Was Harry cheathing in Potions in HBP WAS: Re: Bathroom Scene

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 165217

> Magpie:
<SNIP>
> Then there's the question of how *bad* it is, which is where 
> the "who cares" stuff comes in. Now, I don't think it's that bad--
if 
> I had the HBP's book I can't say I wouldn't necessarily have done 
> the same thing.

Alla:

I would not, but I am guessing for very different reasons from you.

Magpie:
 Where I would argue against "who cares" is not to 
> say that Harry has done a horrible, horrible thing, but that Harry 
> has done *nothing* because of totally random reasons--he's an 
> orphan, Snape was a jerk, he wouldn't have used the book if it was 
> Snape's. Or more disturbingly, writing out the idea entirely from 
> different angles--Harry's not really at an advantage, it's about 
> Snape's instructions being inferior, Harry's experimenting like s 
> scientist. That's just not what's going on. Harry himself owns the 
> fact that he's being dishonest, and we can too.

Alla:

Sure :)

 
> Alla:
> > 
> > Because the way I think about it, I precisely do not care about 
it 
> > not because Harry was not cheating, but because of the way Snape 
> > treated him.
> > 
> > In RL, sure I would have cared about it, but I do think that 
Harry 
> > was **way** overdue some compensation and no, I do not think that 
> > makes Snape debt paid, far from it ;) ( just in literature, hehe)
> 
> Magpie:
> Really, the "real" reason this is bad for Harry has nothing to do 
> with his karma. The problem isn't that Snape stews over the idea of 
> Harry being seen as a Potions genius, though we're free to find 
that 
> funny and as payback for Snape's own attempts to keep Harry down.
> 
> The real issue--and this is going to sound totally Hermione and 
> goody-two shoes, but every kid knows this is What's Wrong With 
> Cheating by the time they're five--is that Harry is not taking the 
> class honestly. Like Hermione says the first time she refuses to 
> write his essay for him "How will you learn?" That's the point of 
> being graded fairly in Potions. Harry's also causing trouble for 
> himself with other kids in the class--the exact kind of trouble he 
> might once have not wanted to be a part of himself.
> 

Alla:

On that I disagree. I am thinking that Slughorn's play over Snape's 
line ( point for your cheek) makes us think that karma is involved 
here and heavily. Does not make what Harry does a good thing, sure, 
but does not make me over concerned about it either.

As Neri said, life is not fair. Draco had a teacher on his side for 
five years, this year it is Harry's turn to have something on his 
side.

It is not fair, no, I am not arguing that, but I am also disagreeing 
that Harry will not learn anything. He after all did those potions 
even with Prince instructions, something may stay in his head.

I am also laughing over every kid knows what is wrong with cheating.

Trust me cultural differences on that are big, but I will offlist 
you, since it is OT, I guess.