Am I the only one...

[Milz]

No: HPFGUIDX 134865

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, IreneMikhlin
<irene_mikhlin at b...> wrote:
> OK, maybe mediocre is a wrong word here. But in science there is a huge 
> gap between the ability to understand and reproduce the knowledge that 
> was created before you, and the ability to create a new knowledge. 
> Hermione has the first ability in spades, but I'm still not sure about 
> the second one.
> 

I'm with you here all the way. I saw this flaw in Hermione since the
PS/SS. Hermione is clever in that she has "book smarts" and is no
doubt a good test taker. But when she's without the books, without the
instructions, she falls apart as HBP has shown. 

As I wrote in another message, HBP was able to figure out how to
improve the book instructions to get the results. If you truly know
what you are doing, bad or lacking instructions won't stop you.

I once read in a NY Times article that described the difference
between a cook and a chef. A cook is someone who follows the recipe.
However, if something goes wrong, a cook won't be able to improvise
and compensate to get the perfect result. A chef will be able to
compensate and improvise to get the final result no matter what,
because a chef is more knowledgeable about the ingredients, cooking
methods, etc.

HBP has shown us that Hermione lacks this skill---she's only as good
as her books, which is unfortunate because books have flaws too. Her
ability to think outside the box is limited. This is usually due to a
lack of creativity or a lack of real understanding of the material
(that is, understanding beyond memorizing and regurgitating information).

Also, I might add that the information about Lily is purely
speculative---it's from Slughorn who is doing his slimiest best to
ingratitate himself with Harry. Slughorn's own attempt to alter the
penseive, shows what that he's an opportunist and will do anything to
improve his image. 

By the way, I'm not saying that Sluggy is lying about Lily's
abilities. I'm saying that it's more likely that he's exaggerating
Lily's abilities in order to kiss Harry's ass. And there's a touch of
racism and sexism in Sluggy's platitudes. When I read it I got the
feeling that his compliments were double edged: Lily was very good in
Potions (for a Muggle born or for a woman). James and Sirius were the
precursors to Fred and George, and we can see the brilliance of the
Weasley twins in their creative and innovative magical jokes.

Milz