SPOILER WARNING: A thread about the Harry Potter books

[Darth K'Trava]

I don't see a Harry versus Voldemort showdown coming (ala Luke versus Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back, as it were: 'The Magic is with you, young Potter, but you are not a Wizard yet.')
I think Harry is going to have to use more tact, if he wishes to defeat the greatest living wizard in the world. I see Harry, Hermione and Ron, coming up with some plans ...

Or else you'll see more than one showdown... Harry losing the first one (several) and then he manages to win the last one at the end.... after getting his butt literally handed to him in the ensuing fight before the last-minute win (typical Hollywood movie ending).

Hope that's not the case. Giving in to Hollywood stereotypical cheesy endings.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

Hey there, all.
I'm trying to remember the names of all the teachers at Hogwart's through the 6 books, and am not doing it. Could someone help?
I've got:

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of the School
Miranda McGonagall, Assistant Headmaster of the School and Head of House Gryffindor
(something) Flitwick and Head of House Ravenclaw
Severus Snape and Head of House Slytherin
(something) Hooch
(something) Pomfrey
(the history professor)
(something) Sprout (and Head of House Hufflepuff?)
(something) Hagrid
(something) Quirrell
Rupert Lupin
Mad-Eyed Moody (or (something) Moody)
(something) Slugworth
(that bad woman from the Ministry of Magic in book 5)
(something) Lockhart
(the divination professor)

Who am I missing? Anyone know the first names? Thanks much.

Edena_of_Neith

 

[Donovan Morningfire]

Listing and Bios of the Hogwarts staff

Mugglenet, and by extension Leaky Cauldron, are the two best sites for info on the Potterverse, both on the released books and in collecting rumors and announcements regarding the upcoming book as well.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

Thanks much there, Donovan.
Who would you say is your favorite Hogwart's teacher? Who would you say is the best of the Hogwart's teachers?

 

[Squire James]

Thanks much there, Donovan.
Who would you say is your favorite Hogwart's teacher? Who would you say is the best of the Hogwart's teachers?

Snape is the Howard Cosell of the Harry Potter world! He's my least favorite AND my most favorite...

As for "best teacher", that honor apparently goes to "the Half-Blood Prince". That semi-mythical figure was a lot better at teaching (Harry) Potions than Snape ever was! Ironic, isn't it?

 

[Darth K'Trava]

Snape is the Howard Cosell of the Harry Potter world! He's my least favorite AND my most favorite...

As for "best teacher", that honor apparently goes to "the Half-Blood Prince". That semi-mythical figure was a lot better at teaching (Harry) Potions than Snape ever was! Ironic, isn't it?

Yup. VERY ironic.

Especially since it seems that Snape intimidates Harry and it shows in his classwork.

 

[Donovan Morningfire]

Yup. VERY ironic.

Especially since it seems that Snape intimidates Harry and it shows in his classwork.

That or Snape just has a lousy teaching method. After all, how well can you do in a subject if the teacher is constantly giving you low grades simply for breathing? It's been shown time and again that he is blatantly unfair to non-Slytherins, with Harry and Neville being singled out for especially unfair treatment.

For my favorite teacher, I'd have to say it was Fake!Moody. Considering the guy did such a great job that he convinced Dumbledore that he was the real deal, it was probably pretty close to how the real Moody would have taught. Heck, maybe for Book 7 we'll have the real Mad-Eye teaching Defense against the Dark Arts...

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

I think of Snape as being an Anti-Hero (Thomas Covenant is also an Anti-Hero, but I think Snape would throw a Cruciatious Curse on me if he ever heard me say that.)

Severus Snape is arrogant, prejudiced, petty, vindictive, and not a very good teacher.
Yet ...
He is extraordinarily bright, a prodigy at potions and dark arts among other things, maintains exacting self discipline and control (especially in crisises where such control makes all the difference), and is loyal to Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix to the point of death and worse than death.

He's a man you can love and hate, both, at the same time.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

Harry should have realized something was very wrong when Mad-Eyed-Moody merely asked to 'borrow' the Marauder's Map.
The real Mad-Eyed Moody would have confiscated it at once. (Lupin did so when he discovered it in Harry's possession, and he was considerably less paranoid and exacting than Mad-Eyed Moody.)

Harry should have gone to Dumbledore right then and there, confessed about the Marauder's Map, and pointed the finger of suspicion at Moody. This was a life and death game Voldemort was playing, as Harry found out the hard way when Sirius Black was killed.

 

[Donovan Morningfire]

Harry should have realized something was very wrong when Mad-Eyed-Moody merely asked to 'borrow' the Marauder's Map.
The real Mad-Eyed Moody would have confiscated it at once. (Lupin did so when he discovered it in Harry's possession, and he was considerably less paranoid and exacting than Mad-Eyed Moody.)

Harry should have gone to Dumbledore right then and there, confessed about the Marauder's Map, and pointed the finger of suspicion at Moody. This was a life and death game Voldemort was playing, as Harry found out the hard way when Sirius Black was killed.

Well, Harry had no reason to suspect fake Moody as being just that, a fake. Nobody had confided in him what the signs were, so he didn't really know that Voldemort was up to something. Also, prior to all that, Moody had gone out of his way to earn Harry's trust and respect, such as the subtle hint about how to deal with the dragon, humiliating Malfoy who had tried to curse Harry when his back was turned, and just in general impressing the lad with his depth of knowledge about defending yourself from the Dark Arts. He swallowed Moody's story about hunting for Voldemort's agent (again having no reason not to trust the man), already suspected something was afoot (why was Barty Crouch sneaking around in Snape's office when he was supposedly sike), and figured the map would prove a great boon to a highly-skilled Auror, a man whom Harry liked and respected. Besides, from Harry's point of view, it was better that Moody had it than Snape or Filch, who'd try and use it to get Potter in a lot of trouble. Also remember from Harry's first year when he kept accusing Snape of wanting the Philsopher's Stone, and how his suspicion proved to be wrong? He's not about to go accusing Moody, who from Harry's view hasn't done anything wrong, especially when he's convinced that at long as he's at Hogwarts, he's safe from Voldemort's reach.

In hindsight, it wasn't the best idea giving Fake!Moody the map. But then again, Harry isn't known for his sound judgemental processes. He's much better at the spur-of-the-moment, sudden-death decisions.