Lupin, Snape and Potions (was Re: Is Snape really THAT good in

[drliss at comcast.net]

No: HPFGUIDX 119635


Finwitch:

Hmm - Lupin has one problem in Potions he cannot overcome, practically
displayed with two potion-problems:

1) Some potion ingredients must be gathered during Full Moon - I
recall that Polyjuice required such. (and Lupin quite *obviously*
cannot do that. Wolfsbane may be one of those Potions...!).

2) With some potions it takes a month to brew/prepare an ingredient
(this will also include a Full Moon and thus disable any werewolf from
brewing it without help).

Other than that - so long as there's someone (like Sirius?) to do the
things required done during Full Moon, he'll manage. But then,
wouldn't it be simpler to just let that 'Full Moon - helper' do it for
you?

And there may also be that some of them require the use of silver
instruments...

So Lupin's not much of a Potion-brewer mainly because he's a werewolf.



Lissa:

I agree with the full-moon part, but my take on it was simply that Lupin just didn't have the type of mind one needs for Potions.  Potions is very exact and meticulous and methodical.  Lupin just may not have the mindset or aptitude for it: much like how a LOT of people hate math and chemistry and aren't good at it.  I tend to think he isn't that great at potions, and his strengths lie elsewhere like in DADA and Care of Magical Creatures (given how much he works with critters in PoA).

I think Snape IS truly brilliant at potions.  Lupin omits a lot, but generally when he says something it has been shown to be the truth.  Also, McGonagall appears to have a measure of respect for Snape (quite a bit, actually), and it sure ain't based on the personality we've seen!  McGonagall despises incompetence, and I don't think she would treat Snape as her equal (which she does) if he was not in her mind.

As for the silver instruments, that's purely fanon at this point.  There's no evidence that Lupin- particularly in human form- can't touch silver.  In fact, there's more insinuation that he can, given that he was drinking wine out of a goblet which could have been silver (there were silver goblets on the table anyway) in OotP.  That's not to say Sirius didn't have a separate goblet that Lupin was using or there was a Flint going on there, but at any rate there's no canon evidence that silver burns Lupin.

Liss
 

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