CHAPDISC: DH36, THE FLAW IN THE PLAN.

[Zara]

No: HPFGUIDX 185276

> Eggplant:
> Remedial potions! The man was top of his class!

Zara:
He missed the second NEWT year. And as the entire conversation about 
his Auror career appears based on Rowling's interview comments, I'll 
refer to them - he never went back to learn that material. Nor did he 
use any Potions expertise in the defeat of Voldemort that would 
suggest to us that he had learned that material on his own.

More to the point, he was top of his class for one period of a few 
months, while using a certain book he later abandoned, to its likely 
destruction by Fiendfyre. Without that book, he returned to his more 
usual mediocrity (in that subject). I don't dounbt he could have 
passed the NEWT exam in this subject with some effort, but it's not 
his forte.

DADA/Dark Arts is, and we see continuing development of Harry's 
skills in this department in DH, such as his successful use of 
nonverbal spells to protect people while playing dead and hiding 
under the Invisibility Cloak in the final battle, and his new ability 
to cast two of the Unforgivable Curses. Which are resasons I doubt 
anyone thinks Harry needs more study in *that* area to achieve 
proficiency.

> Eggplant:
> There is not a speck of evidence that Dumbledore never used an
> Unforgivable, What we do know is that as a young man he tried to 
use a
> lethal curse of some kind, something that Harry never did. 

Zara:
Do you mean, because Ariana died? I would disagree that follows. The 
death could have been due to her condition causing her to be unable 
to withstand a spell that is not lethal to witches in good health, or 
due to a combination of spells that would not individually cause 
deathly harm (no one seems clear on who or what killed her). It could 
also have been due to a spell cast by Gellert Grindelwald or Aberforth
(though this is not what I believe).

That Albus did not, in fact, use the Elder Wand to cast 
Unforgivables, is hinted by the text. Both McGonagall's statement 
that there were powers Albus was too noble to use in PS/SS, and 
Voldemort's echoing of that sentiment during his duel with Albus in 
OotP, suggest it. There is certainly no hint he *did* use such curses 
either.

Harry knowingly attemtped the Dark spell Sectumsempra in his pursuit 
of Snape in HBP. It certainly seems lethal to me.

> Eggplant:
> And even
> Dumbledore says that Harry is the better man and can be better 
trusted
> with power.

Zara:
While Albus seems impressed with Harry's superior handling of the 
Resurrection Stone, he also concurs with Harry that his decision to 
put both it and the Elder Wand aside is a wise one.