Comments on: Probability of people solving mysteries in Harry Potter

By: zomg a ZOMBIE!

zomg a ZOMBIE! — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:59:04 +0000

or stuffed and forgotten under the mattress. there’s always that too.
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By: Juan Curro

Juan Curro — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:46:54 +0000

That’s so very true!!!! Why the stupid children??? I’ve always asked myself this question…

By: mysterio

mysterio — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:50:07 +0000

god damn i feel sorry for you

By: Xenon

Xenon — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:53:00 +0000

Wait, what? Didn’t that come out months ago?

And I don’t think ANY of the films should be named “Harry Potter”. If they were original, then yes, they would be pretty damn good. However, in comparison to the books… Steven Kloves should just stop screwing everything up.

By: r4i software

r4i software — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:45:58 +0000

Hi,
I like this article but..
last night i went to the midnight premiere of harry potter and the half blood prince! I was honestly so disappointed! was it just me or did it seem very choppy and for some reason didn’t feel like it was a harry potter movie. Don’t get me wrong some of the parts in it were either really funny or somewhat scary but i really was not satisfied. I don’t know, what did you think?? Am i wrong? Give me your opinions..

By: thegrimreaper

thegrimreaper — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:36:42 +0000

Oh come on, we all know the stupid kids do it just because they want to be famous… >:-)

By: Go Dobby!!!!!

Go Dobby!!!!! — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 02:54:15 +0000

Dobby is adorable!!!! He`s so awesome!

By: Cyrus

Cyrus — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:56:08 +0000

Or behind the dryer with all the missing socks

By: Xenon

Xenon — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:19:04 +0000

The problem with generalisation is that you still need something to have happened a lot. As I said above, not one major mystery (I think I’ll ignore Draco in HBP because Dumbledore knew about it all along) was “solved” by Harry etc without it being the only way that it could have happened due to other events pushing him towards that instance.

“As would Dumbledore, and almost every secondary character.”

*grins slowly* I just had a fanfiction idea about Filch saving the world from Voldemort.

By: Xenon

Xenon — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:15:24 +0000

Thank you, I do try so hard.

I’m going to hope that was in response to Dobby rather than my nerd-rant. If it was to the nerd-rant, your post was sarcastic. Only I’m allowed to be sarcastic.

By: Xenon

Xenon — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:12:34 +0000

Except no-one knew where the entrance was and even Harry was only guessing when he thought of Myrtle.

By: poodle_face

poodle_face — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:36:04 +0000

Behind the sofa. It’s where most things are

By: OhhJim

OhhJim — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:06:33 +0000

Been happening for decades. Hardy Boys. Nancy Drew. The Happy Hollisters.

By: Cyrus

Cyrus — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:51:11 +0000

I like how the graph uses the color scheme from book 6… well the green is a little bit off but otherwise good.

By: Brit

Brit — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:45:43 +0000

Personally, if I was a responsible teacher at the school, I would have escorted Harry to that bathroom, had him open the door, then march through with all the might and fury of the Hogwarts teaching staff, leaving “The Boy Who Lived” safely in his room!

It’s a kids’ book. Therefore, the kids need to save the day. That’s not a criticism, but it still makes an amusing observation.

By: Brit

Brit — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:42:30 +0000

I wonder if THEY knew where the parts of Voldemort’s soul were.

By: Brit

Brit — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:41:43 +0000

Exactly. Kids’ stories aren’t supposed to be taken seriously.

By: Brit

Brit — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:40:31 +0000

Well, apparently he IS gay.

By: Brit

Brit — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:40:04 +0000

Aww, leave it alone. It’s a kid’s book! If the kids DIDN’T solve everything and save the day, there wouldn’t be much point.

By: quix0te

quix0te — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:33:46 +0000

Stupid adults/police failing to solve the crime/mystery while kids/civilians figure it out doesn’t bug me that much as a plot device. Its a little hackneyed, but whatever. Having your central characters be REALLY stupid to advance the plot (I’m looking at YOU HEROES) is much, much more annoying.

By: poodle_face

poodle_face — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:28:00 +0000

Actually – they weren’t even that. Hermione and Ron turned twelve during Book 1, and Harry didn’t turn twelve until Book 2, by the end of which Hermione and Ron were both thirteen.

So there never was “a bunch of twelve year olds” – two 12 and one 11, or two 13 and one 12 or two 14 and (you get the idea).

I suppose during the summer after the first year, up until Sept 19th, they were a bunch of 12 year olds, but I can’t remember them solving any mysteries during the holidays, or in the first 20 days of school……

(On a totally unrelated note, I write a lot of fanfiction, and knowing people’s ages is pretty important!)

By: Get it up ye

Get it up ye — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:26:30 +0000

It’s lame.

By: EliCarro

EliCarro — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:49:45 +0000

Room of Requirement, blah di blah di blah, etc. Dobby is legendary. Shame about his fate in Deathly Hallows, though.

By: EliCarro

EliCarro — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:49:05 +0000

For the record, I breathe Harry Potter. Of course I have read the books.

Have you never heard of generalisation?! Where would we be without it? A more accurate graph would have a multitude of bars. And of course Dobby would have his own bar. As would Dumbledore, and almost every secondary character. Probably Crookshanks too, now that I think about it.

It’s not accuracy. It’s graphjam.

By: LolzKel

LolzKel — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 04:26:15 +0000

(Nerd)

By: hhead

hhead — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 03:07:28 +0000

Zwazwa
Sorry! I clicked in the wrong spot!

By: hhead

hhead — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 03:05:15 +0000

Have you read the fifth or seventh books? Dobby tells Harry where he can teach Defense Against the Dark Arts while hiding from Umbridge in book five and helps him escape from, well I won’t spoil it for you. *Slinks off to read more books.*

By: Zwazwa

Zwazwa — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:49:40 +0000

@ xenon
I almost thought this page was entirely humorless untill i saw your post xD

By: Xenon

Xenon — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:25:01 +0000

Yeah! Occasionally it’s Dobby!

By: Get it up ye

Get it up ye — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:16:44 +0000

My thoughts exactly. And the students don’t always save the day…

By: Xenon

Xenon — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 09:13:27 +0000

As another avid fan of Potter, think about it. All of the “mysteries” are solved by Harry, Ron and Hermione (and co in some books) not because the adults aren’t paying attention but because it’s meant to happen like that. Taking Chamber of Secrets as an example, Harry was the only one who COULD solve the mystery as he was the only one who could speak Parseltongue.

It’s an okay graph for Scooby-Doo (where it is a bit ridiculous that the gang knows EVERYTHING), but I don’t think it fits Harry Potter. Sorry.

By: EliCarro

EliCarro — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 02:41:30 +0000

As the graph maker, I:
a) Love Harry Potter to the point of obsession
b) Am using generalisations. They aren’t 12 in all the books. DUH.
c) Am merely commenting on how amusing it is that the students always save the day. I’m not saying they can’t/should’t. Etc.

Cheers.

By: ilovehp

ilovehp — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 02:28:30 +0000

I absolutely adore the HP series [coincidentally, I'm currently rereading the series and have #3 on my lap] and this is so true and hilarious =D

By: Tasha

Tasha — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 02:21:45 +0000

… nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition either.

By: Tasha

Tasha — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 02:02:58 +0000

It is because no-one suspects children, so adults will say things and do things that they would not do in front of other adults because of the assumption of differing intelligence, between adults and children. And

By: geor

geor — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 01:59:59 +0000

…who use 3 spells.

By: Ilove2learn

Ilove2learn — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:57:00 +0000

I think that’s the mystery that the maker of the graph meant. Chamber of Secrets and whatnot.

By: Jane

Jane — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:38:39 +0000

I agree. This graph applies to almost every mystery-ish story where the kids are protagonists.

By: nivadias

nivadias — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:28:50 +0000

i don’t like it when graphs are 10% to 90% . not that they aren’t good, i just prefer when they have more than two.. what’s the word ? bars ?

By: Casa

Casa — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:53:17 +0000

I alwayes figured it was because the kids were further removed from the problems so they had a diffrent perspective that let them see things others were missing.

By: fish eye no miko

fish eye no miko — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:33:41 +0000

Uh, They were only “a bunch of 12 year olds” in one book… Most people do realize the characters get older as the books progress, right?

By: jl5691426

jl5691426 — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:10:03 +0000

I guess some peoples’ suspended disbelief is highly selective – the graph maker can believe in wizardry but not that kids are smarter than adults? They’re kids’ stories, for Christ’s sake, of course the kids are going to be the heroes.

By: Ser

Ser — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:18:57 +0000

*snort* understatement of the century. I’m with the above comment on Scooby Doo effect, it’s the only way one can suffer through a plot like that.

By: ****

**** — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:00:06 +0000

graph fail

By: Get it up ye

Get it up ye — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:28:42 +0000

Solving mysteries? Crime fighting wizards when Harry and co are 12? Hmmm…seems to be like someone is trying to rip on Harry Potter and failing hard

By: Dumbledore

Dumbledore — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:27:02 +0000

“Harry, come look at my new magic wand.”

By: pepijn

pepijn — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:49:27 +0000

I personally think Dumbledore had a bit of a boner for Harry…

By: Newb

Newb — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:34:24 +0000

Do I assume you meant “the word meddling” as opposed to “the work meddling?”

By: gloworm

gloworm — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:08:40 +0000

I didn’t know they solved mysteries. They saved the day and solved conflicts, but there wasn’t much mystery solving that the adults were blind to. Well, maybe Dumbledore requested Harry’s assistance to a slightly suspicious level.

By: Randomguy

Randomguy — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:04:59 +0000

It’s what is know as the Scooby-doo effect. Also there needs to be more use of the work meddling in that graph.