[HPforGrownups] Was Harry cheating at Potions (was:Re: Bathroom Scene - A Different Perspective.

[Ronin_47]

No: HPFGUIDX 165234

--Betsy HP Wrote--
 
<SNIP>
>>>Why, then, does Harry feel guilty?<<<
 
 
--Ronin's Comments--
Probably because of Hermione riding his tail all through the school year.
She made him feel guilty for stealing her thunder at something.
 
 
 
--Betsy HP Wrote--
 
<SNIP>
>>>Did Harry really learn anything? Why then was he the worst performer 
when tasked to make his own antidote? Unless Bezoars are a universal 
panacea (which they aren't, since wizards still worry about creating 
antidotes) Harry wouldn't pass the Potion's NEWTs. So he wouldn't 
become an Auror, Prince or no Prince.

Much as I loved the relationship between Harry and the Prince (and I 
did love it <g>) I think the Prince was too much of a crutch for 
Harry when it came to potions class. Instead of learning, Harry 
relied on the Prince to figure it out for him.<<<
 
 
--Ronin's Comments--
It remains to be seen if he has retained what he learned. Nobody had an easy
time with the antidotes. Even Hermione struggled to get her antidotes ready
and she was the only one who was even close. I think Harry will remember
about Bezoars. I know I will look for one if I'm ever poisoned. lol  There
is no single cure to every poison, just as there is no one cure for every
disease. But, knowing about bezoars is a pretty good idea considering it is
the closest thing to it. It may be a rare ingredient, but I'd hazard a guess
to say it's no more rare that unicorn hair or what have you when you are in
an emergency situation. He might even decide to carry one with him from now
on.
 
But really, even if he doesn't retain half of what he read, it's more than
he would've learned had it not been for the book. We really can't say what
he'd achieve on his NEWTs, can we? Did we expect him to get an E on his
OWLs, based on his performance in Snape's classes? He's not an idiot. He
just doesn't have much interest in the subject and being harassed by his
teachers. (Given how Snape liked to pick on him, he probably preferred to
lay low in class rather than draw attention to himself and leave himself
open for even more bullying) Not even to mention the other extraordinary
things he has to deal with each year aside from his schoolwork. The MOM,
Umbridge, The Chamber of Secrets, Sirius's death, an Azkaban escapee wanting
to murder him, Malfoy wanting revenge on him, etc., etc...It's a wonder he
can manage any of his school subjects.
 
The Prince's notes may have been a crutch through some of the harder
theories in class, but he definitely learned something from it. (Sectum
Sempra for one, Levicorpus and who knows what else.) The main thing is that,
the book sparked his interest and caused him to think about things potions,
spells or otherwise. That is what is most crucial to learning anything. Just
as the pensieve memories are someone else's memories, he still learns from
them. (Critical information is learned, I might add).
 
The purpose of a textbook is to demonstrate the methods and history of a
subject. The Prince's notes don't actually mix the potions for Harry. It
doesn't do anything for him that the ordinary textbook wouldn't do (Except
for maybe peaking his interest and thought on the subjects & being more
accurate in most cases). Therefore, I hold to my opinion that he was in no
way cheating by using the book.
 
I also see no reason why Harry won't pass his NEWTS or become an Auror.
(Assuming he goes back and takes them)


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