The Problem of Peter Pevensie and The Problem of Wands
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:date: 2019-10-17T19:00:08
:category: literature
:tags: review, harryPotter, blogComment

(my comment on the discussion under “`Summer Vacation`_” by 
Forrest_of_Holly)

I have rather complicated history with the Deathly Hallows.
I have bought the book six hours after it was published (no I
couldn’t bother myself to get up at midnight) while on the
work-related conference in Birmingham (I am a Czech from Prague
otherwise), read it over-night, so I flew home rather blurry,
and I thought that it is the best book of the series. Longer I
think about that (and longer I participate in the discussions
about it on the Internet), more I am discouraged. It seems to
me that Horcruxes, whole camping area, and the finale is very
much under-thought plotcruch and that the whole book is just
thinly covered one large plothole. Certainly, whole idea about
the transfer of ownership of wands seems to me more like *deus ex
machina* than anything else.

Of course, Ms Rowling has to struggle with the bane of all
children/young-adult books, which I called The Problem of
Peter Pevensie. In the finale of the first book from The
Chronicles of Narnia series, we should believe that thirteen
year old (magically slightly grown older) boy defeated in the
fair battle the mightiest of all witches of the superhuman
size. It is barely possible to do it in the book, where the
suspense of unbelief is more simple, but when they tried to
make a film from the Narnia Chronicles, the result is a pure
disaster: thirteen year old boy fighting adult warrioress just
looks ridiculous, whatever film magic you apply (similarly,
it turned impossible to make a good film Aslan … whatever they
tried he looks still like an overgrown plush toy).

The same problem applies to the Harry Potter series: we need
to believe that a seventeen year old boy (with substandard
training in the magical defence) beat adult superwizard who
has otherwise no adversary equal to him (and whom we seen
in the end of the sixth volume battle with Albus Dumbledore
in show of incomparable strength). The only way how to
get around it and not finish completely ridiculous is to
arrange some trick (or make it a group battle with Harry’s
allies on his side … e.g., the finale of “`Escape by
SingularOddities`_”). However, if you consider the subtle
net of intrigues and stratagems which all must to fall in
proper places for whole thing to work and Harry survive,
it is absolutely crazy to consider that as a reasonable war
plan. If this was the best Albus Dumbledore came up with,
then his strategical thinking was not very impressive. So,
that’s my opinion on the seventh book of the series. (and
don’t let me start on films: day after the last battle,
when still plenty of dangerous criminals are running through
the land, the main hero and the primary target of any possible
assassination is effectively wandless, because he didn’t
repair his original wand, and broke The Elder Wand).

It is remarkable how Harry Potter in the whole series, even to
its end and to the defeat of Tom Riddle, IS **NOT** a superhero
á la Marvel films. In the last chapter (before Epilogue) of
DH, he is probably a way more battered and more experienced
but still distinctively seventeen-year old teenager, not even
a graduate of Hogwarts, who overcomes the evil mostly just by
persistence, dogged effort, and using weird semi-legal tricks and
technicalities. There is no doubt in my mind that if he had to
meet Voldemort in the fair head-to-head battle á la the duel
between Voldemort and Dumbledore in the Department of Mysteries,
he would end up (as somebody called it) like Sackville-Baggins of
Hardbottle facing a barlog.

Now technically (using only arguments from the inside of HP
universe) to the problem of wands. Obviously, any disarming
cannot lead to the change of ownership of a wand, that would be
crazy. “`The Wheel Is Come Full Circle by White_Squirrel`_\ ”
came with the limit, that there must be an intent of the winner
of the duel to use the acquired wand as his own, not only to
disarm your opponent. That actually works in the Deathly Hallows
situation (more or less, it doesn’t explain very well how
Draco Malfoy became owner of the Wand of Destiny in the first
place, but both Harry in the Malfoy Manor, Dumbledore in the
duel with Grindewald, and Grindewald stealing the wand from
Grigorovitch work), and it can limit the potential misuse of
the rule in the normal magical life. Another alternative is to
limit this ownership exchange theory just to the Elder Wand
(or any possible special super-wands) and all other wands
just follow the Ollivander’s mantra of “wand choosing
her master” and make wand transfer effectively impossible
(meaning, every wand works somehow for every wizard/witch, but
the ones which haven’t chosen their owner, work very poorly;
but that doesn’t explain how Hermione battled successfully
against Bellatrix Lestrange using her own wand, which she did
not acquire in the duel with her). It is just a mess.

.. _`Summer Vacation`:
    https://archiveofourown.org/works/18853210

.. _`Escape by SingularOddities`:
    https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11916243

.. _`The Wheel Is Come Full Circle by White_Squirrel`:
    https://archiveofourown.org/works/14072127