Draco's potion making skills WAS: Scary Teachers - Good Teachers

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 153068

> Alla:
> > 
> > No, I did not think that Draco was just scaring other students. 
I 
> > mean, think about it, if Marchbanks is indeed in Malfoys 
pocket , 
> > would she mention it to her friend?
> > 
> > I mean, why share the fact that you are being bribed with your 
> > friend? <snip>
> > 
> > So, I am NOT saying that Marchbank is necessarily in Malfoy's 
> > pocket, I am just saying that Neville line does not disprove it 
to 
> > me.
> 
> a_svirn:
> But shouldn't we go with the "innocent until proven guilty" 
premise 
> rather than "guilty until proven innocent"? Only in a really 
rotten 
> society, oppressed and run by fear one remark from the likes of 
Draco 
> Malfoy would suffice to ruin a venerable doyen's reputation.
>

Alla:

Well, yes, of course. "Innocent till proven guilty", but should we 
also automatically discard Draco's testimony just because we want 
him to be good in something and he may not be so? (Replying in 
general, not just to your argument)

I mean, don't get me wrong - Marchbank may not be in Malfoy's 
pocket, she likely is not as in 'taking bribes", but why wouldn't 
she come for dinner as one Ministry employee to another?

Carol's point about her residing her position at Wisengamot to 
protest Umbridge appointment speaks very well of her integrity, of 
course.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/153058

I don't think her being friends with Dumbledore is relevant though, 
since as we know Dumbledore thought that Fake!Moody was his friend 
too

I don't think Neri's original point even was that she is necessarily 
taking bribes, but more like that Malfoys KNOW people in high places 
and his daddy will at least attempt to ASK those people a favor, 
whether Marchbank will do so or not is a different story of course.

Malfoy is in on a lot of information that Harry is not. As I quote 
upthread he knows about Triwizard tournament earlier than Harry and 
co do, he also knows lots about Sirius Black, even that Black 
supposedly betrayed Harry's parents, while Harry still has no clue.

Lucius KNOWS people, I see no reason to not think that Marchbank is 
one of them.


And to go back to Draco's potion making skills - there is one 
reference which Carol brought up earlier that he cut the plants 
well, but there is NO reference of Snape ever praising his potion, 
not ONCE ( as far as I remember of course), but there is plenty of 
evidence that Draco is sucking up to all teachers AND there is an 
evidence that Snape has a very long special connection to Malfoys 
family.

Does it tell me that Snape favors Malfoy for any "legitimate" 
reason? He could of course, but I don't see it. I think he favors 
Malfoy to stay in Lucius good graces and maybe he even genuinely 
cares for the boy, but I don't see that he favors him because Malfoy 
is a good student, and especially an outstanding student.

Not that there shoud be a legitimate reason to favor a student, but 
yes I find Mcgonagall favoring Hermione to be easier to swallow, 
because at least Mcgonagall favors the best student in her subject 
as far as we know, not the daughter of her friends ( as far as we 
know).

JMO,

Alla.