# harry potter stuff that bothers you **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 4, 2014, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-stuff-that-bothers-you/680466 "2014-02-04T00:06:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2014, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-stuff-that-bothers-you/680466/341 "2014-02-15T02:08:30Z")
> [@expectopatronum](#): > > it is, actually. in the “king’s cross” chapter of deathly hallows (when harry and dumbledore have their in-limbo powwow) he says when he realized the ring contained the resurrection stone, he lost his head a little and put it on, forgetting for a moment that the ring was a horcrux and was surely cursed. (“i was a fool…sorely tempted”) > > and yes, voldemort does say “i regret it” when he kills snape. The smartest and most powerful wizard who is LOOKING for horcruxes looses his head and puts it on. I thought that was a bit lame. Even Hagrid knew you didn’t touch cursed objects and he’s about as dense as it gets. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2014, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-stuff-that-bothers-you/680466/342 "2014-02-15T02:12:43Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Did he? I don’t remember that. > > Talking you at your word, it’s still him using an animal to vanquish a powerful opponent, which has apparently happened with real world dictators. And Harry can see into Voldemort’s mind and realizes he has no real regret or sadness to see Snape go. ---
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2014, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-stuff-that-bothers-you/680466/343 "2014-02-15T03:11:10Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > The smartest and most powerful wizard who is LOOKING for horcruxes looses his head and puts it on. I thought that was a bit lame. Even Hagrid knew you didn’t touch cursed objects and he’s about as dense as it gets. i disagree. of course he knew not to touch a cursed object, but the hallows were an obsession of his as a youth, and the resurrection stone was the one he longed for the most. when he realized he had it, all he could think was that he was about to see his mother and sister again, both of whom were taken far before their time. he also considered his sister’s death to be his fault, so he was carrying decades old guilt as well. dumbledore was an exceptionally powerful and clever wizard, yes, but he was also human. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2014, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-stuff-that-bothers-you/680466/344 "2014-02-15T03:25:36Z")
> [@expectopatronum](#): > > i disagree. of course he knew not to touch a cursed object, but the hallows were an obsession of his as a youth, and the resurrection stone was the one he longed for the most. when he realized he had it, all he could think was that he was about to see his mother and sister again, both of whom were taken far before their time. he also considered his sister’s death to be his fault, so he was carrying decades old guilt as well. dumbledore was an exceptionally powerful and clever wizard, yes, but he was also human. Well yes I got the reason he did that but he basically stuck his hand in a wizard bear trap. I realize we’re picking apart a child’s story intended to shove morality into unlit places but I found myself constantly taken out of the moment with all the plot-holes. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2014, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-stuff-that-bothers-you/680466/345 "2014-02-15T04:03:06Z")
> [@bldysabba](#): > > I can download it just fine, but I don’t have access to my Kindle just now, will test it later. I was meaning to ask you - how did you scrape it? I couldn’t get copy paste or anything to work on that site. I was trying because it kept crashing all the time. And I hate pausing my reading. A program I found called, appropriately enough, [FanFictionDownloader](http://fanfictiondownloader.net/). I thought of just posting a link to the program, but I realized I needed to test it first before recommending it. And since I was going to test it, I’d figured I might as well just post the finished product. Also, while I didn’t need it to scrape the site, I do have a way to get the copy-and-paste abilities back. I use a Firefox extension called [RightToClick](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/righttoclick/). I guess when you can’t really rely on copyright to protect your work, you are stuck with annoying technical solutions like blocking copy-and-paste. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-stuff-that-bothers-you/680466/346 "2014-02-15T19:56:32Z")
Another thing from the movies, this one from _Prisoner of Azkaban_. The part where they were fighting the boggart – am I the only one who thought that the jack-in-the-box was creepier than the giant cobra? That thing wasn’t funny, it looked like something out of a Stephen King movie. (And this is coming from someone whose boggar would probably BE a snake!) ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2014, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-stuff-that-bothers-you/680466/347 "2014-02-15T20:43:42Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I realize we’re picking apart a child’s story intended to shove morality into unlit places but I found myself constantly taken out of the moment with all the plot-holes. I didn’t have the same experience of having my suspension of disbelief constantly disrupted, but I agree that I felt like having Dumbledore try on the ring was just too unbelievable. I thought, there’s no WAY he would have done that, and even having read all the fan explanations for it, etc., I still feel that way. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2014, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-stuff-that-bothers-you/680466/348 "2014-02-15T21:57:02Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Voldemort didn’t have Snape killed because Snape was an opponent. Volde thought Snape was the Master of the Elder Wand. Doesn’t that make Snape an opponent? > [@Guinastasia](#): > > Another thing from the movies, this one from _Prisoner of Azkaban_. The part where they were fighting the boggart – am I the only one who thought that the jack-in-the-box was creepier than the giant cobra? That thing wasn’t funny, it looked like something out of a Stephen King movie. (And this is coming from someone whose boggar would probably BE a snake!) Definitely! It looked a lot like Pennywise. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2014, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-stuff-that-bothers-you/680466/349 "2014-02-15T22:56:36Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Doesn’t that make Snape an opponent? Not really. Snape wasn’t opposing Voldemort. (Well, he was, but not openly. You know what I mean.) He just had a magical power that Voldemort could only get by killing him. This is probably a pretty fine distinction. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2014, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-stuff-that-bothers-you/680466/350 "2014-02-16T01:32:23Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Doesn’t that make Snape an opponent? I always think of “opponent” as a mutual sort of thing. Voldemort didn’t know Snape was secretly on the other side. If you and I were in a fist fight, we’d be opponents. If I shoot you from 200 yards away with a rifle, we’re not opponents, you’re my victim. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-stuff-that-bothers-you/680466/351 "2014-02-17T05:40:35Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > The smartest and most powerful wizard who is LOOKING for horcruxes looses his head and puts it on. I thought that was a bit lame. Even Hagrid knew you didn’t touch cursed objects and he’s about as dense as it gets. This is only a hole if we expect wise and powerful people to _always_ act rational and without error. Is that a reasonable expectation? ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-stuff-that-bothers-you/680466/352 "2014-02-17T23:01:44Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > This is only a hole if we expect wise and powerful people to _always_ act rational and without error. Is that a reasonable expectation? No, but if you set up a character to be an unusually-wise (and well-informed) player of a long game—as is surely what Rowling intended us to think of Dumbledore—then a foundation for a lapse from rational decisions by that character must be carefully prepared and presented. Some, here, seem to be saying that “he gave in to temptation” fails to be a plausible and well-constructed justification for Dumbledore’s choice to put on the ring, given the traits Rowling had previously established for him. (Opinions on this are going to vary, of course.) ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-stuff-that-bothers-you/680466/353 "2014-02-18T20:37:22Z")
However, Rowling also paints Dumbledore as living with the pain of losing his sister. E.g. when he starts losing his mental capacities when drinking the horcruxe poison he starts babbling about her. I think Rowling was saying that Dumbledore was so wracked with guilt that even _he_ lost his head for a moment when he thought he could make it right. Is it implausible? I don’t think so but I can see that it’s up for debate. I don’t think that makes it a plot hole. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2014, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-stuff-that-bothers-you/680466/354 "2014-02-19T01:54:11Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Meh, that happens all the time in fiction. Like in _Star Wars_, where the droids just HAPPEN to end up with Luke, who just HAPPENS to be attacked by Sand People, who just HAPPENS to be saved by Obi-Wan, the very person that they need to find. Jesus, **Guin**. Would it kill you to use a spoiler box? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2014, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-stuff-that-bothers-you/680466/355 "2014-02-19T04:53:42Z")
Okay, the part that bothers me is the whole [Trace](http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/The_Trace) thing. It seems very inconsistantly applied. Sometimes it’s detected, sometimes it’s not. I think Rowling didn’t plan it out very well. -In the POA movie, Harry’s using the _Lumos_ charm to do his homework under the covers. He shouldn’t be able to do that. (In the book, he was using a flashlight. Also, when Lupin prevents Harry from fighting the boggart, because he’s afraid of it being Voldemort, it starts to become a Dementor. Why bother then? (Note: another thing that didn’t happen in the book) As much as I liked the movie, there were a lot of inconsistancies and stuff that was left out that would confuse people who didn’t read the books. Even Dumbledore is not infallible, and has his weaknesses. He’s haunted by the loss of his family, and the temptation of the Stone was probably too great for him. That was his greatest desire, remember, in the Mirror of Erised? To see his family? And his guilt over what happened to Ariana was enough to allow him to risk it. I think Rowling included it to show us that Dumbledore is not always wise and powerful – that he is human, like everyone else. Dumbledore’s always reminding people that even he can make mistakes. I think it worked very well. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2014, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-stuff-that-bothers-you/680466/356 "2014-02-19T05:08:13Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Okay, the part that bothers me is the whole [Trace](http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/The_Trace) thing. It seems very inconsistantly applied. Sometimes it’s detected, sometimes it’s not. I think Rowling didn’t plan it out very well. > > -In the POA movie, Harry’s using the _Lumos_ charm to do his homework under the covers. He shouldn’t be able to do that. (In the book, he was using a flashlight. Also, when Lupin prevents Harry from fighting the boggart, because he’s afraid of it being Voldemort, it starts to become a Dementor. Why bother then? (Note: another thing that didn’t happen in the book) As much as I liked the movie, there were a lot of inconsistancies and stuff that was left out that would confuse people who didn’t read the books. > > Even Dumbledore is not infallible, and has his weaknesses. He’s haunted by the loss of his family, and the temptation of the Stone was probably too great for him. That was his greatest desire, remember, in the Mirror of Erised? To see his family? And his guilt over what happened to Ariana was enough to allow him to risk it. > > I think Rowling included it to show us that Dumbledore is not always wise and powerful – that he is human, like everyone else. Dumbledore’s always reminding people that even he can make mistakes. I think it worked very well. I noticed that as well - in the books, the first time Harry got into trouble for “magic at this address”. When he chased off the dementors in the alley, the letter came directly to him (IIRC)… ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2014, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-stuff-that-bothers-you/680466/357 "2014-02-19T05:33:06Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > Jesus, **Guin**. Would it kill you to use a spoiler box? > > 😛 you never saw this post… You were never here… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-stuff-that-bothers-you/680466.md?page=17)