Snape as DADA, new Potions teacher? (was Re: It's Libatius)

[lupinlore]

No: HPFGUIDX 126259


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "cubfanbudwoman" 
<susiequsie23 at s...> wrote:
> 
> catkind:  
> > Personally, I'd predict Harry an E in Potions. Not an O, but 
still
> > significantly better than he has been getting from Snape, thanks 
to
> > the Polyjuice question and not being loomed over. 
> > 
> > The problem is, if Harry really is an Outstanding student, then 
> > Snape will not only be landed with Harry at NEWT level, but he 
will 
> > also look rather silly after the comments he was making about 
> > Harry's work. It's hard to see what tack Snape could take if
> > students are consistently doing better than expected.
> 
> 
> SSSusan:
> I would reiterate that it's not necessarily Harry doing a *great* 
> deal better, but rather the possibility that the standards are 
> different.  What Snape calls "E" in his class may be an "O" to 
anyone 
> else (or at least to the examiners), meaning lots of students are 
> doing better than they realize. 

<SNIP>


I understand what you're saying Susan, but I have to agree with 
catkind that for Harry to get an "O" seems quite a stretch.  Granted 
Snape is hardly unbiased or fair in his grading of Harry, but as 
catkind points out Potions is a subject that Harry does not like and 
we have no evidence that he has ever studied or practiced it very 
diligently.  Also, one would think that if there is habitually THAT 
big of a difference between class performance and OWLS in Snape's 
subject it would be common knowledge.  Certainly it would be at 
every school I've ever had anything to do with.  Yet Harry feels he 
might have scraped by with an "A."

Like catkind, I think Harry will get an "E."  If he has been just 
barely scraping by in Snape's classes I can see the combination of 
lowered expectations due to Snape's inappropriate grading combined 
with a dash of good with regard the questions that came up on the 
exam leading to him having that grade.  

Where will that leave Harry with regard to NEWT Potions.  I suspect 
IF Harry is in Potions we will see that:

1) DD will force Snape's hand through a face-saving device of 
lowering the bar for all students due to the needs of the war;

2) Somebody such as Malfoy will need an exception and Snape will 
have to lower the bar himself in order to grant it;

I don't think we will see Snape get DADA and/or a new Potions 
master.  DD seems to have VERY good reasons for not wanting Snape in 
that position.  I suppose it might be done as a bit of war strategy -
 for instance DD gives Snape the DADA post so that he (Snape) can 
fool Voldemort into thinking Hogwarts students aren't being taught 
well while the "real" teaching is going on in the DA.  But even that 
I think is an unlikely scenario.

But why does everybody think Harry will WANT to take NEWT poitions?  
We have already seen that his hatred of Snape has reached new 
heights.  And somehow I suspect he has more on his mind these days 
than becoming an auror.  I could see him agreeing to learn what 
potions might be necessary to fight Voldemort, but not from Snape.

That leaves the possibility that:

1) Harry just doesn't take potions (which I think is unlikely in the 
extreme), or

2) Harry is tutored by some third party such as Dumbledore or 
McGonogall or even Hermione.  This may not be all that unusual.  
McGonogall must know that Harry is not the world's greatest little 
potion brewer, yet she seems quite confident that something can be 
worked out for him to study for his NEWT.  Given that Snape seems to 
have an antipathy for all Gryffindors, this situation may have 
arisen in the past.

Lupinlore