Times where when you think you know these characters, you tend to see moments where their brains fail to compute.
- Dumbledore comes to Rita and asks her to do a slander campaign on Harry and Steve Feros to cement Harry as a Dark Lord in the making and try to use it as a means to disband the IWCO.
You'd Think: That Dumbledore would ask Rita to be an independent reporter before going through with this plan, as he was gifting Rita Harry's vault key. Even though Harry is 11, he is the ward of Steve Feros, who is an IWCO agent who has killed off the French Malfoy line and numerous evil wizards and witches. Not only that, but if it was led back to Dumbledore, he would lose his ICW position instantly.
Instead: He doesn't, gifts Rita Harry's vault key and expects it to work.
The Result: Dumbledore is suspended from the ICW (though he later gets back in), Rita is fired and arrested for being an illegal animagus, bank fraud and Malicious Slander, and the Daily Prophet is disbanded for a slew of crimes. - Tarvos finds out that Harry and Steve had killed off the bulk of the Goyle family and had brought reports of a potential traitor in Lakjin's clan.
You'd Think: He'd keep his mouth shut throughout all of this, or at the least, until after they reveal the Goyle family name.
Instead: He stupidly blurts out that the Goyles are trustworthy wizards, the familial name only he is aware of.
The Result: Tarvos outs himself as a traitor and after a Curb-Stomp Battle from Harry, is banished from the troll village. Lampshaded by Harry during the conversation. - Dumbledore finds out about the detention Harry, Emily, Hermione, Neville, Draco and Ron got for the baby dragon egg, and while Harry managed to talk himself, Emily, Hermione and Neville to a single detention, they had to be punished.
You'd Think: He'd not have all six of them in the Forbidden Forest for a single detention, due to Hagrid reporting something attacking unicorns. After all, if something is attacking unicorns, it can and will attack the students.
Instead: He has their detention changed to help Hagrid find whoever's attacking the unicorns in a bid to get Ron to have Harry killed.
The Result: The planned assassination attempt fails, 3 of the house heads and the Potters call him out for essentially endangering several students for no goddamn reason whatsoever, and despite Harry saving one attacked unicorn, it was clear that they were sent to deal with a possessed individual, as Harry explains the spell used to kill wraiths.
Furthermore: If it had killed Emily, it would render all of his plans for naught. - During the Basilisk attacks, the marriage contract wedding Emily to Lockhart forces Lockhart to fight the Basilisk. When he manages to get Harry's wand, Harry warns him not to do anything stupid.
You'd Think: He'd at the least do a test spell to see if the wand will listen to him.
Instead: He does an overpowered Obliviate spell on Harry, Lily and Neville.
The Result: Lockhart dies from a combination of blunt force trauma and an overstressed magical core, as Harry's wand contained Veela hair as one of its cores. - When Snape leaks Hermione's Nekomata status to the British Ministry of Magic, Fudge, Umbridge and numerous pureblood bigots are disgusted at a half-breed masquerading as a mudblood.
You'd Think: They would look at the ICW laws to see if Hermione is protected under ICW laws.
Or at the Least: Tell Snape to stop trying to antagonize Harry, as the last few attempts ended with Snape with spontaneous dancing fevers and was put on probation twice.
Instead: The two arrive with Walden MacNair to Hogwarts and announce that they will execute Hermione unless Steve comes to be executed in her stead (though they would still execute her in the end, anyway).
The Result: Harry nearly kills Fudge by disarming MacNair and forces them to read the international laws that reveal to them that yes, Hermione is protected under ICW law, and yes, what they were doing was illegal.
To Add Insult To Injury: Snape is forcibly stripped of everything bar teaching potions, only escaping firing due to Dumbledore giving him tenure, as well as getting the entire Fudge Admin on completely thin ice for this short-sighted stunt along with a bunch of laws to be looked over. Meaning that if there are other magical creatures that are students of Hogwarts, not only can Fudge not do shit, but the British Ministry have already lost all power in their judicial system due to it being extremely biased in favor of purebloods. - When Dumbledore plans for the upcoming third year after letting Pettigrew escape in order to be seen as the second coming of Merlin, he focuses on the Potter twins.
You'd Think: After the marriage contract, he'd try to not do anything rash, as despite it being destroyed, if he is caught doing something illicit, he would be out of three positions.
Instead: He tries to use the 'I'm concerned for your safety card' to bar the two from entering Hogsmeade.
The Result: Harry mentions that Dumbledore did jackshit about the forced marriage contract between Emily and Lockhart, forcing him to fold immediately and let them go to Hogsmeade. - Snape decides to sell off Hermione to Walden MacNair in Chapter 24, knowing that something like this would piss Harry off immensely.
You'd Think: He'd keep his mouth shut about this. While it can be argued that Snape despises Harry for losing a lot of power over the years, if this got to the ICW, not only would he be out of a job, but he would be arrested for violation of international law.
Instead: He brags about it to Harry.
The Result: Harry knocks him out, obliviates him of the attack, has him do the Time Warp, and by Christmas, kills Walden MacNair in retaliation.
