[HPforGrownups] Re: What HP Character Scares You Most?

[Eric Oppen]

No: HPFGUIDX 191857

Quoting Bart Lidofsky <bart at moosewise.com>:

> Geoff:
>> I did quote Lockhart and Percy W as coming within that description but
>> not quite up to Umbridge's standard - but on reflection, Lockhart
>> shows himself potentially to be a very dangerous man by his behaviour
>> in the Chamber of Secrets; he was fully prepared to sacrifice Ginny
>> and permanently damage Harry and Ron for his own ends.
>
> Bart:
>      Smiley is probably a more typical sociopath than Morty. Not only
> does he have no qualms against the harm he does, he does not understand
> why people would take exception to it, although he is intellectually
> aware that people do. Unlike Morty, he does not seem to think too far
> ahead or stick to a plan (otherwise, he would never have taken the
> Hogwarts teaching position), which, once again is more typical for a
> sociopath.
>
>      Bart

In the hands of a different writer (JKR is wonderful, but she was  
still learning then) "Smiley" might have been an interestingly tragic  
character.  When Ron and Harry go looking for him after Ginny  
disappears, they find him writing out his will, and he confesses to  
them that he's a fraud and always has been.  Then, with a sigh, he  
signs his will, picks up his wand, and says "Time to man up and walk  
the walk...it'll be strange after talking the talk for so long."   
Basically, he's sure that he's going to his own death, but _he is the  
DADA prof,_ and even though he's sure it's a suicide run, he's not  
about to let one of his pupils down.

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