Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-31883133-20180114001435/@comment-26397825-20180114015659

Well, we do know that Gretchen decided to be a Huntress. She enrolled in an Academy (likely Beacon since Ozpin knew who she was). She died on a training mission. Hazel thinks she was still a child and personally blames Ozpin for it.

Firstly, Hazel thinks she was a child. How old was she? Because she could have been 17, or she could have been a younger student like Ruby. We don't know, we're never told. In either case, it probably didn't matter how old she was Hazel would have thought her a child due to being the older sibling, especially if he was her primary caregiver due to absent parents.

She made a choice and enrolled in an Academy. She would have known how dangerous being a Huntress can be. Ozpin was already Headmaster by then, since his previous body was described as being a prodigy and the 'youngest Headmaster' so far. His interaction with her would have been CRDL levels at minimum - acceptance letter, saying hi as they pass in the halls - or RWBY at worst - personally interested in the team's future, talking with them and giving advice, possibly letting them take a mission that was above their year level. In the latter case, someone on Gretchen's team would have to be interesting to Ozpin, and we simply don't know what that was.

She died in a training mission. What kind of mission? Was it Grimm or bandits or an accident such as friendly fire? Did she die immediately or of medical complications back in Beacon? Did she get sick? Did she die or did she forget who she was or become someone new, thereby 'killing' the girl Hazel knew? We don't know any of this.

Hazel blames Ozpin personally. Either it's a case of misplaced blame, similar to when a grieving widow blames the police force for her husband being shot while doing his job, or Ozpin was directly involved in the mission somehow. That could be from giving them the mission himself - the only way that could happen is if he let them take a mission above their paygrade a la RWBY, since otherwise students choose their own mission - or being the teacher that accompanied them on the mission - which is doubtful, since he's the Headmaster and they send ordinary Professors on those missions.