, 
or not this well. So always the pinnacle is the smart kid in high school.

So while I do agree especially with your thoughts on how within the story 
it's unrealistic for Harry to not want to work on his skills, my doubts 
about it come more from wondering just what there would be for him to learn. 
Even when he taught the DA it came down to, as usual, pointing your wand and 
saying the word (of a basic spell, because they cover most things you need 
to do) and when you got it right it would work. When you get up to what the 
books, imo, presents as the genius level--Dumbledore and Voldemort--it gets 
even vaguer. Voldeore puts a signature in his magic? You can read signatures 
in magic? How? It's so "advanced" we can't even begin to get how it works 
because the magic we've seen doesn't seem to work that way.

Which is not to say that Harry couldn't, as you say, be exceptionally 
powerfully magically. He could. I just don't think he's got the stuff in his 
world for us to really follow him on a training course.

-m