A Lesson from Phineas Nigellus

I've been reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and the other day I came across this interchange between Harry and a former Headmaster of Hogwarts, Phineas Nigellus, whose portrait hangs in Sirius Black's childhood home:

     Phineas: I have a message for you from Albus Dumbledore.

     Harry: What is it?

     Phineas: Stay where you are.

     Harry: I haven't moved! So what's the message?

     Phineas: I have just given it to you, dolt. Dumbledore says, 'Stay where you are.'

     Harry: Why? Why does he want me to stay? What else did he say?

     Phineas: Nothing whatsoever.

     Harry: [Loudly] So that's it, is it? Stay there? That's all anyone could tell me after I got attacked by those dementors too! Just stay put while the grown-ups sort it out, Harry! We won't bother telling you anything, though, because your tiny little brain won't be able to cope with it!

     Phineas: You know, this is precisely why I loathed being a teacher! Young people are so infernally convinced that they are absolutely right about everything. Has it not occurred to you, my poor puffed-up popinjay, that there might be an excellent reason why the headmaster of Hogwarts is not confiding every tiny detail of his plans to you? Have you never paused, while feeling hard-done-by, to note that following Dumbledore's orders has never yet led you into harm? No. No, like all young people, you are quite sure that you alone feel and think, you alone recognize danger, you alone are the only one clever enough to realize what the Dark Lord may be planning...

I was struck by that last bit from Phineas. This must be the way we make God feel sometimes. Harry is super annoying for most of this book, constantly whining and acting super self-centered, especially complaining about Dumbledore's actions.

I've been noticing recently how much of a "God"-type character Dumbledore is in some aspects. He seems to always know what's going on, but he allows Harry to face most challenges on his own, giving him what he needs to get through, but allowing Harry to grow instead of Dumbledore doing all of the work himself. It's good, however, that J.K. makes it clear that Dumbledore is not perfect. It makes him a more intriguing character. But my point is that we can learn from this, recognizing that we are given what we need to get through and even to thrive. We can remember that there is Someone who knows much more than we, who is aware of us and watches over us.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

I finished reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child last night. I was a little bit disappointed, but mostly I wasn't expecting it to be a true continuation of the novels. The fact is, it's not a novel. It's a play. And because it's a play, it's not meant to only be read in book form. I understand that a lot of people are very disappointed in it, saying that it reads like bad fan-fiction, but, again, it's not meant to be read. It's meant to be performed. And from what I understand, the performance of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is getting rave reviews.

So cheer up, Harry Potter fans, and for those of you who haven't yet read the play in book form, educate your expectations a bit. The play has some scenes that are pretty cool just being read, insights about characters and events that we don't get in the books, so I still think it's very much worth reading (and it doesn't take very long). But Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is not a continuation of the novels. If you need some of that magic back in your life, go re-read the series. That's what I'm gonna do. If nothing else, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child reminds us just how good the original story is.