[HPforGrownups] Re: General Thought/Question about Potions, No Spoilers

[Diana Williams]

No: HPFGUIDX 66941

 jsmithqwert said:

 > In closing what I apologize for being a (very) long post, I will
 > ask
 > a relatively simple question.  Why are potions and herbology
 > considered "core" subjects that _every_ witch and wizzard needs
> to
 > know pretty extensively?  What makes them worth pursuing to a
> great
 > degree when there seem to be spells for almost all of their
> uses?
 > I'm probably overlooking something and I'm quite sure that I
> don't
 > understand the WW very well, but, what gives?  Any thoughts.


Well, there are a lot of subjects we Muggles learn that are "core" subjects
and most of us never use after school.  For example, I rarely have to
determine X in any equations, and the last time I had to determine the area
of a rectangle, it was because I was painting a room.  I assume that these
core subjects are things that every witch and/or wizard should know.  They
could be useful, too.  For example, Mrs. Weasley probably uses information
from her Herbology class to grow her own herbs for making potions needed by
her family, and it is probably less expensive to make your own potions than
to get them from a mediwitch or Healer.  Yes, there are charms for a number
of things (obviously a bone-mending one since Lockhart tried to do it) but
what if you're abysmal at Charms?  And what if someone like Mrs. Weasley
were injured with only underaged wizards running about - they could give her
a potion but they'd face expulsion if they used magic.

Diana W.