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Posts: 69 · Joined: Aug 5, 2007 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 69

Here's something I have been wondering about:

Crabbe and Goyle are described as very physically imposing and seem to be Malfoy's bodyguards. However, what use are muscles in the magical world? A wizard like Hermione may have a relatively fragile physique, but that doesn't matter, as her knowledge of magic is far superior to that of Crabbe and Goyle and she could easily destroy them if she was to face them in a duel. If Malfoy was a muggle boy and lived in the non-magical world, then Crabbe and Goyle could be very useful to him. However, Malfoy is a skillful wizard and muggle fighting techniques are not applicable to the magical world.
Why are other students scared of Crabbe and Goyle when the two bullies' grasp of magic is marginal at best? Is the instinctive human fear of a physically intimidating opponent still present in the magical world?
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Name: Philior Dandankus Ivanov Gordov
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Posts: 163 · Joined: Nov 8, 2007 Location: Carn Dum Posts: 163

I agree, they seem fairly useless. The only reasons I can think of are that they are intimidating, or they are symbolic "I have big, tough people with me."
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Posts: 25744 · Posted: November 14, 2007 7:18 pm Post subject:

Size can be pretty intimidating, especially to the muggles borns and muggle raised, like Harry.

Crabbe and Goyle were never very good at magic, until the started learning the darker spells, like the Cruciatus Curse. Perhaps they did have to rely on their intimidating size.

Also, they were never described as being muscley, just large. In CoS they were left eating greedily during the Christmas feast. So perhaps their size, like Dudley's came about unintentionaly, as opposed to working out at a gym.
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Posts: 731 · Posted: November 14, 2007 8:25 pm Post subject:

I think their size is a little symbolic to real world bullies. Size can be intimidating and when the characters were young they didn't know as many spells so their size was more useful. Then when they get older they're more than likely going to bully someone who is more or less "good". Therefore they may hesitate to use magic or just not use it at all. Not everyone is as comfortable using magic in a fight as Harry is.
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Posts: 6462 · Joined: Nov 29, 2006 Posts: 6462

Let's not forget Magic couldn't be used in school. So how would the smaller students Defend them selfs ? I do agree that anyone with magic skills could take them down easily, but in the first two books there magic was limited and Crabbe and Goyle's size must have been scary.
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Posts: 69 · Joined: Aug 5, 2007 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 69

Good points, I agree with many of the symbolic aspects. First year students, especially those of muggle parentage, are unlikely to have practical knowledge of magic.
As for using magic in school, I would assume that if it is for self-defence, it wouldn't be considered against the rules.
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Name: Philior Dandankus Ivanov Gordov
House: Ravenclaw
Patronus: Raccoon
Wand: Dragon Heartstring, Redwood 11 3/4 inch
Blood: Muggle
Allegiance: Hogwarts

Posts: 28287 · Posted: November 15, 2007 11:40 am Post subject:

i know why malfoy "employs" them to be his "gentlemen" in waiting.

if he got smart people like a slytherin-hermione to hang out with him, he'll be overshadowed.

if he picked stupid gluttons like crabbe and goyle he'll stand out as the smart and skilled one.

sorta like hanging out with the ugly guys so that you appear good looking, rather than hanging out with supermodels so that you appear ugly.

im joking. yeah i believe in the "size intimidates" theory.
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Posts: 69 · Joined: Aug 5, 2007 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 69

lol, nicely put, this could also be a possibility, Malfoy seems to have a good knowledge of human psychology, he was generally able to stay out of trouble.
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Name: Philior Dandankus Ivanov Gordov
House: Ravenclaw
Patronus: Raccoon
Wand: Dragon Heartstring, Redwood 11 3/4 inch
Blood: Muggle
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Posts: 28287 · Posted: November 16, 2007 8:26 am Post subject:

i would say draco is an intelligent kid. we really get to see this in book6. he never really did shine in class, like hermione, because he thought that all these stuff were beneath him. he even questions why he has to study this "defense rubbish".

but what he did in book6 showed his intellectual abilities.
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Posts: 73 · Posted: November 16, 2007 10:12 pm Post subject:

its just symbolic. they are antagonists to the nth degree, where as harry is a bit scrawny, but very smart. and they are big and definitely not smart.
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Posts: 66 · Posted: November 19, 2007 10:52 pm Post subject:

I guess JKR just wants to carry the comical sense of stereo-types of the bad guys having a weaker but smart one and another larger but less intellectual. Kinda like many movies we've seen like home alone and some others.

Posts: 69 · Joined: Aug 5, 2007 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 69

I agree with the points raised and it seems as if I may have underestimated the role of Muggle weapons and Muggle combative skills in the magical world - e.g. Bellatrix Lestrange threatens Hermione with a knife when interrogating her, Millicent Bulstrode and Marcus Flint are also feared due to their size (in the latter case, it also provides an advantage given Flint's playing position in Quidditch).
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Name: Philior Dandankus Ivanov Gordov
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Posts: 25744 · Posted: March 11, 2008 12:22 am Post subject:

Posts: 291 · Joined: Feb 29, 2008 Posts: 291

Because not everyone was as good as Harry in DADA.

Posts: 1549 · Joined: Dec 11, 2007 Location: australia Posts: 1549

is it just me or has goyle changed every movie? coz it seems that there is a new actor every movie?
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Posts: 3430 · Posted: March 14, 2008 11:55 pm Post subject:

well i think that crabbe and goyle could have been very useful. The had the physique of a bully and the big tough guys that will pound you into a pulp if yu dont leave draco alone. when i think what could have made them also useful is when draco couldnt use magic or they wanted to be a bit more sneaky when it came to picking on people. Magical harm would be easy for Madame Pomfrey to notice. Also using magic to hurt other students in the halls would be easily picked up. But if you were intimidated and pushed around by the two, you know a trip here a slam up against the wall there, you wouldnt want to mess with them. That and if they ever got into a situation where there wand broke or went flying off into the abiss, crabbe and goyle could then grind you into a pulp or draco could sit there and merely hex the crap out of you. and even though fists arent much against a wand, if it were just you against crabbe and goyle, youd still be in a bit of a bind. imagine both of them charging at you. the person would most like panic and when he did a spell it most likely be a poor one and might maybe put one out of action, but what of the other one? yeah his fist is now connecting with your face.
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Posts: 923 · Joined: Oct 21, 2007 Location: australia Posts: 923

loony luna lovegood wrote:

Posts: 25744 · Posted: March 15, 2008 11:33 am Post subject:

Spoiler:

Posts: 3430 · Posted: March 15, 2008 12:21 pm Post subject:

wow in one of the pics tom felton seemed tiny smooshed between he two!
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Posts: 17948 · Posted: March 15, 2008 1:27 pm Post subject:

size naturally intimidates, it's in the instincts
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Posts: 44 · Joined: Aug 9, 2008 Posts: 44

crabbe and goyle are pretty useless and dont seem to use much magic
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