Don't worry about being crabby, I don't mind.
I refuse to have the element debate again. It wasn't all that fun the first time, and I don't think it'll benefit from repetition.
I disagree with you about how versatile elements are. If you want to me to explain further, I might be able to find some relevant links.
But I would like to point out that my hypothetical optimized wizard would not be less versatile at magic than Harry.
Harry has fire power 6, with offensive control 4 and defensive control 3. He also has spirit power 5 with offensive and defensive control 4. Finally, he has air power 5 with offensive and defensive control 3.
My hypothetical wizard has earth offensive power and control 8 and earth defensive power and control 7. He also has spirit power and control 5 and water power and control 5. Also, he's better at Thaumaturgy.
The hypothetical guy is just better at magic. Which he should be, because he invested more resources into it.
Also, if you just want to be as good as possible at using one element, you should choose Evocation instead of Channeling. Counter-intuitive, but true.
Regardless, what I said about the Loup-Garou stands. With the catch available, it's a decent solo fight for a combat-primary Chest Deep character. Without the catch available, it's still not unbeatable.