Why aren't wizards and witches as smart as they used to be?

Question

James, Lupin, Sirius and Peter found all the secret tunnels, created the Maurader's map, and became unregistered animagi. Snape pretty much wrote his own potions book and invented his own curses. And Voldemort was created horcruxes.

Harry can summon a Patronus. What else can this younger generation do?

Sorry, let me clarify. It doesn't seem like these kids are doing anything new. (Don't know about the Bat-Bogey hex, seems like Slughorn knew what it was) Have any of them invented or discovered anything?

Sorry, let me clarify. It doesn't seem like these kids are doing anything new. (Don't know about the Bat-Bogey hex, seems like Slughorn knew what it was) Have any of them invented or discovered anything?

Answer 1

So James, Sirius, Lupin, and Pettigrew explored the castle until they found most of it's secrets (seems like there was at least one secret tunnel they never found, the one leading into the chamber of secrets, or else the basilisk would have killed them) proves their a lot brighter than the younger generation? Troublemakers like Fred and George would have found these things on their own without the Marauder's map, but having the map certainly made their lives easier.

Yes, making the Marauder's map was a bit of ingenuity, but it doesn't make the Marauder's smarter than Fred and George. The twins invinted things like Canary Creams (which temporarily transfigure anyone who eats one into an overgrown canary), Extendable Ears (looks like string but is really a listening device), and the Portable Swamp (a swamp you can deploy anywhere, and the final way they tormented Umbridge (who doesn't seem able to get rid of the swamp)). Takes some smarts to invent something like that, equal to those required for the map.

As for James, Sirius, and Pettigrew becoming animagi (Lupin is a werewolf not an animagus, his three friends learned to become animagi so as to be with him when he transormed), that's quite an advanced level of magic, something few witches and wizards can accomplish. And they didn't accomplish it until their fifth year. Harry, under the tutelage of Lupin, learns the patronus charm in his third year, which is viewed as amazing for an underaged wizard to accomplish. Especially when they can cast a corporeal patronus. And Harry goes on in his fifth year to succesfully teach other students the patronus charm.

There should be little doubt Snape was fairly bright. Sirius makes a comment about Snape knowing "more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in the seventh year." He invented at least one spell and was correcting the works of older wizards while in school. We really haven't seen any of the students create any spells or correct whats in their textbooks. However, we do one of the Marauder's claiming a student to be the cleverst of their age that they've ever seen. And that's Lupin calling Hermione that. She is clearly the smartest student of her year at Hogwarts, and was likely smarter than many of those ahead of her. She also is the one to solve Snape's test of logic in the first book, pointing out to Harry that logic is something most witches and wizard's aren't that good with, and that's not just the folks her's and Harry's age. That's including adults. Snape himself knew this, which is why he choose this test as an obstacle in reaching the stone.

Voldemort has indeed created horcruxes, but he had to learn about them first. He learned some about them from Slughorn, but Slughorn refused to learn the spell required to create one, which means Voldemort had to seek that knoledge out before crating his first horcrux. Hermione had to seek out the book telling how to create the polyjuice potion in her second year, something that it appears from "Half-Blood Prince" is likely not taught how to make until sixth year (Snape mentioned it in second year and what it does, but Hermione's comment about it being "the most complicated potion" she'd ever seen when she, Ron, and Harry were making it in Myrtle's bathroom suggest it's not something taught to second years).

You keep looking and you find that there are plenty of witches and wizards around Harry's age who are doubtlessly as smart as as these people, and just as able as they are.

Answer 2

What about Fred and George's extending ears, ten ton tongue candy, and other joke shop treats/items? Those are brilliant!
How about Hermione's coins that would let the DA group know when to get together? Or when she brewed polyjuice as a first year?! Both of these brilliant as well.
How about every adventure in every book where these young ones figured out things and got past traps that adults couldn't do?
I'd say they were pretty smart.

Answer 3

maybe it's the education system in England. Or Hogwarts is just a very bad school. However it could be that younger wizards and witches are doing other things like telling people about pens and computers, you know usefull helpfull things that J.K's wizards don't use for some reason.

Answer 4

You're right this generation isnt as smart...or is it?

Remember CoS though? Hermione made a polyjuice potion all on her own!

Remember Philosopher's Stone...? Hermione, Harry, and Ron figured out the truth on their OWN!

Prisoner of Azkaban...who's the one who saved an innocent man and an innocent hippogriff from a terrible fate?
Hermione and Harry.

Again, Chamber of Secrets...who is the one who figured out what was happening with everyone?...Not Dumbledore...one of the smartest guys alive...Hermione.

This generation isnt smart, eh? You have to pay close attention to the things they do.

Answer 5

Ginny Weasley has a great Bat-Bogey Hex.
Hermione Granger is even a muggle born and she is amazingly intelligent.
Ron Wesley ...um... he um..... yeah i dont know about him...
Harry Potter also did the DA and keeps fighting Voldemort.

Answer 6

Oh direction i might sign up my babies right into a muggle college from kindergarten, to 5th grade through fact they might desire to benefit the basics of training(like analyzing, math, social analyze, etc.). Plus, they additionally might desire to have interplay with different babies, learn greater self-discipline, and be much less unaware of the international around them. in spite of the fact that, while they turn 11 nonetheless, i'm sending them in the present day to Hogwarts without 2d thought. with the aid of enrolling them right into a muggle college, they gained't in basic terms have a relaxing time in Hogwarts and contained in the wizarding international; they might function fantastic contained in the actual international as properly.

Answer 7

Fred and George were really clever. They invented all their joke shop stuff.

Answer 8

Too many ADD drugs? I don't know. Wizards, witches and warlocks just aren't they used to be--sigh!

Answer 9

harry is well harry
hermione is very smart
ron is funny i dont know if that is good or not
neville is really good with herbology

Answer 10

You may just have found a flaw in J.K. plots. :-) happy reading. - Ralf R.