Apologies and responsibility

[lupinlore]

No: HPFGUIDX 139322

> Pippin:
<SNIP>
> Everybody does it? Socially retarded wizarding world? They had it
> coming???
> 
> Y'know, it's amazing how much like a Snape apologist a Harry 
apologist
> can sound.  Jo strikes again! <veg>

Lupinlore:
Chuckle.  True, true.  The difference, of course, is that Harry 
deserves a break whereas Snape, being an evil and worthless piece of 
you-know-what, not to mention a serial committer of emotional child 
abuse, does not. :-)


> Pippin:
><snip>
> And what about Hermione's objection that the HBP's 
> spells and techniques weren't likely to be Ministry approved?

Lupinlore:
And since when is the Ministry's rulings ever been good for anything?


Pippin:
 It's
> fine to experiment, but I hope that lab of yours isn't in the habit 
of
> using human guinea pigs without their consent. I hope it
> doesn't allow  teenagers to download  anonymous formulae from 
> the internet, pass them off as their own work, and prepare them 
> for the first time in a  in a classroom, potentially exposing other 
> students to harmful or explosive mixtures. And I certainly hope
> it doesn't lie  about the source of its information, as Harry  
> did when he was finally asked.


Lupinlore:
Chuckle.  No, and we are not in the habit of using magic to solve our 
problems, either.  We are, however, in the habit of rewarding people 
who use information in the public sphere to perform their assignments 
in an exemplery way.  Harry WAS taking credit for his own work.  That 
he had used somewhat different instructions, handed to him by his 
professor in a textbook that had been sitting in the school cupboard, 
is totally irrelevant.  Potions, from what we have been shown, is not 
taught at Hogwarts as a theoretical art.  It seems to be purely 
practical -- here is the formula, make the potion.  Now memorize and 
repeat.  Harry performs his assignment -- he makes the potion.  If we 
give someone an assignment and say, do this and here are some 
instructions, and they find better instructions in the public domain 
on the internet (and the instructions in the HBP book were VERY much 
in the public domain) we congratulate them heartily and on initiative 
and creativity and mark them down for early promotion.


Pippin
> Harry had no understanding of the theory behind the HBP's 
> innovations, but he was taking credit for
> them as if he did.   As others have said, he'd have been 
> caught and embarrassed sooner or later.


Lupinlore:
And once again, potions at Hogwarts is not a theoretical art, from 
everything we've been shown.  The method is: here's the recipe, make 
the potion.  Harry makes exemplery potions.  The fact that he does 
not understand the theory is irrelevant, since as far as we can see 
nobody understands much theory about anything at Hogwarts (it really 
is more of a trade school than a liberal arts institution).


Pippin 
> Harry knew there was a good chance Slughorn wouldn't approve
> of crib notes -- why else would he think he needed to hide them?
> 


Because they were giving him an advantage over Draco Malfoy, a person 
whom he believes, correctly, to be in league with the vilest darkness 
in physical existance.  Beside that, I wouldn't expect him to act any 
other way, on a moral basis or any other.

Lupinlore